David Ignatius is as well known a novelist as he is a journalist with decades of experience covering foreign affairs and national security issues. And his newest novel, the American spy thriller The Director, fits right into the cannon he has become known for.

In telling the fictitious story of a major security breach at the CIA, The Director confronts the real-world implications of a country still reeling over the revelations of WikiLeaks, Edward Snowden, and the NSA. While the CIA is increasingly using spycraft to carry out their most classified operations, they have upped their digital presence with their public debut on Twitter. The security and surveillance networks are as global as ever, but has technology gone to far? Are human intelligence and off-the-grid communication more secure, safer tactics?

Join New America NYC for a conversation between David Ignatius and Nicholas Schmidle that will blur the line between fact and fiction to lift the lid on the national security apparatus as we know it.

Featuring…

DAVID IGNATIUS

Columnist, The Washington Post
Author, The Director: A Novel

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE

Staff writer, The New Yorker
Cronkite New America Fellow, New America Foundation

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