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Between Protest and Political Violence: 2022

A Joint Conference

The conference “Between Protest and Political Violence” is a new conference jointly hosted by the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) and Institute for Freedom and Responsibility at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy & Strategy at Reichman University.

The conference helps to facilitate broad discussions to identify the boundaries between legitimate political and social protest and political violence in the modern world. In addition to identifying these boundaries, the hosts work to promote discussions for how to combat political violence globally. Bringing together senior government officials, leaders from the non-governmental community, subject matter experts, leading scholars, and social and community leaders, the conference will focus on the theoretical, empirical and policy dimensions of protest and political violence.

*”Between Protest and Political Violence” was conducted in Hebrew. 

Location & Date

The conference occurred in the Radzyner-Sustainability Building on the Reichman University Campus in Herzliya, Israel on Sunday 13 March 2022 from 08:00-16:00.

Register

Pre-registration was required to participate in the conference. To register, please complete the registration form.

*For questions or concerns, please email [email protected]

Coming Soon!

Coming soon!

Stevie Weinberg

Deputy Executive Director, The International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT); Founder & Editor-in-Chief, The International Counter-Terrorism Review (ICTR), Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel

Stevie Weinberg is the Deputy Executive Director of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel. He is also the Founder & Editor-in-Chief of the International Counter-Terrorism Review (ICTR), a leading publication that serves as a platform for exchanging research and policy recommendations addressing international issues pertaining to terrorism and counter-terrorism. Weinberg also serves as the President of the Youth Atlantic Treaty Association (YATA)’s Israel Chapter, which aims to empower the next generation of security leaders and foster the values embedded in the North Atlantic Treaty. At the ICT, he leads various large-scale projects for private and public customers and manages the daily operations of the ICT team.

Weinberg is the Director of the ICT’s Annual Summit on Counter-Terrorism, the World’s leading international conference in the field of Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism. He is also a Researcher for two Horizon 2020 grants, the largest research and innovation programme established by the EU. Weinberg served as the ICT lead-researcher and liaison to tech-companies; including Facebook and the Global Internet Forum to Counter-Terrorism (GIFCT), a consortium dedicated to prevent terrorists and violent extremists from exploiting digital platforms. As part of this cooperation, the ICT received two important research awards.

In addition, Weinberg is an Adjunct Lecturer at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy & Strategy at Reichman University, Herzliya, where he previously served as a Researcher and Teaching Assistant for various world leading experts in terrorism. As part of the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy & Strategy, Weinberg also served as the Co-Founder and as the first Director of the Shadow Government, a program that parallels the actual government and monitors its activities, with students acting as ministers and providing policy recommendations.

Prior to his current position at the ICT, Weinberg served as the Director of Operations; Internship Coordinator & Project Manager; and Researcher at the ICT. He managed a team of 50 Israeli and international interns per year; and co-founded and first coordinated ICT’s Online Academic Programs.

Weinberg graduated Valedictorian (Magna Cum Laude) from the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy’s Master of Arts in Government with a Specialization in Counter-Terrorism & Homeland Security.

Nicolò

Dafne Beri

Researcher and Senior Project Manager, The International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel

Dafne Beri is a Researcher and Senior Project Manager at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at Reichman University, Herzliya. She is the Managing Editor of the International Counter-Terrorism Review (ICTR) and Vice President of the Youth Atlantic Treaty Association’s (YATA) Israel chapter. Dafne also serves as a Teaching Assistant at Reichman University. Prior to her current position, she served as a Researcher & Project Coordinator at the ICT.

Dafne holds an MSc in Conflict Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), UK. The topic of her MSc thesis was “The Logic of Political Survival and the Politics of Peace: PKK-Turkey and EZLN-Mexico in Comparative Perspective”. She holds a BA in Political Science & World Islamic and Middle East Studies from McGill University, Canada, where she graduated with Distinction. Her research interests include terrorism, counter-terrorism, Middle East politics and conflict resolution with a focus on Turkey and Israel. She fluently speaks Turkish, English, French, and has an intermediate level knowledge of Hebrew, Spanish, and Arabic.

Nicolò Scremin

Nicolò Scremin is founding Executive Director of Next-Gen 5.0 and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Program on Extremism at The George Washington University. His research primarily focuses on the role of family in Islamist radicalization, and the intersection between extremism, terrorism and sport.

Nicolò has published his work in Small Wars Journal and Mondadori University. His forthcoming co-edited volume Jihadist Terror: New Threats, New Responses, will be published with I.B. Tauris in Spring 2019.

Prior to joining PoE, Nicolò was a Research Analyst at Combating Jihadist Terrorism in the UK (CoJiT-UK), and a Researcher at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT). He holds an MA with distinction in Terrorism, Security & Society from the War Studies Department at King’s College London and a BA with honours in Investigation and Security Sciences from the University of Perugia.

Arielle Goldfarb

Ms. Arielle Goldfarb works as an intelligence analyst at a software company in the United States, focusing on threat assessment and situational awareness. Prior to her current position, she worked as a Researcher and Project Coordinator at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at Reichman University, Herzliya.

Ms. Goldfarb graduated with a dual B.A. & Sc. degree from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where she majored in biology and political science. She then went on to complete her M.A. in Government degree (Cum Laude) at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at Reichman University, Herzliya, specializing in counter-terrorism and homeland security.

 

Sara Consolino

Sara’s academic qualifications and professional record have focused on international affairs and security. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Milan, and a master’s degree in International Relations from LUISS Guido Carli University of Rome. She also completed the Intensive English Communication Programme (IECP) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Erasmus Plus Programme at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy (Reichman University) in Israel.

Throughout the years, she has been deeply exposed to a multicultural and fast-paced environment, where she has been responsible for drafting reports and briefing materials on defence and security issues for high-ranking officials. Her key career experiences include her time at: NATO Headquarters – Logistics and Resources Division – in Brussels, Belgium; NATO Allied Command Transformation – Strategic Plans and Policy, Defence Planning Integration – in Norfolk, USA; Embassy of Italy – Press and Public Affairs Office – in Washington DC, USA; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy – Directorate General for Global Affairs, Central Department for Sub-Saharan Africa – in Rome, Italy; International Institute for Counter-Terrorism in Herzliya, Israel.

Currently, she is working at NATO HQ as Project Coordinator in the Executive Management Division.

Sarah Arieh-Parnell

Sarah Arieh-Parnell graduated with a Master of International Relations from Macquarie University in Sydney. Her thesis, awarded with distinction, focused on definitional issues in counter-terrorism law. She also holds an MA in Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security from Reichman University, Herzliya and a BA in History and Politics from Griffith University, Australia.

Sarah completed an internship as a Research Assistant at the International Institute of Counter-Terrorism at Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel. In addition, she has held a number of educational positions in Australia, developing and teaching programs in Politics, History and Legal Studies. During her work at the ICT, she focused on her primary interest areas: returning foreign fighters, citizenship law, and International Humanitarian Law.

Elizabeth Iskow

Liz Iskow joined the International Counter-Terrorism Review (ICTR) in 2020.

She is a Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst and supports the United States Small Business Administration. She currently lives in Washington, D.C, where she is involved in the Jewish community and advocating for safety measures. Her fields of interest include Cyber Threat Intelligence, Cyber-Security, Islamic radicalization, and terrorism financing.

Liz holds an M.A., with a focus on Cyber-Security, graduating Cum Laude, from the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy, and Strategy at Reichman University, Israel. She also holds a B.S. with Honors in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the Florida State University, the United States.

Liz is the author of ‘Index of Radicalization: Islamic Radicalization in Michigan’.

Shirin Khan

Shirin Khan is an independent contractor in Washington, D.C. providing support to principal investigators on projects ranging from monitoring hateful conduct online to policy recommendations for countering violent extremism and radicalization at the local level. She previously served as a Program Associate with New America’s Muslim Diaspora Initiative researching systematic discrimination against Muslim communities throughout the United States.

Prior to this role, she served as an intern with the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Security Initiative focusing on GCC countries, as well as with the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) focusing on domestic radicalization. She holds an M.A. in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and a B.A. in International Studies from Loyola University Chicago.

Rory Shiner

Rory Shiner joined the International Counter-Terrorism Review (ICTR)’s social media team and editorial board in July 2020.

He graduated with a B.A. in Communications from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Canada, where he would also go on to complete an M.A. in Political Science. His research has focused on the dynamics between emerging technological developments and terrorist threats, right-wing extremism & CVE programs in North America and the EU.

During his time at Wilfrid Laurier University, Rory worked as a social media coordinator for non-profit organizations located in the Waterloo region and also spent time on Laurier’s academic journal review board. Rory recently completed an internship at Project Ploughshares, a Canadian peace research institute with a focus on disarmament efforts and international security, where he worked as a research assistant on their emerging technologies program and published an article on the growing use of drones by non-state actors.

Celia Higgins Sainz

Celia Higgins Sainz graduated from the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdomn with an MSc in Global Security. Her dissertation analysed the surge of right wing extremism in Western Europe, focusing on the use and impact of social media by extreme right wing groups in the United Kingdom.

Celia also holds a BA in International Studies from the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain.

Her research interests include state sponsored terrorism, counterterrorism policy, right wing extremism, online radicalisation and international cooperation in counterterrorism.

Betania Allo

Betania Allo is a lawyer from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She holds a Master in International Relations at Harvard University (2020), from where she also holds a Graduate Certificate in International Security. She is a Professional Specialist in Terrorism and Cyberterrorism from the Technological University of Argentina (UTN) and holds several postgraduate diplomas in Foreign Relations and Diplomacy. She is a blockchain enthusiast, an advocate of gender mainstreaming in public policy, and an expert in the facilitation and generation of bridges with strategic actors and cross-sector collaboration.

Betania is currently completing an LL.M. (Master of Laws) at Syracuse University College of Law, with a focus on National Security, Counterterrorism, and Cybersecurity Law, and working as a Research Assistant at the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism (INSCT). She is passionate about international politics and how world religions influence the international arena. Consequently, she is a faculty member for the ‘Religion, Conflict, and Peace in Contemporary Global Affairs’ HarvardX course as part of the Religion Literacy Project at Harvard Divinity School. Betania is also a researcher and faculty aide in Islamic Law and Finance at Harvard University.

