Some time. And it took me a lot of research with navy records of the black cats to kind of jive what he had written and what the real war diary was and finally managed to put the tombline together through the use of timeline together through the use of all these various pieces. I was surprised. I had no idea hed been through so much, and i was also surprised to find out as much as i have about the black cats in general. It was a Remarkable Group and really one of the leasttold stories of world war ii, just their significance to the whole thing. Everything from rescues to just becoming this stealth aircraft that nobody had seen the likes of before. One of the first to use radar, or for instance. One of the first to have an altimeter so they could fly low over the water and be virtually invisible. Fascinating stuff, and i didnt know any of that. I feel like its a tribute to the black cats and to dad, first of all. They both deserve it. And any opportunity you have to tell, tell a story like this, its just an important opportunity. And i also feel like its been a great opportunity to meet veterans, world war ii veterans in particular, and ive met four black cats now. Three and about to meet the fourth. One who actually knew and flew with my dad let me correct that, two who actually knew and flew with my dad. And they found out about it more or less from the book. So thats been a real important, you know, side effect of the whole thing. But one of the most satisfying things is just meeting other people and maybe even the book has inspired them to go ahead and talk to their own parents or loved one who may have served and kind of capture that narrative and have an opportunity to save a legacy before its gone forever. And if i can inspire some of these people through this book to do that, thats been worth it all by itself. For more information on booktvs recent visit to salem, oregon, and the many other cities visited but our local content vehicles, go to cspan. Org localcontent. Nader hashemi and danny postel are next on booktv. They talk about the humanitarian crisis in syria and discuss what the International Community is doing about it and what still needs to be done. This is a little over an hour. [applause] well, good evening, even, and thanks everybody, and thanks for the warm hand and your warm presence here on such a cold evening. Finish i was after rachel to introduce the three of us as the brass owe brothers [laughter] but being chicago this being chicago, we figured maybe that wasnt such a good idea, somebody might take us seriously. But john likes it. Its nice to begin with a little bit of a light hearted comment, and i hope to remember at the end to make another lighthearted comment maybe. Because Everything Else in between is not lighthearted at all. Weve all been following the syria crisis from three years ago when it started out as a peaceful uprising to a civil war to regional war, and fumely i think to a fullblownside. Fullblown genocide. I dont know, i dont use that word lightly, but i dont know what else to call it when a government, armed to the teeth, is throwing everything it has at most of it population. Its civilian population primarily. Yes, there are groups foughting the government now fighting the government now, and thats primarily due to the way the government dealt with the up the unarmed protesters at the gunning three years ago. At the beginning three years ago. The u. N. Has stopped counting dead bodies at 120,000. And its partly because theres, its not an easy task when youre not on the ground and highrise buildings are falling to count how many are dying. So and partly, im sure, because its macabre after a certain number to keep counting. By my own estimate, i think were probably at 150,000 dead right now. By way of comparison, it took the lebanese 15 years of bloody civil war to get to that number of dead people. Its taken Bashar Assads killing pa chien three years machine three years. Now, not just my estimate, but many other analysts who look at this project that if nothing happens, no super power intervenes to do something soars about stopping this war serious about stopping this war, it could easily go on for another ten years. So take this 150,000 and multiply it, and you do the math. And tell me, is this genocide or this is not genocide. Now, i am stunned personally, and im tired of writing about the u. S. National interest. I started three years ago in government, and now out of government, saying it is in the u. S. National interests to do something in syria. I i put aside the humanitarian argument because you cant convince people to do the right thing, but you can convince them to do what is in their interest to do. Well, apparently i failed and others have failed on both counts. But the humanitarian one, it gets to a point where you cant ignore it anymore. I mean, what does it say about us when we have seen and weve looked at holocaust, weve studied the holocaust. There are all kinds of programs to make sure this doesnt happen again. You have 9 11 and all of us remember it. You know . Two buildings dropped to the ground to rubble and 3,000 people died. Imagine if what happened in 9 11 is happening every day, not just that once. It happened once mt. U. S. , and and none of in the u. S. , and none of us can forget it. These bombs that are being dumped by the Syrian Government on highrise buildings in homs right now and other places in syria, imagine if you are sitting here in chicago our nice highrise buildings, these womans are dropping on them these bombs are dropping on them every day. This is what the citizens of syria are living through. What kind of a world do we live in that we dont, that the world doesnt fall over itself to stop this massacre from continuing . I think ive said enough, but i need to get this off my chest. And i hope this stimulates the discussion here. One thing that i would like to start with, danny, is when something is International Interest to be done and it is doable without a Huge