This Friday evening, Feb. 20, The George Town Club is holding a special edition of its Q&A Cafe, “Crisis Cocktails.” Carol Ross Joynt will moderate, and if you haven’t been to one of Carol’s live interviews before, you’re missing out. She’s a master of the craft and has talked to all the bigs in the news business, most recently Chuck Todd and Dan Rather.

The guest is author and Daily Beast intelligence and national security correspondent Shane Harris, who will give meaningful, if alarming, background in areas he knows best: ISIS, its horrors, the future threat, tactics for defeat; CHARLIE HEBDO, and resurgent al Qaeda (is Denmark related?); Hacking and the threat of cyber apocalypse. SONY, but who else? Drones, at war and at home, and the federal government’s new proposals.

These are scary but critical topics and thus the later hour — seating begins at 4:30, the taping at 5 — and a menu of cocktails and canapés.

Shane, who is the author of the new book, @War, and the earlier book, The Watchers, will stay after the interview to chat some more. He is one of the most respected journalists covering the intelligence beat. His sources run the intelligence industry, his scoops are quoted by his competitors and he’s a frequent guest on the network chat shows.

The location is the George Town Club at 1530 Wisconsin Avenue NW. The fee is $25, all inclusive. For reservations, please call 202-333-9330 or email GTC Reservations.