Following her interest in technology, she founded a growing online community, ‘Geek Lawtinas,’ to connect female legal professionals with a Latinx background who are interested in Law & Tech. The platform provides support to empower and inspire them by bridging the gap between tech and the law and promoting innovation in the legal industry. Betania is also a co-founder in OpenContracts and OpenIuris, two Legal Tech startups that provide blockchain-based and other technological solutions in legal services.

Imrana Alhaji Buba

Imrana Alhaji Buba is the Founder of the Youth Coalition Against Terrorism (YOCAT), a volunteer-based youth organization working to unite youth against violent extremism through 46 chapters in north-eastern Nigeria. These chapters promote peace education and provide skills training and psycho-social support to young people affected by Boko Haram insurgency.

Imrana is also a Generation Change Fellow of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and Policy Specialist on CVE and DDR with the Global Alliance of Youth Countering Violent Extremism. As a Generation Change Trainer with the USIP, he facilitated training programs on peacebuilding, leadership, and conflict management for youth leaders from Nigeria, Kenya, Tunisia, and Morocco.

Lorena Atiyas-Lvovsky

Mrs. Lorena Atiyas-Lvovsky is the Deputy Director of Research at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at Reichman University, Herzliya. In this position, she leads various large-scale projects for private as well as public organizations and facilitates ICT’s cooperation with academic, security and governmental bodies.
 
Mrs. Lorena Atiyas-Lvovsky leads a variety of terrorism, security and Middle East courses in schools throughout Israel. She teaches students about the phenomenon of terrorism, believing that understanding the threat will help reduce fear and anxiety.

Mrs. Atiyas-Lvovsky is the Head of Ragonis Scholarships Decision Committee, an annual scholarship promoting research in Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security. She is also an Editorial Board Member of The International Counter-Terrorism Review (ICTR), a publication that serves as a platform for exchanging research and policy recommendations addressing international issues pertaining to Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism.

Mrs. Atiyas-Lvovsky fields of research are terrorism & democracies, radicalization processes and de-radicalization programs, influence operations, terrorism financing and Iran-Hezbollah worldwide network, in particular in Latin America. She has published numerous articles on Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism. 

Prior to her current position at the ICT, Mrs. Atiyas-Lvovsky served as a Project Manager and Public Relations manager. Mrs. Atiyas Lvovsky graduated (Cum Laude) from the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy’s Master of Arts in Government with a Specialization in Counter-Terrorism & Homeland Security.

Fields of Expertise

Terrorism & Democracies
Radicalization processes and De-radicalization programs
Public Diplomacy, Influence Operations & Psy-ops

Iran-Hezbollah worldwide network
Terrorism Financing
Foreign Fighters
Building Public Resilience
Lorena Atiyas Lvovsky

Nicholas Bloom

Nicholas Bloom is a candidate for M.A. in International Security at Sciences Po with interests in, but not limited to, the spread and resilience of salafi-jihadism, the internal dynamics of terrorist organisations and the nature of relations between them, and the psychology of lone wolves. He has professional experience in political think tanks, business consultancies and advertising agencies. Nicholas holds a 1st Class Honours BA in French and Spanish from the University of Bristol, UK.

Céline Bruchi

Céline is currently enrolled in her second LL.M. in International Criminal Law at the University of Amsterdam. In June 2018, she graduated from Maastricht University with an LL.B. in European Law. During her undergraduate studies, she individually focused on the subjects of counter-terrorism and radicalisation, in particular, researching the legal aspects within the field.

Before the start of her first LL.M. in Transnational Crime and Justice at UNICRI (United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute), she worked as a Research Assistant at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) in Herzliya, Israel, where she actively took part in the projects of the Institute, enriching her personal interest and knowledge in the field of terrorism and counter-terrorism.

Dotti Francesco

Francesco Dotti was born in Merano, Italy. He graduated in Political Science – Cooperation and Development in 2013, at Roma3 University and then specialized in International Relations – Peace, War and Security in 2015. His thesis project dealt with the analysis of asymmetrical warfare in the XXI century, focusing on Operation Protective Edge as a case study.

In October 2015, he joined the MA program in Counter-Terrorism & Homeland Security in Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel. His personal project at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) aimed at analyzing the historical background and structure of Palestinian National Security Forces, focusing on identifying the main challenges faced by PASF in counter-terrorism effectiveness. His interests include the international cooperation in counter-terrorism and analysis of emerging security threats related to terrorism.

Dr. Michele Groppi

Dr. Michele Groppi is currently a Teaching Fellow at the Defence Studies Department. Before joining DSD as a GTA, Michele has lived and studied in Italy, the US, and Israel, exploring mechanisms and dilemmas of international relations, international security, and counter-terrorism.

During his academic journey, Michele has carried out extensive field-work in the Palestinian Territories and Italy, scrutinizing people’s views on religiously motivated violence and empirically testing renowned theories of international relations, terrorism, and radicalisation.

In addition to Islamist radicalisation in Italy and Europe, Michele’s research interests include terrorism, counter-terrorism, international and national security, and history of the international system.

Currently, Michele is also a research associate at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) and is a member of the Italian Team for Security, Terroristic Issues and Managing Emergencies (ITSTIME). He gave presentations at a number of embassies and at the Italian Parliament.

Etai Handman

Etai Handman is a researcher at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism.

Etai is graduate of the Journalism program at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton Canada. He holds a B.A. in International Relations, as well as Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security from the Lauder School of Government at Reichman University. Etai as well holds a Master’s degree in Counter-Terrorism & Homeland Security from the Lauder School of Government at Reichman University.

Etai hosts multiple radio programs on terrorism, counter-terrorism and current events at Reichman University radio. He was the Client Service Manager for Alberta Health Services, in charge of security of hospitals in the Edmonton Canada.

Jon Lewis

Jon Lewis is a Research Fellow at the Program on Extremism at George Washington University, United States, where he studies the effects of leadership decapitation on terrorist organizations, the external operations of the Islamic State in Europe and the United States, and supporters of extremist groups in the United States.

Before joining the Program on Extremism, he worked as a research assistant at the International Institute for Counterterrorism (ICT) and the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point (CTC), where he co-authored a report on Islamic State-linked attacks and plots in Belgium. Jon Lewis holds a Masters in Homeland Security Policy from Rider University.

Elissa Miller

Elissa Miller is a Program Officer at Strategic Capacity Group (SCG). At SCG, she has supported institutional capacity building, peacekeeping, and law enforcement training and development in North and West Africa for the U.S. Department of State. Prior to joining SCG, Elissa served as an Assistant Director at the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, where she managed the Center’s North Africa program and conducted research on Libya, Tunisia, and Egypt. She also served as a Rosenthal Fellow in the Africa Office of the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, where she worked across the interagency on U.S. defense policy in East Africa.

Elissa also worked as a Project Assistant focused on international election monitoring at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs. Elissa holds a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Tufts University. Elissa is a 2020 Presidential Management Fellow Finalist. She is proficient in Arabic.

Danielle Murad Waiss

Danielle Murad Waiss is pursuing her dual Masters degree in International Affairs with a focus on International Security Policy at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences at Columbia´s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. She also works as a Research Assistant for the Cybersecurity Program at SIPA. She is a dual national of both Mexico and Canada with a family history spanning multiple continents that has sparked her interest in International Affairs. Previously she received her BA in Political Science and International Affairs, with a concentration in Security Studies at Northeastern University in Boston.

She has studied and worked in international government and non-governmental organizations in multiple countries such as the UK Parliament, the NATO Defense College in Rome, the United Nations Headquarters in New York and the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism in Israel where she conducted research on public resilience as a means of countering the effect produced by terrorism. She has also conducted research on disaster recovery in Japan, as well as the future of global governance at the United Nations in Geneva.

Rachel Schwartz

Rachel Schwartz is an international security expert, specializing in chemical, biological, and emerging technologies and their influence on national security, foreign policy, and terrorism. Ms. Schwartz began her research at the International Institute for Counterterrorism (ICT) where she analyzed and authored a report on Syria’s past and present use of chemical and biological weapons.

After graduating from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in Biology and Foreign Affairs in 2015, Ms. Schwartz worked for Booz Allen Hamilton as a data analytics consultant. At Booz Allen, she advanced the analytic and functional capabilities of her clients through strategic and business analysis, introducing new tools to revitalize the client’s ability to conduct real-time financial and business analysis. Currently, Ms. Schwartz is a Security Studies Master’s candidate at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, United States.

Michel Wyss

Michel Wyss is a Scientific Assistant at the Military Academy (MILAC) at ETH Zurich and a lecturer in Strategic Studies in the BA in Public Policy study program. He received his MA in Government from the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at Reichman University where he also was a recipient of the Ragonis Scholarship and a visiting research affiliate at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin.

Prior to MILAC, he worked for the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), the corporate security unit at the German Development Corporation and the Federal Office for Defence Procurement/armasuisse.

His research interests include political science, military strategy and irregular warfare, and his work has been published in Democracy and Security and Lawfare, among others.

Dr. Eitan Azani

Director of Research, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) & Head of the BA & MA Specialization in Counter-Terrorism, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel

Dr. Azani currently serves as Director of Research of the Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) and the Head of the BA and MA Specialization in Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at Reichman University.

He is a Colonel (Res.) in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) with operational, research and academic experience in counter-terrorism in the regional and international arenas. He previously served as the Deputy Executive Director of ICT.

As part of his position at ICT, Dr. Azani maintains working relations and advises both private and government entities on counter-terrorism issues. Dr. Azani lectures at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at Reichman University and additional security and organizational establishments in Israel and abroad. He testifies on the subject of Hezbollah in front of the United States House of Representatives’ Committee on International Affairs as well as the European Parliament.

Eitan Azani obtained his B.A. in Economy, Political Science and Geography at Bar Ilan University, Israel and his M.A. (with honors) in the Security and Strategy Studies Program of Tel-Aviv University. Dr. Azani’s Ph.D. dissertation for the Hebrew University, Jerusalem was on “The Development of Revolutionary Islamic Movements a case study of Hezbollah.

