Workshops
September 13-14, 2017
Understanding the cycle of radicalization and violence has never been more important than today; when the timing of the cycle has shortened and the leap from radicalization to violence and extremism is increasingly common. Analyzing the trends in radicalization, and the threat of violence, this workshop aims to understand the cycle of violence- and possibly offer ways to break it.
In partnership with The Center for a Free & Secure Society (SFS)
The workshop will deal with the complex relationship between Iran and Latin American states, Iranian-backed and sponsored terrorism in the continent, and will address Iran’s funding of terror groups. The overarching theme of Iranian and/or Latin American terrorism, both local and global, will be analyzed. The workshop will foster dialogue and idea-sharing between experts on the topic and will be an invaluable opportunity to learn about such a pertinent issue.
This workshop aims to examine the vulnerabilities that exist in critical infrastructure, establishing dialogue and an exchange of ideas to help create solutions. Based on their vast expertise, the panel of experts gathered will provide a series of analyses and recommendations on the topic, touching upon ideas for mitigation of imminent threats to critical infrastructure, as well as provide insight into methods of recovery if such an attack were to take place.
This workshop will examine the phenomena of global migration, integration and terrorism; and the nexus of all three. Whether economic or refugee based, migration brings together peoples and cultures in ways like never before. Improper integration, not just lack thereof, creates fertile ground for radicalization and violence, while mass migration allows for the easy infiltration into states. The workshop will analyze the risks (and opportunities) migration and integration pose, the ways in which terrorists can take advantage of the situation, and the possibilities counter-terrorist actors have in prevention.
In partnership with The India Foundation
Terrorist groups and counter-terror actors have been paying increasing attention to the sub-Indian continent. With the eyes of the world focused elsewhere, the region has become a hotbed of terrorism; cooperation and competition between the actors rampant in equal amounts. With a history of incredibly deadly attacks and a ready and willing population, terrorist actors view this area as the next frontier. The workshop will examine the radicalization in the area, the terrorist and non-terrorist actors and the relationships between them, analyze the potential and magnitude of the threat and attempt to understand the implications of the worrying phenomenon of growing terrorism in the region.
This workshop will focus on the recent and upcoming developments in the field of terrorism and counter-terrorism; examining the need by both terrorist and counter-terrorist actors to change and evolve. The workshop will review technological advances, the importance of the cyberspace in terrorism and the fight against it, as well as changes in other aspects, in an attempt to analyze and predict what terrorism, and counter-terrorism, will look like in the next 5-10 years.
Recent years, more than ever, have seen the establishment and growth of the cyber world. Offering anything to anyone, the cyberspace has become an increasingly complex and striated phenomenon. The option of anonymity and selectivity in access, while simultaneously allowing global connectivity, and the outstanding dependency of today’s modern world on the cyberspace, have made this arena the new forefront in terrorism. The workshop will attempt to understand the threats emanating from the cyberspace, the ramifications (legal, governing, ethical, and others), as well as the counter-terrorist options available.
In partnership with the Institute for National Security & Counter-Terrorism (INSCT)
The battlefield has grown geographically broader in recent years, with conflicts spilling over national boundaries. At the same time, the distinction between peace and war has eroded. Terrorism, in particular, features in both peace and war under quite similar forms. Peace time crises – be they national security crises, health emergencies, natural disasters or financial crises – increasingly trigger issues not that different from those encountered in times of war. This workshop looks at the reasons for this change, the extent of crisis management by various actors, and the crises' local and global repercussions. Questions of authority, legitimacy, and decision-making in times of governmental transitions will be examined as part of this year's workshop.
In partnership with the International Counter-Terrorism Academic Community (ICTAC)
Despite the world being more interconnected than ever before, the cooperation in counter-terrorism is sorely lacking. Policy papers have been published, recommendations have been written and accords have been signed; and yet agencies and countries act alone. The lack of cooperation is a sweeping phenomenon; on the national, international and multinational levels - entities do not cooperate as much as they should. Academic, tactical and strategic cooperation is necessary in order for counter-terrorism to be effective. This workshop will attempt to understand the challenges of cooperation, why it is lacking and to offer suggestions to improve it.
In the history of counter-terrorism, the world has seen very many pro-active measures. This workshop will analyze some of the most prominent methods; their usage and effectiveness, the experts participating in this workshop will provide different points of view for examining targeted killings, decapitations and drone-strikes, as well as other counter-terrorism measures.
A hands-on, tactical analysis of the “on-the-ground” situation, this workshop will focus on the issues of policing in the world of terrorism. A blue team exercise will provide a controlled setting to examine the pros and cons of methods and to analyze the dilemmas that policing units are confronted with when responding to an attack. Questions of jurisdiction, of command and control, of mitigation and recovery will be discussed; aiming at creating the dialogue between policing and counter-terror actors, before such dialogue is operationally imperative.