Professor Michael Scharf served on a panel exploring questions about the nature of free speech amidst the global events of the age of terrorism.

Professor Michael Scharf served on a panel that explored questions about the nature of free speech amidst the global events of the age of terrorism. The City Club of Cleveland presented the event, ‘Conference on Free Speech’, which was held at the Allen Theatre on October 10.

The twenty-first century has opened with violent global events, and as governments worldwide address the new threats posed by terrorism and the requirements of national security in a globalized, interconnected world, the scope of traditional speech rights are constantly in flux. In less direct ways, free speech has been the catalyst for the sweeping revolutions of the Arab Spring, and governments have leapt to defend the speech rights of demonstrators, protestors, and revolutionaries, but are challenged to draw appropriate lines to ensure that speech does not facilitate terrorism and insurgency. Continuing the conversation begun with the BBC's World Have Your Say for the Cleveland audience, this panel explores questions about the nature of free speech amidst the global events of the age of terrorism, including:

• How are First Amendment freedoms compromised by the requirements of national security?
• What role do speech rights play in, and how are speech rights affected in turn by, regional revolutions?
• What are the challenges facing governmental transparency & unfettered reporting in the context of national security?
• What is the appropriate scope of free speech in an international environment where communication can itself facilitate, or even constitute, terrorist activity?

Professor Michael Scharf served on a panel exploring questions about the nature of free speech amidst the global events of the age of terrorism.

Professor Michael Scharf served on a panel that explored questions about the nature of free speech amidst the global events of the age of terrorism. The City Club of Cleveland presented the event, ‘Conference on Free Speech’, which was held at the Allen Theatre on October 10.

The twenty-first century has opened with violent global events, and as governments worldwide address the new threats posed by terrorism and the requirements of national security in a globalized, interconnected world, the scope of traditional speech rights are constantly in flux. In less direct ways, free speech has been the catalyst for the sweeping revolutions of the Arab Spring, and governments have leapt to defend the speech rights of demonstrators, protestors, and revolutionaries, but are challenged to draw appropriate lines to ensure that speech does not facilitate terrorism and insurgency. Continuing the conversation begun with the BBC's World Have Your Say for the Cleveland audience, this panel explores questions about the nature of free speech amidst the global events of the age of terrorism, including:

• How are First Amendment freedoms compromised by the requirements of national security?
• What role do speech rights play in, and how are speech rights affected in turn by, regional revolutions?
• What are the challenges facing governmental transparency & unfettered reporting in the context of national security?
• What is the appropriate scope of free speech in an international environment where communication can itself facilitate, or even constitute, terrorist activity?

Professor Michael Scharf served on a panel exploring questions about the nature of free speech amidst the global events of the age of terrorism.

Professor Michael Scharf served on a panel that explored questions about the nature of free speech amidst the global events of the age of terrorism. The City Club of Cleveland presented the event, ‘Conference on Free Speech’, which was held at the Allen Theatre on October 10.

The twenty-first century has opened with violent global events, and as governments worldwide address the new threats posed by terrorism and the requirements of national security in a globalized, interconnected world, the scope of traditional speech rights are constantly in flux. In less direct ways, free speech has been the catalyst for the sweeping revolutions of the Arab Spring, and governments have leapt to defend the speech rights of demonstrators, protestors, and revolutionaries, but are challenged to draw appropriate lines to ensure that speech does not facilitate terrorism and insurgency. Continuing the conversation begun with the BBC's World Have Your Say for the Cleveland audience, this panel explores questions about the nature of free speech amidst the global events of the age of terrorism, including:

• How are First Amendment freedoms compromised by the requirements of national security?
• What role do speech rights play in, and how are speech rights affected in turn by, regional revolutions?
• What are the challenges facing governmental transparency & unfettered reporting in the context of national security?
• What is the appropriate scope of free speech in an international environment where communication can itself facilitate, or even constitute, terrorist activity?