Dr. Azani is the author of Hezbollah: The Story of the Party of God – From Revolution to Institutionalization, praised as “a detailed study by a true scholar-practitioner, … should be required reading for anyone interested in really understanding this complex political, social and militant organization.” He is also the author of many scholarly articles and edited volumes – including: The Hybrid Terrorist Organization: Hezbollah as a Case Study, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, pp. 899-916(36), 2013 & Hezbollah’s Strategy of “Walking on the Edge“: Between Political Game and Political Violence, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, pp. 741-759(19), November 2012.

Eitan Azani

Dr. Tricia Bacon

Assistant Professor, Department of Justice, Law & Criminology, School of Public Affairs, American University; Former Counter-Terrorism Expert, U.S Department of State, United States

Tricia Bacon, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at American University’s School of Public Affairs. She is the author of Why Terrorist Organizations Form International Alliances published with University of Pennsylvania Press in May 2018.

Prior to her employment at American University, Dr. Bacon worked on counterterrorism for over ten years at the Department of State, including in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, the Bureau of Counterterrorism, and the Bureau of Diplomatic Security. Her work on counterterrorism in the intelligence community received numerous accolades, and she conducted research and analysis on counterterrorism in South Asia, North Africa, East Africa, Europe, and Southeast Asia.

Dr. Bacon is a non-resident fellow with George Washington University’s Program on Extremism. She is also a senior fellow at Fordham University’s Center on National Security. She was previously a Pre-Doctoral Fellow at the Brookings Institution, a Visiting Scholar and Terrorism Research Award recipient at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland, and a PRISP Fellow and Presidential Management Fellow at the State Department. She earned her PhD in International Relations at Georgetown University.

Her research focuses on terrorist and insurgent groups’ behavior and decision-making, U.S. counterterrorism policy, and the role of intelligence in national security decision-making. She has published articles on terrorist group alliances, terrorist leadership, terrorist safe havens, and other related topics.

Prof. William Banks

Founding Director, Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism (INSCT), & Professor of Law & Public Administration and International Affairs, Syracuse University, United States of America

William C. Banks is Syracuse University College of Law Board of Advisors Distinguished Professor and SU Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs Professor of Public Administration and International Affairs. During 2015-2016, Banks was Interim Dean of Syracuse Law. The Founding Director of the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism at SU, under his leadership, INSCT has risen from its inception in 2003 to become a recognized leader in research and education on national and international security and terrorism.

Banks is the co-author of leading books in the field of national security and counterterrorism law and policy, including Soldiers on the Home Front: The Domestic Role of the American Military (Harvard, 2016); New Battlefields/Old Laws: Critical Debates on Asymmetric Warfare (Columbia, 2011); and the casebooks National Security Law (Aspen, 2012) and Counterterrorism Law (Aspen, 2011).

Prof. Alain Bauer

Professor & Chair of Criminology, National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts (CNAM), France

Professor Alain Bauer is Chair of the Police and Crime Sciences at the Security Management MBA (Paris II, HEC, EOGN); Senior Fellow at the Terrorist Center of John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York (USA); Senior Fellow at the Law and Political Science University of China in Beijing (PRC); Associate Professor at Fudan University (Shanghai, PRC).

  • President of the National Private Security Regulation Council (CNAPS) (2012-2017),
    • President of the Strategic Research High Council to the President and the Prime Minister of the French Republic (2009-2019),
    • President of the French National Crime Commission (2003-2013),
    • Co-President of the Mission for the White Book on Public Security (2010-2011),
    • President of the Working Group on Customs Files (2009-2010),
    • President of the Stratégic Security Mission to the President (2007-2010),
    • President of the National CCTV Control Commission (2007-2011),
    • President of the Police Files Control Group (2006-2008),
    • Vice President of Francopol since 2009,
    • Member of the Honorary Commitee of the International League Against Racism and Antisemitism
    (since 2003),
    • Former member of the High Authority against Discrimination (2005/2007),
    • Former member of the National Commission for Human Rights (2000/2003),
    • Former Advisor to the Prime Minister (Michel Rocard 1988/1990),
    • Former Vice President of the Sorbonne University (Paris I – 1981/1988),
    • Consultant for the New York Police Department (USA), the Los Angeles Sheriff Department (USA), the Sûreté du Québec (Canada),
    • Member of the OECD Task Force on Charting Illicit Trade, Member ot the EUROPOL SOCTA’s Academic Advisory Group
    • Colonel of the Air Force (Reserve).

CRIMINOLOGIC AND STRATEGIC BOOKS

  • Violences et insécurité urbaines (PUF 1998, 12ème éd. 2010)
    • L’Amérique, la violence, le crime (PUF 2000, 2ème éd. 2001)
    • La guerre ne fait que commencer (Jean-Claude Lattès 2002, Folio Gallimard 2003)
    • Les polices en France (PUF 2001, 3ème éd. 2010)
    • Le crime aux États-Unis (PUF 2003)
    • Les polices aux États-Unis (PUF 2003)
    • Dico Rebelle (Michalon 2004)
    • Imaginer la sécurité globale (La pensée et les hommes Bruxelles 2004)
    • État d’urgence (Robert Laffont 2004)
    • L’énigme Al Qaida (Jean Claude Lattès 2005)
    • Géographie criminelle de la France (Odile Jabob 2006)
    • World Chaos (DRMCC 2007)
    • Mieux contrôler les fichiers de police et de gendarmerie (Documentation Française 2007)
    • Radicalization in the West (NYPD 2007)
    • Vers une plus grande efficacité du service public de sécurité au quotidien (Documentation Française 2007)
    • Le nouveau chaos mondial (Les Riaux 2007)
    • La criminalité en France (CNRS Editions 2007),
    • Déceler, étudier, former : une voie nouvelle pour la recherche stratégique (INHES 2008)
    • Jeux en ligne et menaces criminelles (Rapport au ministre des comptes, 2008)
    • Le 11 Septembre (Editions Ouest France 2008)
    • Année stratégique 2008,
    • Vidéosurveillance et vidéoprotection (PUF 2008)
    • Année stratégique 2009 (Dalloz 2008)
    • Terrorism Early Warning (LASD 2008)
    • La criminalité en France (CNRS Editions 2008)
    • Football et société (FFF 2008)
    • Sécurité privée en Europe (INHES 2008),
    • Criminologie Française (2009),
    • Les 100 mots de la police et du crime (PUF 2009)
    • Les fichiers de police et de gendarmerie (PUF 2009)
    • Les études de sécurité publique (PUF 2009)
    • La face noire de la mondialisation (CNRS Editions 2009)
    • Année stratégique 2010 (Dalloz 2009),
    • La criminalité en France (CNRS Editions 2009)
    • Le sens de la Liberté (PUL 2010)
    • Les terroristes écrivent toujours ce qu’ils vont faire (PUF 2010)
    • À la recherche de la criminologie (CNRS Editions 2010)
    • Année stratégique 2011 (Dalloz 2010)
    • Les 100 mots du terrorisme (PUF 2010)
    • Transnational criminology manual (Wolf Legal 2010)
    • Introduction générale à la criminologie (PUF 2010)
    • Statistiques criminelles et victimation (PUF 2010)
    • Les politiques publiques de sécurité (PUF 2011)
    • Violences et société aujourd’hui (ESH 2011),
    • Histoire criminelle de la France (Odile Jacob 2012)
    • La criminologie pour les nuls (First 2012 & 2018)
    • Dictionnaire amoureux du crime (PLON 2012)
    • Dernieres Nouvelles du Crime (CNRS 2013)
    • Global Crime in the XXIst Century (Westphalia 2014)
    • Le Terrorisme pour les nuls (First 2014)
    • Who is the Enemy ? (Wesphalia 2015)
    • Histoire de la médecine légale et de l’identification criminelle (PUF 2015) • Chie el nemico ? (Altran 2015)
    • Terrorismes (Dalloz 2015)
    • Le Mutazioni del Terrorismo (2016)
    • Mutations of Terrorism (Russian édition) 2016
    • ABC de la criminologie (Cerf 2016)
    • Vivre au temps du terrorisme (First 2017)
    • Les Guetteurs (Odile Jacob 20187)
    • Criminology (Westphalia 2018)
    • 3 Minutes pour comprendre les 50 plus grandes affaires criminelles en France (Courrier du Livre 2019)
    • Les Protecteurs (Odile Jacob, 2019)

TO BE PUBLISHED

Dictionnaire Amoureux des Espions (Plon 2020)

Histoire(s) d’un Califat (Plon 2020)

Prof. Daniel Byman

Professor & Vice Dean, Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University; Senior Fellow, Center for Middle East Policy, Brookings Institution, United States

Prof. Daniel Byman is a senior fellow in the Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings Institution, where his research focuses on counterterrorism and Middle East security. He previously served as the research director of the center. He is also vice dean for undergraduate affairs at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service and a professor in its Security Studies Program.

Previously, Byman served as a staff member with the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States (“The 9/11 Commission”) and the Joint 9/11 Inquiry Staff of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. Prior to that, Byman was a policy analyst and the director for research in the Center for Middle East Public Policy at the RAND Corporation and worked for the U.S. government. His most recent book is “Road Warriors: Foreign Fighters in the Armies of Jihad” (Oxford University Press, 2019). He is the author of several other books on counterterrorism, state sponsorship of terrorism, and conflict and terrorism in the Middle East.

Affiliations:

  • Georgetown University, professor
  • International Counter-Terrorism Review, IReichman University, Israel, member, advisory board
  • International Institute for Counterterrorism, Herzliya, Israel
  • International Security, editorial board
  • Lawfare, foreign policy editor
  • Political Science Quarterly, editorial board
  • The RAND Corporation, adjunct scholar
  • Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, editorial board
  • Terrorism and Political Violence, editorial board
  • The Washington Quarterly, editorial board

Dr. Colin P. Clarke

Assistant Teaching Professor, Institute for Politics and Strategy, Carnegie Mellon University, United States

Colin P. Clarke is an assistant teaching professor in the Institute for Politics and Strategy (IPS) at Carnegie Mellon University, where he also has responsibilities with the Institute for Strategic Analysis (ISA) and serves on the executive board for the Masters of Information Technology Strategy (MITS) program.

