Fred Charles Ikle talked about his book Annihilation from Within: The Ultimate Threat to Nations, published by Columbia University Press. Mr. Ikle argued that because of unrestrained technological progress, new national security threats are emerging inside the U.S., such as weapons of mass destruction and supercomputers. He claimed that U.S. officials are focused on threats from abroad and are oblivious to internal threats. He offered preventive measures.

He was joined in discussion by Francis Fukuyama, David Ignatius, and Richard Perle. They responded to questions from members of the audience.