The SMU Tower Center in collaboration with SMU Bridwell Library invites you to the National Security Roundtable on the Ethics of War and Peace: The Ethics of the 2026 Iran War.

Date: Thursday, November 12, 2026

Time: 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. ​

5:30 – 6:00 p.m. Registration

6:00 – 7:30 p.m. Event

Location: Frances Anne Moody Hall  Auditorium, 6404 Airline Dr., Dallas, TX 75205​

The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required and the seats are first come, first served. Please click below for registration.

Featuring:

Dr. Daniel Brunstetter, Professor, Political Science, School of Social Sciences, University of California, Irvine (UCI)

Daniel R. Brunstetter is Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), where his research focuses on political theory, early modern thought, and the ethics of war. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Davis, an MSc in Philosophy from the London School of Economics, and an M.A. in Latin American Studies from Tulane University. Dr. Brunstetter examines the history and contemporary application of just war theory, including debates on limited force, armed drones, cultural heritage, and the use of military force. His most recent book, Just and Unjust Uses of Limited Force (Oxford University Press), develops the concept of jus ad vim to explore the ethics of force short of war and was runner-up for the 2023 ISA Ethics Best Book Award. His work has appeared in leading journals including Ethics & International Affairs, Political Studies, and Review of International Studies. He was a recipient of a Chateaubriand Fellowship in 2005.

Dr. Rhiannon Neilsen, Assistant Professor in International Security, Baruch College, The City University of New York

Rhiannon Neilsen, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in International Security at the Marxe School of Public & International Affairs, Baruch College, City University of New York (CUNY). Her research examines the intersection of new technologies, mass atrocities, disinformation, and Just War Theory. Previously, Rhiannon was the Cyber Security Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), Stanford, where she remains a research affiliate. Her first book, Algorithms & Atrocities, is forthcoming with Oxford University Press in December 2026.

Dr. Eric Patterson, President and CEO of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation

Dr. Eric Patterson is President and CEO of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. The Foundation’s mission is to educate all generations about the terrible history, ideology, and legacy of communism, and it accomplishes this through educational programming, policy-relevant research, and the VOC Museum in Washington, DC. Patterson has previously served as a think tank president and university dean, and he remains affiliated with Georgetown and Regent Universities. His government experience includes service as a White House Fellow, at the U.S. Department of State, and, for over 20 years, as an Air National Guard commander. He is an active scholar on the moral dimensions of national security and international affairs, as well as author or editor of over 20 books, including Just American Wars: Ethical Dilemmas in U.S. Military History.

Discussant: Dr. Stefano Recchia is Distinguished Chair in international politics and director of the national security program at the Tower Center. Recchia’s new book, Strategies for Approval: Building Support for Military Intervention at the UN Security Council (Yale University Press, 2025), investigates how the United States and other major powers can reap the legitimacy benefits of UN Security Council approval for the use of force even when veto-wielding permanent members like China and Russia are fiercely opposed at the outset. Professor Recchia has also published several other books and many articles in leading scholarly journals. His research has been funded by numerous bodies, including the Brookings Institution, Dickey Center at Dartmouth College, and Fulbright Commission.​

Any person who requires a reasonable accommodation on the basis of a disability in order to participate in this program should contact the SMU Tower Center at tower@smu.edu in advance at least 4 days prior to the event to arrange for the accommodation.

Event Policy: For this event, bags larger than a small clutch, as well as banners and signs, are not permitted inside the auditorium and must be left outside the venue or in your vehicle. We are not responsible for any lost, stolen, or damaged items.

SMU Tower Center | http://www.smu.edu/TowerCenter

Southern Methodist University (SMU)

3300 University Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75275-0117

214-768-3954  tower@smu.edu