Has Edward Snowden done the U.S. a great service? Is he a whistleblower, or is he a criminal? Intelligence Squared U.S. has assembled a panel of the most distinct voices and insiders on the matter to tackle the motion “Snowden Was Justified.”

On February 12th, Daniel Ellsberg, former U.S. military analyst and Pentagon Papers whistleblower will argue for the motion with ACLU attorney and Snowden’s legal adviser, Ben Wizner. National Review contributing editor and former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy with former CIA director and chairman of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Ambassador R. James Woolsey will argue against the motion.

There is no doubt that Snowden’s release of highly classified stolen documents has sparked an important public debate, even forcing what could be a major presidential overhaul of the NSA’s surveillance programs. But have his actions—which include the downloading of an estimated 1.7 million files—tipped off our enemies and endangered national security? Weigh in online here: http://bit.ly/1b3mKFY

WHAT: Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates “Snowden Was Justified”
WHEN: Wednesday, February 12, 2014 / Reception 5:45-6:30 / Debate 6:45-8:30 PM
WHERE: Kaufman Center/129 W. 67th Street (bet. Broadway and Amsterdam)/New York, NY 10023
TICKETS: $40 ($12 for students w/ ID). To purchase, visit http://www.intelligencesquaredus.org/

The debate will take place in front of a live audience at Kaufman Center in New York City. Before the debate, audience members will vote on the motion; afterward, the audience votes again. The team that moves the most voters to its side will be the winning team in this provocative debate.

ABOUT INTELLIGENCE SQUARED U.S. DEBATES (IQ2US)
Winner of the 2013 Silver Radio Award for Best Public Affairs Program and named one of the "Five Podcasts that Will Change the Way You Think" by Forbes, Intelligence Squared U.S. was founded in New York City in 2006 by Robert Rosenkranz, and has grown into an internationally syndicated series heard and watched by millions. The debates have attracted some of the world's top thinkers, including Steven Forbes, Neal Barnard, Paul Krugman, Karl Rove, Malcolm Gladwell, and Arianna Huffington. With over 80 debates, Intelligence Squared U.S. has encouraged the public to “think twice” on a wide range of provocative topics. Author and ABC News correspondent John Donvan has moderated IQ2US since 2008. The executive producer is Dana Wolfe.