Donald Rumsfeld’s career in government service has spanned ten U.S. presidencies and included positions as a congressman, the U.S. ambassador to NATO, White House chief of staff, and special presidential envoy to the Middle East. Twice-appointed secretary of defense, Rumsfeld has influenced American policy for five decades—covering U.S. security challenges from the Cold War to the terrorist attacks of September 11th and the subsequent intervention in Iraq. As the world contends with ongoing unrest from Tunis to Damascus and beyond, how should the U.S. respond to the latest challenges of global engagement? Drawing on the lessons and thoughts of his new memoir, Known and Unknown, Secretary Rumsfeld will discuss the complex issues facing U.S. policymakers, including the status of intervention in Libya, America’s role in the broad transformation of the Middle East, and adapting U.S. and international institutions for the Information Age.

Recorded Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at the Four Seasons Hotel, Chicago.