Before joining CMU, Clarke spent nearly a decade at the RAND Corporation where he was a senior political scientist focusing on terrorism, insurgency and criminal networks. At RAND, Clarke directed studies on ISIS financing, the future of terrorism and transnational crime, and lessons learned from all insurgencies between the end of WWII and 2009. He was also a member of the Pardee RAND Graduate School (PRGS) faculty.

He is also an associate fellow at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT), a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), and a fellow at the Program on Extremism at George Washington University.

Clarke has briefed his research at a range of national and international security forums, including the U.S. Army War College, US Air Force Special Operations School, Society for Terrorism Research International Conference, the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) and the Counter ISIS Financing Group (CIFG), which is part of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. He has served as an expert witness on terrorism related topics, testifying before Congress on several occasions. In 2011, he spent several months as an analyst with Combined Joint Interagency Task Force-Shafafiyat at ISAF headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, working for LTG H.R. McMaster, the former U.S. National Security Advisor.

He appears frequently in the media, has been quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal, and has published his research in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Atlantic, Politico, Lawfare, and numerous scholarly journals, including Small Wars & Insurgencies, Historical Methods, and Military Operations Research.

Clarke is the author of After the Caliphate: The Islamic State and the Terrorist Diaspora (2019), Terrorism: The Essential Reference Guide (2018), and Terrorism, Inc.: The Financing of Terrorism, Insurgency, and Irregular Warfare (2015).

He received his Ph.D. in international security policy from the University of Pittsburgh.

Prof. Martha Crenshaw

Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies & Emerita Professor, by courtesy, of Political Science, Stanford University, United States 

Prof. Martha Crenshaw is a senior fellow at CISAC and FSI and a professor of political science by courtesy at Stanford. She was the Colin and Nancy Campbell Professor of Global Issues and Democratic Thought and professor of government at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., where she taught from 1974 to 2007. She has written extensively on the issue of political terrorism; her first article, “The Concept of Revolutionary Terrorism,” was published in the Journal of Conflict Resolution in 1972. In 2011 Routledge published Explaining Terrorism, a collection of her previously published work. With Gary LaFree, she is the author of Countering Terrorism (Brookings Institution Press, 2017).

She served on the Executive Board of Women in International Security and is a former President and Councilor of the International Society of Political Psychology (ISPP). She coordinated the working group on political explanations of terrorism for the 2005 Club de Madrid International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security. In 2005-2006 she was a Guggenheim Fellow. From 2005 to 2017 she was a lead investigator with the National Center for the Study of Terrorism and the Response to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland, funded by the Department of Homeland Security. In 2009 she was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation/Department of Defense Minerva Initiative for a project on “mapping terrorist organizations.” She serves on the editorial boards of the journals International Security, Political Psychology, Security Studies, Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict, Orbis, and Terrorism and Political Violence. She recently served as a member of the Committee on Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture of the National Academies of Science.

Prof. Boaz Ganor

Founder & Executive Director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), Ronald Lauder Chair for Counter-Terrorism, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel

Prof. Boaz Ganor is the Founder and Executive Director of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) and the Ronald S. Lauder Chair for Counter-Terrorism at Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel. He previously served for five years as Dean and ten years as Deputy Dean of the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy & Strategy at Reichman University.

Prof. Ganor serves as the Founding President of the International Academic Counter-Terrorism Community (ICTAC), an international association of academic institutions, experts, and researchers in fields related to the study of terrorism and counter-terrorism.

In 2019-2020, Prof. Ganor spent a sabbatical year as a Visiting Fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), Australia; as an Adjunct Professor at the Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security at Charles Stuart University, Australia; and as the Aaron and Cecile Goldman Visiting Israeli Professor and Israel Institute Fellow at Georgetown University, United States.

Prof. Ganor previously held positions at Stanford University, U.C. Berkeley, the Hoover Institution (Koret Distinguished Visiting Fellow), the Monterey Institute of International Studies, MIPT (The National Memorial for the Prevention of Terrorism), Hebrew University and Bar Ilan University. He was also a member of the International Advisory Team of the Manhattan Institute (CTCT) to the New York Police Department (NYPD).

Prof. Ganor is a member of the International Advisory Council of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies (IDSS), Nanyang Technological University, The Republic of Singapore. He is also a co-founder of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence (ICSR), a partnership between the University of Pennsylvania, United States; Reichman University, Israel; King’s College, London; and the Regional Center on Conflict Prevention (RCCP), Jordan. Since 2014, Prof. Ganor has been a Member of the Executive Committee of the Academic Advisory to the Institute for the Study of Global Anti-Semitism and Policy (ISGAP).

Prof. Ganor has given briefings and/or testimonies to the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED), the Australian Parliament, the United States Congress, the US Army, the FBI, the US Department of Homeland Security, as well as numerous intelligence, security and police services throughout the world. He has given hundreds of guest lectures at top universities and research centers throughout the world including at Columbia University, Syracuse University, Georgetown University, the Wilson Center, RAND and the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

In 2001, Prof. Ganor was appointed as a Member of the Advisory Committee of the Israel National Security Council on Counter-Terrorism, and he has previously served as a Member of the Israeli Delegation to the Trilateral (American-Palestinian-Israeli) Committee for Monitoring Incitement to Violence and Terror. Prof. Ganor also advised the Israeli Delegation for Peace Negotiations with Jordan on Transportation Safety, the Israeli Counter-Terrorism Coordinator at the Prime Minister’s Office and the Israeli Ministry of Defense. In 1995, he was a consultant to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his book “Fighting Terrorism – How democracies can defeat domestic and international terrorism”.

Prof. Ganor has published numerous articles on terrorism and counter-terrorism. His book, “The Counter-Terrorism Puzzle – A Guide for Decision Makers” (Transaction Publishers, 2005), is used as a text book in universities worldwide and his book, “Global Alert: The Rationality of Modern Islamist Terrorism and the Challenges to the Liberal Democratic World” was published by Columbia University Press in 2015. He has published several articles in “Studies in Conflict and Terrorism”, “Terrorism and Political Violence”, “Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflicts”, Orbis and the International Law Studies.

He is also the editor of “Countering Suicide Terrorism” (2001) and “Post-Modern Terrorism” (2006). He is the co-editor of “ISC 2005 – Security, Terrorism and Privacy in Information Society” (2005), “Trends in International Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism” (2007), “Hypermedia Seduction for Terrorist Recruiting” (2007), “Terrorism Informatics – Knowledge Management and Data Mining for Homeland Security” (2008), and “The Global Impact of Terrorism” (2008). Prof. Ganor is a member of the Editorial Board of Springer Intelligence & Security Informatics (ISI) journal and a member of the Advisory Board of the International Counter-Terrorism Review (ICTR). Prof. Ganor has contributed book chapters for many publications, including to Oxford University Press, Routledge, Springer, and the U.S. Institute for Peace.

Prof. Ganor chairs ICT’s Annual World Summit on Counter-Terrorism, the world’s leading international conference in the field of Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism. In addition, he co-directed numerous research projects for NATO and the Ministry of Public Security. Prof. Ganor is a frequent media and television commentator and has appeared on the BBC, CNN, CBS, ABC, the New York Times, the Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, the Jerusalem Post, Haaretz and many other Israeli and international publications.

Prof. Bruce Hoffman

Tenured Professor, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, United States

Professor Bruce Hoffman has been studying terrorism and insurgency for over four decades. He is a tenured professor in Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service where from 2010 to 2017 he was the Director of both the Center for Security Studies and of the Security Studies Program. In addition, Professor Hoffman is visiting Professor of Terrorism Studies at St Andrews University, Scotland. He previously held the Corporate Chair in Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency at the RAND Corporation and was also Director of RAND’s Washington, D.C. Office. Professor Hoffman also served as RAND’s Vice President for External Affairs and as Acting Director of RAND’s Center for Middle East Public Policy.

Appointed by the U.S. Congress to serve as a commissioner on the Independent Commission to Review the FBI’s Post-9/11 Response to Terrorism and Radicalization, Professor Hoffman was a lead author of the commission’s final report. He was Scholar-in-Residence for Counterterrorism at the Central Intelligence Agency between 2004 and 2006; an adviser on counterterrorism to the Office of National Security Affairs, Coalition Provisional Authority, Baghdad, Iraq in 2004, and from 2004-2005 an adviser on counterinsurgency to the Strategy, Plans, and Analysis Office at Multi-National Forces-Iraq Headquarters, Baghdad. Professor Hoffman was also an adviser to the Iraq Study Group.

Professor Hoffman was the founding Director of the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where he was also Reader in International Relations and Chairman of the Department of International Relations. Professor Hoffman is Editor-in-Chief of Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, the leading scholarly journal in the field. and a member of the advisory board of Terrorism and Political Violence. He is also editor of the Columbia University Press Series on Terrorism and Irregular Warfare.

He has been a Distinguished Scholar, a Public Policy Scholar, a Senior Scholar, and a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, D.C.; a Senior Fellow at the Combating Terrorism Center, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.; a Visiting Professor at the Institute for Counter-Terrorism, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel; and, a Visiting Professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is also a contributing editor to The National Interest and a member of the Jamestown Foundation’s Board of Directors; a member of the board of advisers to the FBI Intelligence Analysts Association; and, serves on the advisory boards to the Arms Sales Monitoring Project at the Federation of American Scientists and of Our Voices Together: September 11 Friends and Families to Help Build a Safer, More Compassionate World.

Professor Hoffman holds degrees in government, history, and international relations and received his doctorate from Oxford University. In November 1994, the Director of Central Intelligence awarded Professor Hoffman the United States Intelligence Community Seal Medallion, the highest level of commendation given to a non-government employee, which recognizes sustained superior performance of high value that distinctly benefits the interests and national security of the United States.

