Convening

Summary

Resetting Priorities to Address Violent Extremist Threats

Despite progress in countering violent extremism, it still poses challenges that have grown more lethal and complex as new actors and conflicts arise. To face these emerging trends, policymakers and practitioners require global insights—grounded in research—into sources of resilience and vulnerability. The annual RESOLVE Global Forum will bring together top scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to reflect on past efforts, explore prevailing myths, and discuss strategies to recalibrate the way forward in addressing violent extremism.

RESOLVE’s mission is to provide insights into violent extremism around the world, elevate local voices and analysis, and increase connectivity between research, policy, and practice. The rise in violent extremism globally lends urgency to reflect on and highlight successful approaches, refocus research and practice, and find areas for collaboration. 

The full-day public event, which features a series of panel discussions and TED Talk-style presentations with leading experts, will aim to reset priorities and understand the contemporary challenges to countering violent extremism. Follow us on Twitter at @resolvenet and join the conversation with #RESOLVEForum.

WATCH THE FORUM

Agenda

8:30am - 9:00am: Informal RESOLVE Stakeholder Meet and Greet, Registration

9:00am - 9:20am: Welcome Remarks

• Ambassador George Moose
  Vice Chair, Board of Directors, U.S. Institute of Peace

Keynote Remarks (Watch)

• Denise Natali
  Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, U.S. Department of State

Introductory Remarks 

• Leanne Erdberg
  Director of Countering Violent Extremism, U.S. Institute of Peace and interim Executive Director, RESOLVE Network

9:20am - 9:50am: Fireside Chat (Watch)

• J.M. Berger
  Author, Research Fellow, VOX-Pol
• Michael Singh
  Senior Fellow, Managing Director, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

9:50 - 10:30am: TED Talk-Style Presentations

• Countering Violent Extremism as a Grand Strategic Response to Terrorism (Watch)
  William Braniff
  Director, National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), University of Maryland 
• Methodologies and the Media in Countering Violent Extremism Research (Watch)
  Laura Dugan
  Professor and Associate Chair, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Maryland
• The Psychology of Terrorism (Watch)
  John Horgan
  Distinguished University Professor, Georgia State University 

10:30am - 11:00am: Coffee Break  

11:00am - 12:00pm: Panel 1: Non-State Governance and Going Local (Watch)

• Houda Abadi
  Founder and Executive Director, Transformative Peace
• Linda Bishai
  Professorial Lecturer, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University
• Katherine Zimmerman
  Research Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
• David Yang, moderator
  Vice President, Applied Conflict Transformation Center, U.S. Institute of Peace

12:00pm - 1:00pm: Lunch

1:00pm - 2:00pm: TED Talk-Style Presentations

• Neuroscience and Countering Violent Extremism (Watch)
  Nafees Hamid
  Research Fellow, Artis International
• Trauma and Countering Violent Extremism (Watch)
  Teuta Avdimetaj
  Researcher and Policy Adviser, Kosovo
• Participatory Action Research (Watch)
  Illana Lancaster
  Senior Program Officer, Security Sector Capacity Building, Academy, U.S. Institute of Peace
  Munira Hamisi
  Director of Countering Violent Extremism, Mombasa County Government, Kenya
  Felix Bivens
  Co-founder and Co-director, Rē: The Regenerative School

2:00pm - 2:30pm: Coffee Break

2:30pm - 3:45pm: Panel 2: Violent Extremism Disengagement and Reconciliation (Watch)

• Shiraz Maher
  Director, International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence, King's College London 
• David Malet
  Assistant Professor, American University
• Lisa Schirch
  Senior Research Fellow, Toda Peace Institute
• Georgia Holmer, moderator
  Senior Advisor for Anti-Terrorism Issues, OSCE Secretariat

3:45pm - 5:00pm: Panel 3: Global Policy Trends and the Impact of Research (Watch)

• Robert Faucher
  Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, U.S. Department of State
• Daniel Kimmage
  Principal Deputy Coordinator, Global Engagement Center, U.S. Department of State
• Lieutenant General (ret) Michael K. Nagata
  Director of Strategy for the National Counterterrorism Center, U.S. Army
• Christopher Runyan
  Senior Coordinator, Bureau for Africa, U.S. Agency for International Development
• Daniel Benjamin, moderator
  Director, John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, Dartmouth College

5:00pm: Closing Remarks 

5:00pm - 6:30pm: Reception

6:30pm: Reception End