Gretchen Peters talked about her book Seeds of Terror: How Heroin Is Bankrolling the Taliban and Al Qaeda (Thomas Dunne Books; May 12, 2009). She read passages from her book and talked about the role of narco-trafficking, specifically opium, financing the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. She argued that the Taliban are more criminals than ideological warriors and that economic alternatives must be created if the current situation in Afghanistan is to change. After her presentation, which included slides, she answered questions from members of the audience.

Gretchen Peters was an Afghanistan correspondent for the Associated Press and ABC News.