He has conducted field work on terrorism and insurgency in Afghanistan, Argentina, Colombia, India (Kashmir and Assam), Indonesia, Israel, Iraq, Northern Ireland, Pakistan (North West Frontier Province), the Philippines (Mindanao), Palestine (the West Bank and Gaza Strip), Sri Lanka, and Turkey. In 2008 he visited Khowst, Paktia, Kunar, and Nuristan Provinces in Afghanistan to observe the operations of the 82nd Airborne and Provincial Reconstruction Teams under its command, and also traveled to Pakistan, where he toured Pakistani military training facilities and divisional headquarters in the North West Frontier Province.

A revised and updated third edition of his classic book, Inside Terrorism, was published in 2017 by Columbia University Press in the U.S. Foreign language editions of the first edition were published in ten countries. The Washington Post described Inside Terrorism as ”brilliant” and the ”best one volume introduction to the phenomenon” (16 July 2006). Professor Hoffman’s most recent books are The Evolution of the Global Terrorist Threat: From 9/11 to Osama bin Laden’s Death (2014), and Anonymous Soldiers: The Struggle for Israel, 1917-1947 (2015), which was awarded the Washington Institute for Near East Studies’ Gold Medal for the best book on Middle Eastern politics, history and society published in 2015 and also named the Jewish Book of the Year for 2015 by the Jewish National Book Council. Anonymous Soldiers was also cited as best book of the year by the St Louis Times-Dispatch and the Kirkus Review and an “Editors’ Choice” of the New York Times Book Review.

Professor Hoffman was a Fellow and C. V. Starr Distinguished Visitor at the American Academy of Berlin, Germany during the fall, 2006; a Visiting Fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Canberra, Australia during the summer, 2007; a Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford University for Michaelmas Term (first semester) 2009 and was the S. Rajaratnam Professor of Strategic Studies at Nanyang Technological University Singapore for the 2009/2010 academic year. He is currently the Shelby Collum and Katherine W. Davis Senior Fellow for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Adv. Deborah Housen-Couriel

Fellow and Adjunct Professor, ICT, Reichman University, Herzliya; Chief Legal Officer and VP Regulation, Konfidas Ltd.; Advisory Board, Federmann Cyber Security Center, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Deborah’s expertise focuses on global and Israeli cybersecurity law and regulation. Her law practice advises clients on high-level strategies for legal planning and regulatory compliance in the areas of corporate governance, preparedness, data protection and retention, internet fraud and cybercrime.

Her practice at Konfidas Ltd. Is supported by ongoing research on critical cybersecurity issues, and she is a research fellow at Reichman University, Herzliya’s Institute for Counter-Terrorism, the Interdisciplinary Cyber Research Center at Tel Aviv University, and the Minerva Center at Haifa University’s Law Faculty.  Deborah teaches several university courses on cybersecurity law and regulation, with a focus on the interaction among public international law, domestic legal systems and contemporary technological developments in cyberspace. She taught as a guest lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Exec Ed Program on Cybersecurity: The Intersection of Policy and Technology in 2016. In 2010-11, she co-chaired the National Cyber Initiative’s Policy and Regulation Committee, under the aegis of the Prime Minister’s Office; and served as a member of Israel’s National Cyber Bureau’s Public Committee on the Cyber Professions

Her experience at the international level includes her current work on the Advisory Board for the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise, as a Core Expert on the Manual on International Law Applicable to Military Uses of Outer Space (MILAMOS) project, and as a member of the Legal Research Advisory Group for the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace. Deborah was a member of the International Group of Experts that drafted the Tallinn 2.0 manual on state activity in cyberspace; and of the ILA’s Study Group on Cybersecurity, Terrorism and International Law. Deborah also serves as Vice Chair of the American Society of International Law’s Law and Technology Interest Group. She is certified with the IBITGQ EU General Data Protection Regulation Foundation and Practitioner (GDPR F and P).

Between 2007 and 2014, Deborah was Director of the Wexner Foundation’s Israel Fellowship Program, which develops public leadership at the highest levels in Israel and the US together with the Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to these positions, Deborah was Director of the Department of Regulation and International Treaties and served in the Director-General’s Bureau of the Israeli Ministry of Communications (1994-2005). While at the Ministry, she served on delegations to the WTO, the ITU, the Oslo Accords negotiations for telecommunications and spectrum management issues, and those for the peace treaty with Jordan. She received her B.A. in History and Anthropology summa cum laude and with Phi Beta Kappa membership from Wellesley College and the École de Sciences Politiques in Paris; her LL.B. and LL.M (cum laude) from Hebrew University; and an MC-MPA from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government as a Wexner Foundation Fellow in 2000-2001.

Deborah Housen-Couriel

Brian Jenkins

Senior Advisor to the President, RAND Corporation & Member of the Professional Advisory Board, ICT, United States

Mr. Brian Michael Jenkins is a senior adviser to the president of the RAND Corporation and author of numerous books, reports, and articles on terrorism-related topics, including Will Terrorists Go Nuclear? (2008, Prometheus Books). He formerly served as chair of the Political Science Department at the RAND Corporation. On the occasion of the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, Jenkins initiated a RAND effort to take stock of America’s policy reactions and give thoughtful consideration to future strategy. That effort is presented in The Long Shadow of 9/11: America’s Response to Terrorism (Brian Michael Jenkins and John Paul Godges, eds., 2011).

Commissioned in the infantry, Jenkins became a paratrooper and a captain in the Green Berets. He is a decorated combat veteran, having served in the Seventh Special Forces Group in the Dominican Republic and with the Fifth Special Forces Group in Vietnam. He returned to Vietnam as a member of the Long Range Planning Task Group and received the Department of the Army’s highest award for his service.

In 1996, President Clinton appointed Jenkins to the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security. From 1999 to 2000, he served as adviser to the National Commission on Terrorism and in 2000 was appointed to the U.S. Comptroller General’s Advisory Board. He is a research associate at the Mineta Transportation Institute, where he directs the continuing research on protecting surface transportation against terrorist attacks.

Research Focus

Peacekeeping and Stability Operations

Terrorism

Previous Positions

Captain, U.S. Army Special Forces with service in the Dominican Republic and Vietnam; Deputy Chairman, Kroll Associates; member, White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security; adviser, National Commission on Terrorism; special adviser to the International Chamber of Commerce; board member, ICC Commercial Crime Services; member, U.S. Comptroller General’s advisory board

Selected Publications

Brian Michael Jenkins, The Origins of America’s Jihadists, RAND Corporation (PE-251), 2017

Brian Michael Jenkins, Stray Dogs and Virtual Armies: Radicalization and Recruitment to Jihadist Terrorism in the United States Since 9/11, RAND Corporation (OP-343), 2011

Brian Michael Jenkins and John Godges, eds., The Long Shadow of 9/11: America’s Response to Terrorism, RAND Corporation (MG-1107), 2011

Brian Michael Jenkins, Unconquerable Nation: Knowing Our Enemy, Strengthening Ourselves, RAND Corporation (MG-454), 2006

Paul Wilkinson and Brian Michael Jenkins, eds., Aviation Terrorism and Security, Frank Cass Publisher, 2006

David Aaron, ed., Three Years After: Next Steps in the War on Terror, RAND Corporation (CF-212), 2005

Brian Michael Jenkins, Countering al Qaeda: An Appreciation of the Situation and Suggestions for Strategy, RAND Corporation (MR-1620), 2002

Paul K. Davis and Brian Michael Jenkins, Deterrence and Influence in Counterterrorism: A Component in the War on al Qaeda, RAND Corporation (MR-1619), 2002

Dr. Matthew Levitt

Fromer-Wexler Fellow & Director, Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Dr. Matthew Levitt is the Fromer-Wexler Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy where he directs the Institute’s Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence.  Previously, Levitt served in the senior executive service as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and before that as an FBI counterterrorism analyst, including work on the Millennial and September 11th plots.  He also served as a State Department counterterrorism advisor to Gen James L. Jones, the special envoy for Middle East regional security (SEMERS).

Levitt has taught at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, held fellowships with the Combating Terrorism Center at the U.S. Military Academy (West Point) and the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and sits on the advisory boards of think tanks in Washington DC, Singapore, Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Widely published, Dr. Levitt is the author of Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon’s Party of God (Georgetown University Press/Hurst Publishers, 2013).

Matthew Levitt

Prof. Ariel Merari

Ariel Merari is a retired professor at the Department of Psychology, Tel Aviv University. He received a B.A. degree in psychology and in economics from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Prof. Merari served as Chair of Tel Aviv University’s Department of Psychology (1982-1985). During the period of 1978-1989 he was a Senior Fellow at the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, where he established and directed the Terrorism and Low Intensity Conflict Program. From 1989 until his retirement he was the Director of the Political Violence Research Unit at Tel Aviv University.

Prof. Merari has been a visiting professor at Berkeley and Harvard, and a Senior Fellow at the Kennedy School’s International Security Program of the Belfer Center. He has studied political terrorism and other forms of political violence for more than thirty years and has authored, co-authored or edited several books and many articles, monographs and chapters on these subjects. In addition to his academic work, he established Israel’s Hostage Negotiations and Crisis Management Unit and commanded it for more than 20 years. In recent years he has headed a large study of suicide terrorism.

Prof. Merari’s book, Driven to Death: Psychological and Social Aspects of Suicide Terrorism was recently published by Oxford University Press.

Prof. Assaf Moghadam

Senior Researcher, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) & Dean, Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel

Assaf Moghadam is a Senior Researcher at the ICT and the Dean of the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at Reichman University, Israel, which he joined in 2011. He is also a fellow at the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point (CTC); a fellow at the Center on National Security at Fordham Law School (CNS); and a research affiliate at the Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland. Prof. Moghadam has taught courses at Columbia University, the United States Military Academy, and the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, in addition to Reichman University.

Prof. Moghadam previously served as Director of Terrorism Studies and Assistant Professor at the Department of Social Sciences at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and as Director of Academic Affairs at the ICT. He held pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and at the Olin Institute for Strategic Studies, both at Harvard University.

