This talk with Ali Soufan, founder of The Soufan Center in New York, moderated by Dr. Andreas Rechkemmer of HBKU’s College of Public Policy, will shed light on the nature of the current threat posed by global extremism against the backdrop of a changing geopolitical landscape.

Eighteen years since the attacks in the US on September 11, 2001, the threat posed by global terrorist activity has not only persisted, but has become more complicated and diverse. The so-called Islamic State has suffered losses, but as a consequence is likely to morph into an underground movement with a global reach. Al-Qaeda and its regional affiliates today are deeply embedded in local conflicts. Returning foreign fighters pose both an active threat and a rehabilitation challenge to their home states, but also radicalized right-wing groups are growingly subject to close monitoring by domestic intelligence services in the Western hemisphere.

The geopolitical setting seems to drift into a concerning state of ideological, religious and societal divide, increasingly enabling a culture of brutalization rather than peaceful dialogue and coexistence. The recent United Nations’ Religious Freedom Summit in New York underscored extremist threats to span across confessions and nation-states. Most recently, the world has continued to witness disturbing acts of violence in the name of beliefs and opposing ideologies. 

Join us for a conversation on how the new geopolitical environment and the rivalry between states, non-state actors, and sectarian and cultural rifts impact global societies, and what role education must play in order to effectively counter the global terrorism problem.    
 
This lecture will take place at The St Regis Hotel in Doha, Qatar, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm on Wednesday, October 16.
 
Registration is mandatory.