Investment and, by the way, it is the right thing to do and it still doesnt get done, what is the problem . This is exactly why our book, nabeel, is titled the syria dilemma, because we do not see a very clear cut, black and white answer to the nightmare, and it really is a nightmare, along the lines youve just described. Were talking about suffering on such a mass scale in syria thats only getting worse. One of the ironies of the impasse at the pped of august and early end of august and Early September in the aftermath of the chemical weapons attack, the proposed u. S. Strike on syria in response to that attack and then the russian deal to solve this problem, one of the ironies is that assad actually emerged much stronger from that what seemed like a crisis. He has emerged as a much more formidable flair on player on the geopolitical stage. The killing has actually increased, violence has deepened. Suns late august, early since late august, Early September with no end in sightment were now i in a situation where i would only add to the that you shared. This mass starvation going on in syria. The United Nations is now estimating that possibly as many as 800,000 syrians are currently living in these starvation seemings. That is to say these besieged areas of the country where theyre trapped. Humanitarian ailed workers cannot get in to deliver food and medicine that are vitally needed, people are on the brink of or starvation, children are dying of malnutrition, people are literally eating grass, weeds and roots. The New York Times today quoted one gentleman in i believe in one of the besieged areas as saying that on a good day we might have a few olives or a spoonful of bolger. Many people have already died under these seemings, starved to death seemings, starved to death, but as many as 800,000 could be on the brink of star vegas. They cant get out, and humanitarian aid workers cant get in with food and medicine. In addition to the starvation, you have the outbreak of polio after polio was, essentially, ed rad candidated, now you have the outbreak of polio. The eradicated. The outbreak of polio in syria really shames the civilized world. What is happening . So what is to be done . These areas are besieged, theyre surrounded mostly by assads forces, in some cases by extremist militias. My own view is we might not be able after three years of the geopolitical go with around after negotiations now two rounds of negotiations and a new one starting today, yesterday. We dont have an answer, we dont have a solution to the Syrian Crisis at large, but if you could just break off one piece of it which is what our oped that will be out in tomorrow mornings New York Times tries to do, if you could just look at the one crisis where syrian civilians, these are unarmed noncombatants and they are dying, theyre starving to death. And this is just the opportunity of the iceberg, isnt it . This is the worst part in a way because of the starvation and the way these people are under siege. But, again, u. N. Figures estimate six million internally displaced persons. And these people are living sometimes in other areas, sometimes under shelter, sometimes just out in the open. And thats the bigger problem in a humanitarian way thats still coming down the pike. Starvation hasnt hit those six million. Its on its way. Another my, go back a bit to my original question. I mean, danny mentioned a bit that as add emerged stronger assad emerged stronger after these began and after the u. S. First called up the fleet and then pulled it back. Is assads strength factor here in why the u. S. Doesnt do anything by way of a bold action to get this stopped. . No, i would argue. I think the main reason why the United States has not gotten involved is because of one word, iraq. We are a warweary country of after iraq, after afghanistan. Anyone who sort of thinks of another u. S. Military engagement in the middle east sort of looks at that possible scenario through the prism of iraq, and thats completely understandable. But weve had a debate in this country primarily at the end of august, Early September over what should be done about syria after the chemical weapons attack. It looked like obama wanted to get involved. And there was many people who argued that, look, you know, syria as tragic as the human rights catastrophe is, really doesnt immediately affect American National interest. It can be contained within the borders of syria. And so, you know, our heart bleeds for human suffering, but as a warweary nation, its just not in our national interests, the argument goes, to take the steps that are needed to try and intervene and steer this conflict around. Well, i have news to tell everyone in this room, syria is now a matter of u. S. National security. And thats not my assessment. Leaving aside the fact that now syrias destabilizing lebanon, jordan, iraq, the europeans now are deeply concerned about syria because syria now is a National Security, you know, crisis for the europeans. There are, according to some reports, about 1200 angry marginalized muslim men who have traveled to sur ya to join syria to join various militia groups. What happens when they return . James clapper, the director of National Intelligence in this country, just released a statement saying there are 7,000 foreign fighters in syria from 50 different cups, and he explicitly stated that syria now is a National Security crisis for this country. Of the secretary of Homeland Security has made a statement just on friday. So those people who argue that syria is really a conflict over there, it doesnt affect us, the syrian conflict has now had ripple effects all the way to southeast asia. In indonesia there was a report just on in the New York Times on january 31st saying similar processes sort of leading to huge security concerns, and this is a lesson that we, you know, should have learned as a result of 9 11, you know . To sort of ignore countries far away thinking that they dont affect us in this globalized world and we can