Terror and Consent - The Wars for the Twenty-First Century

Professor Philip Bobbit from the University of Texas- Austin spoke at ICSR on 25 July 2008 in a thought-provoking talk on the nature of terrorism and Western responses to terrorist actions. Bobbit argued that many fundamental approaches to terrorist activity in the twenty-first century were based on the thinking of the previous century, in which wars primarily took place between nation-states and lead to clear victories and defeats. In the current world, no such clarity is attainable and a war which seeks such outcomes can never be won. Bobbit urged his audience to rethink definitions of war and victory in terms of human rights, states of consent and the preservation of personal freedoms. 

Atomic Terrorism - Assessing the Likelihood

John Mueller of the University of Ohio spoke at ICSR on 19 June 2008 about the likelihood of atomic terrorism, arguing that the threat from terrorists seeking to acquire a nuclear device has been exaggerated. He described the steps involved in carrying out the process of obtaining nuclear materials, and provocatively concluded that the likelihood was microscopic. This was followed by a lively discussion which weighed the pros and cons of Mueller’s argument. It also explored wider issues such as the threat from terrorism generally.

Al-Qaeda and the Internet: The Virtual Network Behind the Message

On 21 May, Daniel Kimmage of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty spoke at ICSR about his recently published study The Al-Qaeda Media Nexus.

Kimmage's study revealed that jihadist media increasingly emphasise a consistently 'branded' media product, using quasi-official media entities to advance their message. Such strategies not only serve to boost the credibility of media messages but also ensure a greater control over such messages by the organisation. Kimmage noted that only a fraction of jihadist media production is accounted for by the 'original' Al-Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden.

Kimmage's full report is available here.

High Level Panel Discusses Britain's National Security Strategy

ICSR convened a high-level panel to discuss Britain's first ever national security strategy the day after it was officially unveiled. It consisted of former Defence and Home Secretary Rt Hon John Reid, former Cabinet Office intelligence coordinator Sir David Omand, and Dr. John Gearson, Associate Fellow of ICSR.

At the ICSR event, all three speakers welcomed the idea of having a national security strategy. But there were sharp differences as to whether the present document satisfied the requirement for a coherent, long-term strategic vision. All agreed that the document was an important first step, and that it needed to be developed through systematic engagement with key stakeholders over the coming months. The ICSR event represented the foundation for this process.

Pakistan and the 'War on Terror'

On 13 November, ICSR and terrorism.opendemocracy.net hosted a roundtable discussion on the current situation in Pakistan. Prof. Anatol Lieven of King's College London set out different scenarios on how the ongoing ‘emergency' is likely to be resolved. The possibility of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of Islamist extremists was very slight, he said. The emergence of a genuine democracy, however, was equally unlikely.

The discussion, which followed Prof. Lieven's introductory remarks, revolved around the position of the army in the current crisis as well as the roles played by various political actors in contemporary Pakistan. The discussion can be accessed via podcast at www.opendemocracy.net/terrorism/article/podcast_pakistan.

Radicalisation: An American Perspective

The head of counter-terrorism at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Philip Mudd - pictured here with ICSR Director Peter Neumann - addressed an invited audience of journalists, students and academics in London on 6 November. Hosted by ICSR, the title of his talk was ‘Radicalisation - An American Perspective'. Mudd spoke about the evolving nature of the terrorist threat, and how security agencies have adapted to it. He took numerous questions from the audience, dealing with a wide range of issues, including the radicalisation of teenagers in Europe, the Western response to terrorism, and lessons to be learned from the European experience in countering radicalisation.

The Global State of Radicalisation

The Global State of Radicalisation was the title of two events, which took place at the Penn Club in New York on 17 October. Speakers included Harvey Rubin from the University of Pennsylvania, Sir Lawrence Freedman from King's College London, Peter Neumann, Director of ICSR, and Henry Sweetbaum, a founder of ISCR. Yasar Qatarneh of the Jordan Institute of Diplomacy and Boaz Ganor from the Interdiscplinary Center Herliya participated via video-link from Amman and Tel Aviv respectively.

The speakers provided accounts of the state of radicalisation in their respective countries, highlighting differences in perspective and some of the issues that everyone agreed should be addressed urgently. Questions dealt with the drivers of radicalisation as well as education and economic factors.

The two events also provided an opportunity to introduce ICSR to an influential New York audience. In particular, participants showed great interest in the projects which ICSR hopes to carry out in 2008.