Should We Talk to Terrorists?

Should governments negotiate with terrorist groups? If so, when is the right time? How can policymakers understand various factors, such as group leadership, public support and splintering, that have vital impacts on the outcome of negotiating with terrorist groups? These questions are asked more and more often by policymakers and politicians the world over.

The conversation was framed around Dr. Audrey Kurth Cronin’s recent USIP Special Report, "When Should We Talk to Terrorists?" The findings of this report are drawn from a larger USIP-supported multiyear research project on how terrorist campaigns meet their demise, which culminated in Dr. Cronin’s book, "How Terrorism Ends: Understanding the Decline and Demise of Terrorist Campaigns."

The speakers addressed the "if, when and how" questions of negotiating with terrorist groups from both academic and policy standpoints. The panel drew from a number of contemporary examples, such as Afghanistan, as well as provide an interdisciplinary approach to the topic. Copies of Dr. Cronin’s report, along with several other pertinent USIP publications, were available at the event.

Speakers:

Audrey Kurth Cronin, Panelist

Professor, National Defense University
Peter Bergen, Panelist

Co-Director of the Counterterrorism Strategy Initiative, New America Foundation
Anthony Wanis St.-John, Panelist

Assistant Professor, School of International Service, American University

Adviser to the Academy for International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding, U.S. Institute of Peace
I. William Zartman, Panelist

Professor Emeritus, School of Advanced International Studes, Johns Hopkins University
Paul R. Pillar, Moderator

Director of Graduate Studies, Center for Peace and Security Studies, Georgetown University
Andrew Blum, Chair

Senior Program Officer, Grant Program, U.S. Institute of Peace