Prof. Moghadam’s research examines the dynamics within and between militant actors, with a particular interest in terrorism, the global jihad movement, insurgency, and sponsor-proxy relationship. His latest book, Nexus of Global Jihad: Understanding Cooperation among Terrorist Groups (Columbia University Press, 2017, paperback edition 2019), examines empirical and conceptual aspects of cooperative behavior between terrorist entities. He is also the author of The Globalization of Martyrdom: Al Qaeda, Salafi Jihad, and the Diffusion of Suicide Attacks (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008), which won a Choice award for Outstanding Academic Title, and of The Roots of Terrorism (Chelsea House, 2006). He is the co-editor (with Brian Fishman) of Fault Lines in Global Jihad: Organizational, Strategic, and Ideological Fissures (Routledge, 2011), and the editor of Militancy and Political Violence in Shiism: Trends and Patterns (Routledge, 2012). Two of his books are listed among the top 150 books on terrorism in the journal Perspectives on Terrorism.  

Prof. Moghadam has lectured widely on terrorism issues before audiences in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East and has consulted various government agencies on issues related to terrorism and counter-terrorism. He is a Contributing Editor for the journal Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, and an editorial board member of Democracy and Security, and Perspectives on Terrorism. He was a founding member of the editorial board of the CTC Sentinel and he is a member of the advisory board of the International Counter-Terrorism Youth Network (ICTYN).

Prof. Moghadam’s articles have appeared in International Security, Security Studies, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Terrorism and Political Violence, Perspectives on Terrorism, and Democracy and Security. His writings have also appeared in other outlets including the Washington Post, Boston Globe, International Herald Tribune, Orbis, CTC Sentinel, War on the Rocks, Lawfare, Political Violence @ a Glance, and Die Zeit, among others. He has authored various chapters in edited volumes, and his book reviews have appeared in Perspectives in Politics, Political Science Quarterly, and Transcultural Psychiatry, among other journals.

Prof. Moghadam holds a Ph.D. in international relations and an M.A. in Law and Diplomacy (MALD), both from The Fletcher School at Tufts University, and a B.A. in political science from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is married with three children.

Assaf Moghadam

Dr. Magnus Ranstorp

Research Director, Centre for Asymmetric Threat Studies (CATS), National Defence College, Sweden

Over the last 20 years, Dr. Ranstorp has worked extensively on issues of terrorism and counterterrorism worldwide, with a special focus on Islamist extremism. His career began sharply in 1990 when a conference he co-organised at the Royal Overseas League in London was targeted by Provisional IRA, who planted a sleeper agent and one kilo of Semtex under the speaker’s podium, intending to target the UK Defence Minister (fortunately discovered). He also participated in the West European-Soviet Dialogue on Combatting Terrorism right before the fall of the Soviet regime.

Currently, Dr. Ranstorp is Research Director at the Center for Asymmetric Threat Studies (CATS) at the Swedish National Defence College. He has directed two major research projects in last five years, one on radicalisation processes and counter-radicalisation policies within Europe and one on CBRNE terrorism. Dr. Ranstorp has also led a Cabinet assignment on radicalisation (2008/9), a SIDA-funded project on counter-radicalisation efforts in Indonesia (2009), and an Armed Forces HQ study on forecasting terrorism in 2018(2008).

Prior to CATS, Dr. Ranstorp was the Deputy and later Director of the world-renowned Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St Andrews. Since 1994 he was largely responsible with his other colleagues for the unparalleled reputation CSTPV gained worldwide before and after 9/11.

Dr Ranstorp is internationally recognized as a leading expert on Hizballah, Hamas, Al-Qaeda and other militant Islamic movements. Dr. Ranstorp has met most of the senior leadership within both Hizballah and Hamas. His work on the behaviour of the Hizballah movement was recognized by Israeli media in March 2000 as among the contributing factors leading to the decision by the Israeli Labour government to withdraw from southern Lebanon. It was preceeded by a three-year back channel between Hizballah and the Israeli government over MIA issue.

Additionally, in 2003, Dr. Ranstorp was invited to testify before the 9-11 Commission in its first hearing. Both before and after 9/11, he was a consultant on terrorism issues with CNN and its investigative unit. Recognizing that the intelligence system was ‘blinking red’ before 9/11, Dr. Ranstorp joined CNN in preparing a documentary from the Middle East region in the summer of 2001 entitled ‘One Day Soon’ – that day arrived sooner than anyone expected.

In 2006, Dr. Ranstorp was invited to join the European Commission Expert Group on Violent Radicalization, an official advisory body on all matters relating to violent radicalization and recruitment of extremists within the EU. In 2007 he was invited to join the European Network of Experts on Radicalization. Since 2009 he has been a Senior Fellow at the Homeland Security Policy Institute at the George Washington University.

Prof. Fernando Reinares

Professor & Chair, Political Science and Security Studies, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain & Senior Analyst on International Terrorism, Real Instituto Elcano, Madrid,  & Member of the Professional Advisory Board, ICT, Spain

(Logroño, Spain, 1960) Professor and Chair of Political Science and Security Sudies at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, as well as Senior Analyst on International Terrorism at Real Instituto Elcano, both in Madrid.

Director of the Program on Global Terrorism at Elcano Royal Institute, Spain’s leading and most influential think tank on international and strategic affairs (rated 30th worldwide and 19th best think tank in Western Europe by the 2016 University of Pennsylvania’s Global Go To Think Tank Index Report). Professor of Politics and Security Studies at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid. A Wilson Center Global Fellow, he is also Adjunct Professor of Security Studies at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, where he teaches graduate courses on global terrorism and counterterrorism.

Over the past five years, he has been Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center (2011); Visiting Professor at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan (2012); Visiting Professor at the Center of Excellence START, University of Maryland (2012); and Visiting Professor at the Program on Terrorism Studies and Homeland Security Polic, American University, Washington, DC (2015). Previously Visiting Fellow of the Center for Strategic Studies, University of Tel Aviv (1986); Researcher at the European University Institute in Florence (1986-1988); Fulbright Scholar and Lecturer on Terrorism at Stanford University (1988-1990); and  Fellow of St. Antony’s College, Oxford (1991-1992). Associate Professor and Jean Monnet Chaoir at UNED (1991 to 1999); Visiting Professor at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris (1994); Visiting Professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (1995); Visiting Professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University (1997); Professor and Chair at the University of Burgos (1999-2002); and Erasmus Professor at Sciences Po in Paris (2010).

Contributing Editor to the journal Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. Member of the editorial boards of, among other scholarly periodicals, Terrorism and Political Violence, Perspectives on Terrorism, Democracy and Security, Cultures et Conflits, Sécurité Globale, y Segurança e Defesa. Advisor to the Global Center on Cooperative Security, New York, and to the Bangladesh Center for Terrorism Research, Dhaka. Professor Reinares belongs to the Professional Advisory Board, International Institute for Counter Terrorism, Herzliya, Israel; to the Network of European Experts on Terrorism (NEET) of the Fondation pour la recherche strategique in Paris; to the academic research network of United Nations Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC); to the Executive Committee of the International Counter Terrorism Academic Commutity (ICTAC), and to the Centre of Excellence RAN (Radicalization Awareness Network) established by the European Commission.

First chairman of the European Commission Expert Group on Violent Radicalization (2007-2009), Professor Reinares also served as Senior Advisor on Antiterrorist Policy to Spain’s Minister of Interior (2004-2006). Among numerous other academic and civilian distinctions, Professor Reinares received recently from the Spanish authorities the Cross of Military Merit (2009), and the Cross of Police Merit (2012). Professor Reinares was awarded the Prize for Excellence in Social and Legal Sciences Research from Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (2016), as well as the highest personal decoration of the regional Government of his native La Rioja region of Spain for “his outstanding contribution to the fight against terrorism and in defence of the principles of democracy” (2016).

His books include The Evolution of the Global Terrorism Threat (Nueva York: Columbia University Press, 2014, edited with Bruce Hoffman), Spain’s best seller ¡Matadlos! Quién estuvo detrás del 11-M y por qué se atentó en España (Barcelona: Galaxia Gutenberg, 2014); Las democracias occidentales frente al terrorismo global (Barcelona: Ariel, 2008, edited with Charles Powell); Terrorismus Global. Aktionsfeld Europa (Hamburg: Europäische Verlagsanstalt, 2005); El Nuevo Terrorismo Islamista. Del 11-S al 11-M (Madrid: Temas de Hoy, 2004, edited with Antonio Elorza); Terrorismo Global (Madrid: Taurus, 2003); Spain’s also bestseller Patriotas de la Muerte. Quiénes han militado en ETA y por qué (Madrid: Taurus, first ed. 2001, 7th edition 2011); European Democracies Against Terrorism. Governmental Policies and Intergovernmental Cooperation, (Aldershot, Hampshire: Ashgate, 2000); Terrorismo y antiterrorismo (Barcelona: Ediciones Paidós, 1998; 2001); Violencia y Política en Euskadi (Bilbao: Desclée de Brower, 1984); Terrorismo y sociedad democrática (Madrid: Akal, 1982). By November 2016, Columbia University Press and Woodrow Wilson Center are to jointly publish his new book Al Qaeda’s Revenge.

Professor Reinares is co-author of many other collective volumes published over the last decade, such as Al Qaeda Ten Years After the War (Marine Corps University Press, 2012), Democracy and Counterterrorism (United States Institute of Peace, 2007), Root Causes of Terrorism (Routledge, 2006), Gli squilibri del terrore (Rosenberg & Sellier, 2006), State of the Struggle. Report on the Battle against Global Terrorism (Brookings Institution Press, 2006) or Root Causes of Suicide Terrorism (Routledge, 2006). Author of a large number of articles in academic journals such as the Australian Journal of Politics and History, Electoral Studies, Revista de Estudios Políticos, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Pouvoirs, Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas, Terrorism and Political Violence, CTC Sentinel (USMA, West Point), American Psychologist, Survival. Global Politics and Strategy (IISS, London), Sécurité Globale, or Revista Elcano.

Dr. Daphné Richemond-Barak

Senior Researcher and Head of the International Law Desk, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel

Dr. Daphné Richemond-Barak joined Reichman University in 2009, where she currently serves as a faculty member in the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy, and as Senior Research and Head of the International Law Desk at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism.

