Danielle Pletka is a distinguished senior fellow in Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where she focuses on US foreign policy, the Middle East, and terrorism. Until January 2020, Ms. Pletka was the senior vice president of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at AEI. She also teaches US Middle East policy at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service and is a political analyst for NBC News.
Before joining AEI, Ms. Pletka was a senior professional staff member for the Middle East and South Asia for the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
Ms. Pletka has authored, coauthored, and coedited a variety of studies, monographs, and book chapters, including the introduction to “Seven Pillars: What Really Causes Instability in the Middle East” (AEI Press, 2019); the report “Tehran Stands atop the Syria-Iran Alliance” (Atlantic Council, 2017); the chapter “America in Decline” in “Debating the Obama Presidency” (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016); “America vs. Iran: The Competition for the Future of the Middle East” (AEI, 2014); “Iranian Influence in the Levant, Egypt, Iraq, and Afghanistan” (AEI, 2012); “Containing and Deterring a Nuclear Iran” (AEI, 2011); and “Dissent and Reform in the Arab World: Empowering Democrats” (AEI Press, 2008).
Renowned foreign policy voices Danielle Pletka and Julia Ioffe offer competing vision on the Iran war, other global hotspots, and the world order under President Trump. They discuss of U.S. foreign policy, the war’s impact on U.S.-Russia relations, and much more.
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The Cascade PBS Ideas Festival is a full-day exploration of bold ideas. Hosted in Seattle's historic Fremont neighborhood, the event brings together live podcast recordings and television tapings from major media outlets across the country, regional artists, makers, and musicians. Thousands of attendees and viewers have enjoyed hundreds of engaging sessions featuring thought-leaders, politicians, authors, and iconic figures. Now in its ninth year, the festival has become a can't-miss annual event in the region.
Each year, celebrated voices in podcasting and media make their way to Seattle to record live at the festival — including productions from The Atlantic, The New Yorker, NPR, PBS, CNN, Vox, The Wall Street Journal, Slate, Pushkin, Spotify, and beyond. The festival has welcomed Fresh Air, Radiolab, Revisionist History, Criminal, On the Media, The Political Scene, What a Day, The Gist, Amicus, The Weeds, Open to Debate, Decoder, Radio Atlantic, One Thing, Text Me Back, The Journal, Critics at Large, A Word, Good on Paper, Seattle Now, Your Last Meal, What Next, and more.
The Cascade PBS Ideas Festival has hosted hundreds of speakers such as Dr. Jane Goodall, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Malcolm Gladwell, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Macklemore, Judy Woodruff, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Sen. Jeff Flake, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Monica Lewinsky, Robby Hoffman, Ross Douthat, Eddie Glaude Jr., Matt Damon, Jamelle Bouie, Sen. Chris Murphy, Laverne Cox, Sen. Adam Schiff, Sen. Jon Tester, Jake Tapper, Sen. Al Franken, Rick Wilson, Tonya Mosley, Attorney General Eric Holder, Michael Barbaro, Carl Bernstein, Ezra Klein, Amanda Knox, Rep. Will Hurd, Oren Cass, Dahlia Lithwick, Heather Cox Richardson, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Andrew Yang, Michael Cohen, Governor Jay Inslee, and EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman.
Beyond the stage, the festival offers a full day of discovery. Elliott Bay Book Company sets up a pop-up bookstore stocked with titles from every speaker, and a dedicated Q&A Corner gives attendees the chance to continue the conversation with the speakers, one-on-one after each session. Community Meetups invite guests to connect and share their thoughts with fellow attendees. Food trucks, interactive installations, local craft makers, live music, a happy hour, and a live DJ round out the experience.
Interested in learning how you can be a part of the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival? Reach out to events@cascadepbs.org
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