just, you know, turn away. Im referring to afghanistan back then. Well, thats wishful thinking. Syria today is the new afghanistan. If youre not persuaded by human rights, the moral and human catastrophe that syria has become, massive war crime, statesanctioned war crimeses, crimes against humanity, if thats not enough to persuade you, then i think there are very strong and compelling National Security arguments that should persuade you. And dont take my word for it. Listen to what James Clapper is saying, listen to what the secretary of Homeland Security is saying. Syria, now, is becoming a crisis for the world. U. S. Interests are definitely implicated in terms of the impact, spillover of syria on regional friends and allies of the u. S. Its also been determined by president obama early on that helping the transition towards democracy many in the region is this the in the region is in the u. S. National interests. Its not just the right thing to do. So that also is there. But, danny, when people say, well, it doesnt reach u. S. Shores in any way, is that correct . When we talk about the regional friends and allies, thats indirect. And when we talk about democracy, thats debatable. People will tell you, hey, thats not democrat, etc. But is it true that this doesnt reach u. S. Shores at all . Thats debatable and is being debated. But i think whats interesting is what conclusions is one to draw from the picture that nader just drew, thissicture that this picture that our intelligence agencies are paying more and more attention to the alqaedaization, the jihaddization of the syrian nightmare. For example, ambassador ryan crocker draws the conclusion that precisely because of this islamization and radicalization of the syrian conflict, the United States should reconsider its relationship with president assad and actually see him as a potential ally in the war on terror and the fight against alqaeda. Was he forgetting when what he is he forgetting when he says thatsome. No one knows more about this than you to, nabeel, because you wrote a very effective takedown of ambassador crockers argument in the los angeles times. During the war when we till had troops still had troops in iraq, Bashar Al Assad had his own wing of alqaeda inside syria that were facilitating foreign fighters going into iraq. These foreign fighters coming from yemen, from pakistan, from afghanistan were going from syria into iraq and were killing u. S. Soldiers. And when we told the Syrian Government that this is happening and we named names and say arrest these people, they said, oh, dont worry, this is just our way of infiltrating alqaeda to keep them under control. And when we knew of certain things that were actually going to happen, attacks as a result of these people that supposedly the Syrian Government controlled and they wouldnt do anything about it, you had the at one point secret raid into is into syria that is now all over media, all over the media right after, in fact. And it was a raid by u. S. Forces into syria to kill this guy, and you can find him this wikipedia and places like that. And that is because we knew exactly what he was up to, and we told the syrians, and syrians wouldnt do anything about it. So this was a case where american lives were directly touch so muched by bashars directly touched by bashars links to alqaeda and his sponsoring certain branches offal dude. And there are now reports that assads regime is coordinating directly with alqaeda forces in syria in their battles against the Free Syrian Army. We are now in a situation where theres a threeway war. This is no longer a twosided conflict between the assad regime and the rebels. Theres really no such thing as the rebels as such anymore. It is now a threeway war in effect with assad and his killing machine this one corner, the Free Syrian Army loosely speaking in another and now the third force which is the forces, and there are many shades of alqaeda and various militant islam u. S. Factions who sometimes islamist factions who sometimes fight each other. And this is not a distinction to be drawn on paper, there are actually battles between militia and these alqaeda forces. Now, we dont know, no smoking gun a that im aware of pointing to direct coordination by the assad regime. We might discover very soon that there is. Those are claims that the syrian op to decision are making, but what we do know is that objectively whether hes involved this coordinating it or not to, he benefits from it. This is a dream scenario for the assad regime, to have alqaeda rising in influence, fighting, battling it out with the original democraticallyminded forces within the Syrian Opposition danny, its actually more than just accusations by the opposition, because when youve had your own deeplyembedded alqaeda and network for years, it doesnt just go away like that. Are right. So it has to still be there operating. Smoking gun or not depends on whos looking and where theyre looking sphwhrcht yeah. I mean, theres a deeper political point thats been lost in the conversation about the rise of political extremism in syria manifested in alqaeda. And thats the point that, you know, alqaeda just didnt emerge from a vacuum in syria. There is a deep and intimate connection between the tail your of the failure of political democratization processes and the rise of political extremism. And the relationship is basically one of inverse proportion. The more that theres a possibility, a hope, a serious process of pursuing political transition and opening up of the political space, the more that that sort of moves up, the less there is a chance for be political extremism such as alqaeda to gain a foothold. And the more that political extremism goes up, the that means that the chances and prospects for extremism has diminished. Thats one of broad lessons of arab spring. Alqaeda had no resonance, no message, nothing to offer to the people. Its not a coincidence that the tunisian presence of political extremism is very marginal. The lesson of