Dr. Daphné Richemond-Barak holds a Maîtrise from Université Panthéon-Assas (Paris II), a Diploma in Legal Studies from Oxford University, an LL.M. from Yale Law School, and a Ph.D. from Tel Aviv University. She was awarded the Fulbright Scholarship, the European Commission Scholarship, the Hertford College Prize, and the Oxford Prize for Distinction.

Prior to joining Reichman University, Dr. Richemond-Barak worked at the International Court of Justice and spent several years in private practice at the New York office of Cleary Gottlieb.  Dr. Richemond-Barak has acted as private counsel for international law firms and as a legal adviser to states, including the government of Colombia in its territorial dispute against Nicaragua before the International Court of Justice.

Dr. Richemond Barak’s research has appeared or is forthcoming in the Michigan Journal of International, the European Journal of International Law, the Catholic University Law Review, the Hague Yearbook of International Law, and the Yale Human Rights and Development Law Journal, among other publications.  She is also author of the forthcoming seventh edition of Rosenne’s The World Court: What It Is and How It Works published by Brill/Martinus Nijhoff.

Daphné Richemond-Barak

Prof. Alex Schmid

Alex P. Schmid is a Research Fellow at the International Centre for Counter Terrorism (ICCT)  – The Hague, and a Director of the Terrorism Research Initiative (TRI). He was co-editor of the journal Terrorism and Political Violence and is currently editor-in-chief of Perspectives on Terrorism. Prof. Schmid held a chair in International Relations at the University of St. Andrews (Scotland) where he was, until 2009, also Director of the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV). From 1999 to 2005 he was Officer-in-Charge of the Terrorism Prevention Branch at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in the rank of a Senior Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer. From 1994 to 1999, Dr. Schmid was an elected member of the Executive Board of ISPAC (International Scientific and Professional Advisory Council) of the United Nations’ Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme. Until 1999 he held the position of Extraordinary Professor for the Empirical Study of Conflict and Conflict Resolution (Synthesis Chair) at the Department of Sociology, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, and the position of Research Coordinator of PIOOM (Interdisciplinary Research Projects on Root Causes of Human Rights Violations, Centre for the Study of Social Conflict) at Leiden University.

In 2003, Dr. Schmid was appointed Corresponding Member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), which was followed by an appointment as Fellow-in-Residence at the KNAW’s Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences  (NIAS) in 2011. Currently, Dr. Schmid serves on a number of advisory boards, including Europol’s TE-SAT, the Genocide Prevention Advisory Network (GPAN), the Asia-Pacific Foundation and the Global Terrorism Database of START, a Center of Excellence of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security at the University of Maryland. He is also a Senior Fellow of the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT) in Oklahoma. Dr. Schmid has lectured in nearly thirty countries and his work has been published in ten languages.

Alex Schmid has more than 180 publications and reports to his name. Some of Dr. Schmid’s key publications include: Violence as Communication (1982), Soviet Military Interventions since 1945 (1985), Terrorism and the Media (1992), Western Responses to Terrorism (1993), The Politics of Pain (1995), Countering Terrorism through International Cooperation (2001), Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power (2005), After the War on Terror (2009), and the award-winning volume Political Terrorism (1984, 1988, 2005). Prof. em. Schmid is editor and principal author of the acclaimed Routledge Handbook of Terrorism Research (2011), an expanded and revised update of the award-winning volume Political Terrorism. He is co-editor and co-author of the forthcoming ‘Terrorists on Trial’ volume, published by Leiden University Press.

Dr. Schmid is chairman of the jury for the annual award for the ‘Best PhD Thesis on Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism’ and director of the TRI network of country coordinators of PhD theses writers in twelve countries. He is supervising thesis-writing on both Master’s and PhD level at the Centre for Terrorism and Counterterrorism (CTC) at the Institute for  Public Administration of Leiden University’s Faculty Campus The Hague. In addition to his Research Fellowship at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism in The Hague he was, in 2014, also Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Nanyang Technological University’s Center of Excellence for National Security (CENS) in Singapore.

Alex Schmid

Dr. Erroll G. Southers

Director, Homegrown Violent Extremism Studies Program, Safe Communities Institute (SCI), University of Southern California (USC), United States

Dr. Erroll G. Southers is the Director of Homegrown Violent Extremism Studies at the University of Southern (USC) California Safe Communities Institute. He was President Barack Obama’s first nominee for Transportation Security Administration Assistant Secretary, and he was also California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Deputy Director for Critical Infrastructure of the California Office of Homeland Security.

Dr. Southers’ career has spanned all levels of law enforcement, formerly serving as Assistant Chief of Homeland Security and Intelligence at the Los Angeles World Airports Police Department. He also previously enjoyed the distinction of FBI Special Agent and SWAT team member, as well as Santa Monica Police Officer. He served on the faculty and tactical staff of the Rio Hondo Police Academy.

Currently, Dr. Southers holds roles throughout the international counterterrorism and national security arena, including: Visiting Fellow and member of the Professional Advisory Board of the International Institute of Counter-Terrorism in Herzliya, Israel; a member of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Homeland Security Project; a Senior Fellow at the UCLA School of Public Affairs; and a member of the Advisory Committee for the Command, Control and Interoperability Center for Advanced Data Analysis (CCICADA) at Rutgers University. He is also the Managing Director of the Counter-Terrorism and Infrastructure Protection Division for TAL Global Corporation, an international security consulting firm.

Dr. Southers has testified before the full Congressional Committee on Homeland Security as a subject matter expert and counterterrorism analyst. At USC, he developed the Executive Program in Counterterrorism and serves as an adjunct professor of Homeland Security and Public Policy in the Sol Price School of Public Policy, where he received the 2014 Outstanding Doctoral Project Award and was named the 2013 and 2014 Outstanding Adjunct Professor of the Year. He is a regular contributor to national and international media networks on matters of terrorism and national security, the author of Homegrown Violent Extremism and testified at the first Congressional Hearing on the Boston Marathon bombings.

Dr. Southers was the recipient of the Earl Warren Outstanding Public Service Award, was recognized in Security Magazine’s Top 25 Most Influential Industry Thought Leaders in the United States, and was a member of the Los Angeles Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Airport Security at LAX. He earned his undergraduate degree from Brown University, and he holds masters and doctoral degrees in public policy from USC.

Dr. Erroll G. Southers is an internationally recognized expert on counterterrorism, public safety, infrastructure protection, and homeland security. He is the Director of the Safe Communities Institute at the University of Southern California, where he is also a Professor of the Practice in National & Homeland Security.

Dr. Southers is the Managing Director for Counter-Terrorism & Infrastructure Protection at TAL Global, an international security consulting firm. There he directs security assessments addressing transportation modalities, stadium venues, and educational and cultural institutions.

Previously, Dr. Southers served as: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Deputy Director in the California Office of Homeland Security; Chief of Homeland Security and Intelligence for the Los Angeles World Airports Police Department (the nation’s largest airport police department); and President Barack Obama’s first nominee for Assistant Secretary of the Transportation Security Administration.

Before this, Dr. Southers was a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and also worked seven years as a police officer with the Santa Monica Police Department. Lecturing at Joint Chiefs of Staff Antiterrorism Seminars and testifying before Congress on homeland security matters, Dr. Southers was recognized in Security Magazine’s Top 25 Most Influential Industry Thought Leaders in the United States and is a recipient of the Earl Warren Outstanding Public Service Award.

He is a Senior Fellow of the UCLA School of Public Affairs and a Visiting Fellow of the International Institute of Counter-Terrorism in Herzliya, Israel. Dr. Southers lectures throughout the world and has been interviewed on CNN, NBC, MSNBC, NPR and a variety of other news programs. He holds Doctoral and Master’s degrees from USC and earned his BA from Brown University.

Dr. Southers has appeared in numerous TV documentary series and shows. He also hosts Price Projection Room, a podcast about film and television featuring conversations with USC scholars and media industry leaders discussing visual storytelling, media literacy, diversity, and the public good.

Awards and Acknowledgements

Throughout his career, Dr. Southers has received dozens of awards and acknowledgements, including:

  • USC Sol Price School of Public Policy Robert Biller Outstanding Faculty Award
  • American Society for Public Administration Earl Warren Outstanding Public Service Award
  • Security Magazine’s Top 25 Most Influential Industry Thought Leaders in the United States
  • The Los Angeles Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Airport Security at LAX
  • Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Society Honorary Inductee, Whittier College
  • USC Widney Alumni House Award
  • Certified in Homeland Security Program Top Achiever Award
  • International Organization of Black Security Executives Leading Edge Award
  • Rio Hondo Police Academy Outstanding Cadet Award

https://errollsouthers.com/bio/

Dr. Anne Likuski

Senior Research Fellow, Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, Norway

Dr. Anne Likuski is a senior research fellow at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI). With an academic background rooted in Middle Eastern studies, Arabic and Russian, she has conducted research on militant Islamism since 2006. Her research is currently focused on al-Qaida’s history, leadership and strategy and jihadism in Afghanistan and Pakistan. She has also conducted research on terrorist modus operandi, terrorist use of the Internet and CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) terrorism.

Dr. Likuski holds an M.Phil in Asian and African Studies and a Ph.D. in history, both from the University of Oslo. She wrote her doctoral dissertation in 2012 on the relationship between al-Qaida and Taliban in Afghanistan.

Her most recent publications include “Jihadism after the ‘Caliphate’: Towards a New Typology,” British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies (2018); Al-Qaida in Afghanistan (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017), and “Thirty Years After its Foundation, Where is al-Qaida Going?” Perspectives on Terrorism (2017).

Prof. Jessica Stern

Research Professor, Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University, United States

Prof. Jessica Stern is a Research Professor at Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies.  Stern has taught courses on counter-terrorism for 20 years – at Boston University, Harvard, and CIA University. She is a Member of the Homeland Security Experts Group, a Fellow at both Hoover Institution and Harvard’s School of Public Health, and a non-resident Fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.  She has participated in several DHS, NATO, and DOD-funded countering-violent extremism projects at Children’s Hospital and the Chan School of Public Health at Harvard.

