Saira Mohamed — What a Country Owes Its Soldiers - with Darin Johnson

Saira Mohamed presents *What a Country Owes Its Soldiers*, a legal and ethical examination of how the United States treats its military service members. Mohamed argues that volunteering to serve does not amount to agreeing to exploitation, inadequate equipment or medical care, unlawful wars, criminal orders, or the denial of legal remedies when soldiers are harmed or killed.

Drawing on statutes, treaties, court decisions, and congressional hearings, Mohamed shows how American law can reduce soldiers to tools of government policy while overlooking protections that already exist. She also considers how public idealization of the military and the all-volunteer force can obscure service members’ rights and normalize unlimited sacrifice. Mohamed will discuss the book with Darin Johnson, whose background includes service in the Pentagon, State Department, and White House.

When: Saturday, November 14, 2026.

Showtime: The event begins at 5:00 p.m.

Venue: Politics and Prose at 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008.

Tickets: Free. Seating is first come, first served.

Featured speaker: Saira Mohamed is the Agnes Roddy Robb Chair in Jurisprudence, Ethics, and Social Responsibility and a professor of law at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.

Conversation partner: Darin Johnson is a Howard University law professor and a scholar and commentator on international law, national security, foreign affairs, and human rights. He has worked at the Pentagon, State Department, and White House, and is a graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School. He is also the author of *Digital Coup: The Conspiracy to Thwart Global Democracy*.

Subject: The event focuses on soldiers’ rights, government obligations to service members, military accountability, and the legal and cultural assumptions surrounding American war-making.

Accessibility: Requests for accommodations and accessibility inquiries should be sent to events@politics-prose.com, ideally at least one week before the event. The venue will make efforts to accommodate requests submitted up to the event time.

Run time: Not stated on the event page.

Ages: No age restriction is stated.

Related book: *What a Country Owes Its Soldiers* is available for preorder as a $28.95 hardcover. The listed publication date is November 10, 2026.