 |
|
|
 |
|
|||
|
Ambassadors Roundtable Series Our adversaries are very different from those we encountered during the Cold War. Homeland security does not start at our shores. Technology – in particular the Internet – has created a borderless world that is working to our adversaries’ advantage. Today, the most significant threat to our nation, as well as our allies, stems from a global terrorist movement, underpinned by a "jihadist"/Salafist ideology. This movement is a transnational insurgency best exemplified by al Qaeda but including other groups ascribing to the same ideology. Transnational threats require transnational strategies if they are to be countered successfully. While it is prudent for the United States to take steps to secure citizens’ safety by hardening our infrastructure and building preparedness and response capabilities, we must at the same time understand terrorist networks and the contexts within which they are operating, so that we can effectively inform counter strategies. In short, we need our own “network of networks.” To build this network, HSPI has launched its Ambassadors Roundtable Series on International Collaboration to Combat Terrorism and Insurgencies. The series builds upon and institutionalizes efforts over the past two years to engage ambassadors, heads of state and cabinet level officials in an ongoing dialogue on the counterterrorism efforts of multiple To date, there has been tremendous response in the diplomatic community to the Ambassadors Roundtable series. Speakers have included: Australian Ambassador Dennis Richardson; Sri Lankan Ambassador Gooneleitke; Rwandan Ambassador Zac Nsenga; Moroccan Ambassador Mekouar; New Zealand Ambassador Roy Ferguson; Colombian Ambassador Carolina Barco Isakson; Indonesian Ambassador Sudjadnan Parnohadiningrat; Canadian Ambassador Michael Wilson; French Ambassador Pierre Vimont; Singaporean Ambassador Chan Heng Chee; German Ambassador Klaus Scharioth; Swedish Counterterrorism Coordinator Ambassador Cecilia Ruthström-Ruin; Indian Ambassador Ronen Sen; Afghan Ambassador Said Tayeb Jawad; Chinese Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong; Bosnian and Herzegovinan Ambassador Bisera Turkovic; Algerian Ambassador Amine Kherbi; Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan; Iraqi Ambassador Samir Sumaida’ie; and Brazilian Ambassador Antonio Patriota. In addition to the Ambassadors Roundtable Series, the United Kingdom’s former Home Secretary Dr. John Reid chose HSPI to give his sole major policy speech while visiting the United States.
For further inquries including invitation information, please email hspi1@gwumc.edu with the subject Ambassadors Roundtable Series Inquiries. |
nations. There is much we can learn from one another’s experiences – what policies and initiatives worked and which did not – and why. The series is designed to provide Ambassadors to the United Statesand their key diplomatic staff with a forum to discuss current and future counterterrorism efforts on a regional or country-specific basis. |