Homeland Security Policy Institute - "Foreign Fighters: Trends, Trajectories & Conflict Zones"

Sept. 30, 2010 - PRLog -- EVENT:  Please join The George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) for a roundtable discussion and release of a new report, “Foreign Fighters: Trends, Trajectories & Conflict Zones.”  The event and publication are the product of a collaboration between HSPI and the Swedish National Defence College's Center for Asymmetric Threat Studies (SNDC-CATS).  

The report is a timely primer on an emerging threat to Western states, dramatically evidenced in the recent news of an alleged plot by foreign fighters to stage a number of coordinated "Mumbai-style" attacks in Europe and possibly the United States.

The joint report of HSPI and SNDC surveys the sources, destinations and impact of Western jihadi foreign fighters.  It also highlights key bridge figures who act as catalysts for radicalization and recruitment.  The authors identify key vulnerabilities in the foreign fighter network, arguing that more must be done to exploit the security challenges faced by global jihadists.  

The publication’s co-authors are Frank J. Cilluffo, Director of HSPI; Magnus Ranstorp, Research Director of SNDC-CATS and HSPI Senior Fellow; and Jeffrey B. Cozzens, President of White Mountain Research.  HSPI Steering Committee Member Bruce Hoffman, Director, Center for Peace and Security Studies at Georgetown University, will moderate this panel discussion and offer introductory remarks, after which the authors will present their findings and recommendations.

WHEN:    Friday, October 1, 2010 from 2:30 pm until 4:30 pm. Reception to follow.

WHO:      Bruce Hoffman (Moderator), Director, Center for Peace and Security Studies, Georgetown University; Steering Committee Member, Homeland Security Policy Institute

Frank J. Cilluffo, Director, Homeland Security Policy Institute

Jeffrey B. Cozzens, President, White Mountain Research

Magnus Ranstorp, Research Director, Center for Asymmetric Threat Studies, Swedish National Defence College; Senior Fellow, Homeland Security Policy Institute

WHERE:   Elliott School of International Affairs
7th Floor | State Room
The George Washington University
1957 E Street, NW
Washington, DC 20052
Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro (Blue and Orange lines)

RSVP:   RSVP at http://www.gwumc.edu/hspi/events/foreignfighterseventreg.cfm

For complete information on this event, including speaker biographies, please visit http://www.gwumc.edu/hspi/events/foreignfighters.cfm

BACKGROUND:    

HSPI's Policy & Research Forum Series spotlights cutting-edge security policy solutions and innovative research.  The Series is designed to provide thought leaders in the United States and abroad with a uniquely constructive venue in which to discuss current and future security issues and challenges.

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The George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) is a nonpartisan “think and do” tank whose mission is to build bridges between theory and practice to advance homeland security through an interdisciplinary approach.