Daily news reports—about proliferation concerns, support for terrorism, and increasing Iranian influence in Iraq—underscore that Iran remains a fundamental concern for American foreign policy. At the same time, however, there is limited understanding of Iran, the factions that influence its government, and the debates, power struggles, and rivalries that have shaped Iranian policy and behavior for decades. In Hidden Iran: Paradox and Power in the Islamic Republic, Ray Takeyh has written a book that goes a long way to correcting this misunderstanding. A leading expert on Iran's politics and history, Takeyh shows why Iran has so often confounded American expectations. Fareed Zakaria, editor of Newsweek International, calls Takeyh's book "the single best guide to understanding modern Iran." Such a book could not be more timely or more important.

Please join Tom Daschle, Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, and Ray Takeyh for a discussion of Hidden Iran and U.S.-Iran relations.

While recent attention has been devoted to the implications of developments in molecular biology to national security, less public consideration has been devoted to the implications of innovations in neuroscience. National defense agencies, however, have already realized the potential neuroscience research has to change the way modern wars are fought. Defense planners are interested in studies that may improve soldiers' endurance and psychological performance, and are developing drugs to influence the brain and create "brain-machine" information systems to aid cognition.

In his new book Mind Wars: Brain Research and National Defense, Center for American Progress Senior Fellow Dr. Jonathan Moreno explores the ethical and political implications of these new advances in neuroscience. Join Dr. Moreno, the Center for American Progress, and a distinguished panel of experts in national security, neuroethics, and civil liberties as they discuss the emerging intersection of neuroscience and national defense.

After a six-year boom in home prices, the housing bubble is finally deflating. Millions of families were able to take advantage of the boom, buying, selling, and then buying new homes again. During the same period, however, homeownership rates actually declined for a significant number of Americans. Recent economic data has also tarnished the legacy of the great American housing boom by revealing that many families are in a very vulnerable situation economically. The equity share of homeowners' stakes in their own homes decreased as homeowners amassed new debt more rapidly than their homes appreciated. Rising home prices led families to have a greater concentration of wealth tied up in their homes even as they expanded their credit lines to fuel their consumption. A slowdown in the housing market could thus result in less consumption growth and less economic growth. In short, policymakers have a number of issues to address in the coming months and years as we face the fallout from the end of the housing boom.

Join the Center for American Progress and a distinguished group of panelists for a discussion on what the end of the housing bubble means for American families and for the economy. The panelists will discuss if preventing a similar boom is desirable and how that could be accomplished. The panelists will also highlight what policy makers must now undertake in order to address the effects of the end of the housing bubble. Particular attention will be given to what affordability measures are needed. The honorable Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) will provide opening remarks, followed by presentations from four experts.

Improving teacher quality is no simple task. While research convincingly shows that teacher quality is the most important schooling factor influencing student achievement, there does not appear to be any specific credential or characteristic that is a silver-bullet predictor of quality. Consequently, policymakers and education advocates may wish to address teacher performance through a focus on teacher workforce policies—that is, policies that are based on a teacher’s actual demonstrated classroom performance.

Join us for a discussion as policy leaders consider a new paper by Dan Goldhaber that suggests that compensation is a key workforce policy that holds promise for education reform aimed at improving student performance. Goldhaber explores research findings on teachers’ responsiveness to monetary incentives as well as significant obstacles facing policymakers who wish to use compensation as a tool for influencing the quality of the teacher workforce. His paper argues that pay reform holds potential and offers recommendations for those who wish to see teacher pay reforms successfully implemented.

In February 2003, the Sudanese Liberation Army in Darfur (the western region of Sudan)  took up arms against the Sudanese government after years of oppression. The government and allied militias answered the rebellion with mass murder, rape, and the wholesale destruction of villages and livelihood, resulting in one of the world's largest humanitarian and political crises. Up to two million people were displaced; 400,000 people killed.

In October and November 2004, after watching woefully inadequate media coverage on the crisis in Darfur, a team of three independent filmmakers trekked to Darfurian refugee camps in eastern Chad and crept across the border into Darfur. They met dozens of Darfurians, and spoke with them about their history, hopes and fears, and the tragedy they are living. Through the voices of refugees, displaced persons, and women and children in particular, Darfur Diaries: Message From Home provides a space for the marginalized victims of atrocities to speak and to engage with the world.

Please join us for a provocative panel discussion and Q&A session immediately following the film. The filmmakers will also discuss their book on the filmmaking process, Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival (Nation Books, October 2006).

For more information, please visit http://www.darfurdiaries.org/