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 brought 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 featured a series of panel discussions and TED Talk-style presentations with leading experts, aimed to reset priorities and understand the contemporary challenges to countering violent extremism. Continue the conversation with #RESOLVEForum.

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)

  • Assistant Secretary 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

Learn more about the RESOLVE Network and our work by following us on Twitter @resolvenet and subscribing to our newsletter at www.resolvenet.org.

Related Publications

Senior Study Group on Counterterrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan: Final Report

Senior Study Group on Counterterrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan: Final Report

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

When announcing the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in April 2021, President Joe Biden identified counterterrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan as an enduring and critical US national security interest. This priority became even more pronounced after the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, the discovery of al-Qaeda’s leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul less than a year later, and the increasing threat of the Islamic State of Khorasan (ISIS-K) from Afghanistan. However, owing to the escalating pressures of strategic competition with China and Russia, counterterrorism has significantly dropped in importance in the policy agenda.

Type: Report

Violent Extremism

Why Counterterrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan Still Matters

Why Counterterrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan Still Matters

Thursday, May 9, 2024

From wars in Ukraine and the Middle East to rising tensions in the South China Sea, there is no shortage of crises to occupy the time and attention of U.S. policymakers. But three years after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the threat of terrorism emanating from South Asia remains strong and policymakers need to be more vigilant. Indeed, at the end of March, an Afghanistan-based affiliate of ISIS launched a devastating attack outside of Moscow, killing over 140 people.

Type: Question and Answer

Global PolicyViolent Extremism

For Sahel Stability, U.S. Needs Broader, Coordinated Policy

For Sahel Stability, U.S. Needs Broader, Coordinated Policy

Thursday, March 21, 2024

As military coups and violent insurgencies have spread across Africa’s Sahel over the past decade, U.S. policy has professed to recognize and address their interconnections across the region, notably through the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership. Yet this effort remains insufficient to meet the scale and complexity of the violence and the underlying failures of governance.

Type: Analysis

Violent Extremism

View All Publications