Stern is the coauthor with J.M. Berger of ISIS: The State of Terror, and the author of My War Criminal: Personal Encounters with an Architect of Genocide (forthcoming January 2020), DENIAL: A Memoir of Terror, TERROR IN THE NAME OF GOD: Why Religious Militants Kill.  Stern served on President Clinton’s National Security Council Staff in 1994-95.  She was included among seven “thinkers” in Time Magazine’s 2001 series profiling 100 innovators.  She was selected as a Guggenheim Fellow in 2009, a World Economic Forum Fellow from 2002-2004, an International Affairs Fellow in 1994, and elected to Sigma Xi, an engineering honors society, in 1986.

Stern advises a number of government agencies on issues related to terrorism. She has a bachelor’s degree from Barnard College in chemistry, a master’s degree from MIT in technology policy, and a doctorate from Harvard University in public policy.  She is a 2016 graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Psychoanalysis.

Dr. Lorenzo Vidino

Dr. Lorenzo Vidino is the Director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University. An expert on Islamism in Europe and North America, his research over the past 20 years has focused on the mobilization dynamics of jihadist networks in the West; governmental counter-radicalization policies; and the activities of Muslim Brotherhood-inspired organizations in the West.

A native of Italy who holds American citizenship, Dr. Lorenzo Vidino earned a law degree from the University of Milan Law School and a doctorate in international relations from Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He has held positions at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Kennedy School of Government, the U.S. Institute of Peace, the RAND Corporation, and the Center for Security Studies (ETH Zurich).

The author of several books and numerous articles, Dr. Vidino’s most prominent work is The New Muslim Brotherhood in the West, a book published in 2010 by Columbia University Press, with an Arabic edition released the following year by the Al Mesbar Studies and Research Center. The book offers a comparative study of Islamist organizing in various Western countries as well as the wide-ranging public policy responses by Western leaders.

Dr. Vidino has testified before the U.S. Congress and other parliaments; advised law enforcement officials around the world; and taught at universities in the U.S. and Europe. He regularly provides commentary to diverse media outlets (including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, PBS, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, BBC, Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya…) and is a columnist for the Italian daily La Stampa. In 2016, he was appointed by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi as Coordinator of the National Commission on Jihadist Radicalization.

Lorenzo Vidino

Dr. Moran Yarchi

Senior Lecturer, Sammy Ofer School of Communications, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel

Moran Yarchi Ph.D. is a Senior Lecturer at the Sammy Ofer School of Communications, and the Head of the Public Diplomacy program, at Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel. Her main fields of research are political communication, public diplomacy, media coverage of conflicts and terrorism, and election campaigns on social media. Integrating theories from communication studies, political science and international relations, Moran’s studies investigates the ability of political actors to promote their messages’ through the media.

Moran’s studies had granted her with various awards and scholarships including the following: Nina Wain’s Prize for public and international communication for 2012; the Inbar fund scholarship for 2013; the Hecht Prize for 2012-3; The ICA’s annual conference Mass Communication Division’s top paper award 2014; and the NCA’s annual conference Mass Communication Division’s top paper award 2015.

Prof. Laurie Blank

Clinical Professor of Law and Director, International Humanitarian Law Clinic, Emory Law School, United States of America

Laurie R. Blank is a Clinical Professor of Law and the Director of the International Humanitarian Law Clinic at Emory University School of Law, where she teaches international humanitarian law and works directly with students to provide assistance to international tribunals, non-governmental organizations and law firms around the world on cutting edge issues in humanitarian law and human rights.   Professor Blank is the co-author of International Law and Armed Conflict: Fundamental Principles and Contemporary Challenges in the Law of War, a casebook on the law of war (with G. Noone, Aspen Publishing 2013).  She is also the co-director of a multi-year project on military training programs in the law of war and the co-author of Law of War Training: Resources for Military and Civilian Leaders (USIP 2008, with G. Noone, second edition 2013). In addition, she is the series editor of the ICRC’s teaching supplements on IHL, a member of the American Bar Association’s Advisory Committee to the Standing Committee on Law and National Security, and a member of the Public Interest Law and Policy Group’s High Level Working Group on Piracy. Before coming to Emory, Professor Blank was a Program Officer in the Rule of Law Program at the United States Institute of Peace.  At USIP, she directed the Experts’ Working Group on International Humanitarian Law, in particular a multi-year project focusing on New Actors in the Implementation and Enforcement of International Humanitarian Law.

She is the author of numerous articles and opinion pieces on topics in international humanitarian law, including, most recently, Extending Positive Identification from People to Places: Terrorism, Armed Conflict and the Identification of Military Objectives (Utah Law Review); Losing the Forest for the Trees: Syria, Law and the Pragmatics of Conflict Recognition (Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law); Targeted Strikes: The Consequences of Blurring the Armed Conflict and Self-Defense Justifications, (William Mitchell Law Review); After “Top Gun”: How Drone Strikes Impact the Law of War, (University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law); A Square Peg in a Round Hole: Stretching Law of War Detention Too Far (Rutgers Law Review); Defining the Battlefield in Contemporary Conflict and Counterterrorism: Understanding the Parameters of the Zone of Combat (Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law); and The Application of IHL in the Goldstone Report: A Critical Commentary (Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law).  Professor Blank received a B.A. in Politics from Princeton University, an M.A. in International Relations from The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at The Johns Hopkins University, and a J.D. from New York University School of Law

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Dr. Craig Whiteside

Dr. Craig Whiteside is an Associate Professor at the US Naval War College resident program at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, where he teaches national security affairs to military officers as part of their professional military education.  He is a senior associate with the Center on Irregular Warfare and Armed Groups at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island and a fellow at the George Washington University’s Program on Extremism. Whiteside’s current research focuses on the leadership succession and military doctrine of the Islamic State militant group, and he co-authored The ISIS Reader (Oxford University Press, 2020). Dr. Craig Whiteside has a BS from West Point and a PhD in Political Science from Washington State University and is a former U.S. Army officer with experience in Iraq. His recent publications can be found here.

Craig Whiteside

Dr. Joana Cook

Dr Joana Cook is an Assistant Professor at Leiden University, and a Senior project manager at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism. Joana Cook is also a Research Affiliate at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London and an Associate Fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization. Joana is also an adjunct lecturer at Johns Hopkins University; a non-resident Fellow at the Program on Extremism at George Washington University; a Research Affiliate with the Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security and Society (TSAS); and a Digital Fellow at the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (MIGS), Concordia University. She is the author of A Woman’s Place: US Counterterrorism Since 9/11 (Hurst, Oxford University Press, 2020).

Prof. Gabriel Weimann

Dr. Gabriel Weimann is a Full Professor of Communication (Emeritus) at the Department of Communication at Haifa University, Israel, a Visiting Professor at the University of Maryland, USA, and a Senior Researcher at ICT.

His research interests include the study of political campaigns, persuasion and influence, modern terrorism and the mass media, online terrorism and cyberterrorism. He published nine books: Communicating Unreality (Los Angeles: Sage Publications, 2000); The Influentials: People Who Influence People (State University of New York Press, 1995); The Theater of Terror (New York: Longman, 1994); Hate on Trial (Toronto: Mosaic, 1986); The Singaporean Enigma (Jerusalem: Tzivonim, 2001);  Terror in the Internet: The New Arena, the New Challenges (Washington, DC: USIP Press, 2006), Freedom and Terror (London: Routledge, 2011); Social Research in Israel (Jerusalem: Tzivonim, 2015), and Terrorism in Cyberspace (New York: Columbia University Press, 2015). His papers and research reports, more than 180 publications, have been published in scientific journals such as Journal of Communication, Public Opinion Quarterly, Communication Research, Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, American Sociological Review and others. He received numerous grants and awards from international foundations, including the Fulbright Foundation, the Canadian‑Israel Foundation, the Alexander von Humboldt‑Stiftung, the German National Research Foundation (D.F.G.), the Sasakawa Foundation, United States Institute for Peace (USIP), The Woodrow Wilson Center, the Australian Research Council and others. Prof. Weimann was a Visiting Professor at various universities including the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, University of Maryland, American University (DC), Hofstra University, Lehigh University (in USA), University of Mainz and University of Munich (in Germany), Carleton University (in Canada), NYU branch in Shanghai, China and the National University of Singapore (NUS).     

Gabriel Weimann

Seamus Hughes

Seamus Hughes is the Deputy Director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University. He is an expert on terrorism, homegrown violent extremism, and countering violent extremism (CVE). Hughes has authored numerous reports for the Program including ‘ISIS in America: From Retweets to Raqqa’ and ‘The Travelers: American Jihadists in Syria and Iraq.’ He regularly provides commentary to media outlets, including the New York Times, The Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, the Atlantic, CNN, MSNBC, FoxNews, BBC, PBS, and CBS’ 60 Minutes. He has testified before the U.S. Congress on multiple occasions.

Hughes previously worked at the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), serving as a lead staffer on U.S. government efforts to implement a national CVE strategy. He regularly led engagements with Muslim American communities across the country, provided counsel to civic leaders after high-profile terror-related incidents, and met with families of individuals who joined terrorist organizations. Hughes created a groundbreaking intervention program to help steer individuals away from violence through non-law enforcement means, and worked closely with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, Fusion Centers, and U.S. Attorney Offices.

Prior to NCTC, Hughes served as the Senior Counterterrorism Advisor for the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. He organized over a dozen congressional hearings on the threat of homegrown violent extremism, and led fact-finding delegations to the various European and Middle Eastern countries. He authored two reports for the Senate: “A Ticking Time Bomb: Counterterrorism Lessons from the U.S. Government’s Failure to Prevent the Fort Hood Attack” and “Zachary Chesser: A Case Study in Online Islamist Radicalization and Its Meaning for the Threat of Homegrown Terrorism.”

Hughes has authored numerous legislative bills, including sections of the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act and the Special Agent Samuel Hicks Families of Fallen Heroes Act. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland, and a recipient of the National Security Council Outstanding Service Award and two NCTC Director’s Awards for outstanding service. He teaches classes at George Washington University and Georgetown University.

Seamus Hughes