In 2009, the failed Christmas airline attack brought Yemen to the forefront of many discussions about al-Qaeda and terrorism. Despite the newly-increased spotlight on Yemen and its troubles, the country has long been a core part of broader U.S. counterterrorism strategy.

In this public event, Daniel Benjamin,  the State Department's coordinator for counterterrorism discussed the circumstances in Yemen and provided insight on the current U.S. counterterrorism strategy.

Previously, Ambassador Benjamin was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. From 1994 to1999, Mr. Benjamin served on the National Security Council staff. In 1998-1999, he was director for counterterrorism in the Office of Transnational Threats. In 1994-1997, he served as foreign policy speechwriter and special assistant to President Clinton. Before entering the government, Mr. Benjamin was a foreign correspondent for TIME Magazine and The Wall Street Journal.

Daniel Benjamin has co-written two books, "The Age of Sacred Terror" and "The Next Attack: The Failure of the War on Terror and a Strategy for Getting it Right," edited "America and the World in the Age of Terror: A New Landscape of in International Relations," and published numerous articles in The New York Times, Washington Post, Slate, TIME Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, and other publications.

Speakers

• Daniel Benjamin
  Coordinator of Counterterrorism
  Department of State
• Steven Heydemann, Moderator
  Vice President, Grant and Fellowships Program and Co-director, Yemen Working Group
  U.S. Institute of Peace