International Terrorism Conference 2008

The International Terrorism Conference 2008 was a policy conference held on 2-3 October 2008 by the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence in cooperation with the Royal United Services Institute. The conference was called, "Countering 'Jihadist' Terrorism: Regional and Country Perspectives". It was sponsored by the security technology company Smiths Detection. The conference was held over two days with the first day focued on approaches to counterterrorism, and the second on "the important role of the private sector, both as a contributor to CT efforts and, together with the public sector, as a potential target to be protected."

Speakers including numerous experts from the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence as well as senior figures from the policy world including the Prime Minister's Secuirty Advisor Lord West of Spithead, The Minister of State for Policing, Security and Community Safety, Tony McNulty and an unnamed "Senior Whitehall Official". The BBC's Frank Gardner also spoke.

The Programme

International Terrorism Conference 2008

Thursday 2nd October

0830-0900 REGISTRATION & COFFEE

0900-0905 ADMINISTRATIVE REMARKS

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0920-1115 SESSION ONE: Multilateral perspectives

CHAIR: Dr Brian Lang

Principal, University of St. Andrews

SPEAKERS:

• Sir David Veness

Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security, United Nations

• Lord George Robertson

Former Secretary-General of NATO

• Dr. Raphael Perl

Head, Action Against Terrorism Unit, OSCE

• George Gijs de Vries

Clingendael Institute, The Hague; former EU CT Coorindator

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1115 - 1145 MORNING TEA & COFFEE

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0920-1115 SESSION TWO: Hotspots of 'Jihadist' terrorism

CHAIR: Simon Manley

Director for Defence and Strategic Threats, Foreign & Commonwealth Office

SPEAKERS:

• Dr. Michael Boyle

CSTPV, University of St. Andrews

Terrorism, Civil War and Resistance in Iraq

• Abdel Bari Atwan

Editor in Chief, Al-Quds al-Arabi

• Professor Max Taylor

CSTPV, University of St. Andrews

Somalia and the Horn of Africa

• Lianne Kennedy-Boudali

RAND, Washington D.C.

Maghreb and North Africa

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1330 - 1430 LUNCH

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1430 - 1630 SESSION THREE: Country and regional perspectives

CHAIR: Professor Michael Clarke
Director, RUSI

SPEAKERS:

Senior Whitehall Official
UK Perspectives

Ekaterina Stepanova
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
Caucasus and Central Asia

Gregory Berry
Political Minister Counselor, United States Embassy, London

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1630 - 1700 AFTERNOON TEA AND COFFEE

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1430 - 1630 SESSION FOUR: Where do we stand?

CHAIR: Stephen Phipson
Group Managing Director, Smiths Detection

KEYNOTE: Rt. Hon. Tony McNulty MP
Minister of State for Policing, Security and Community Safety

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1815 EVENING RECEPTION

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Friday 3rd October

0900 – 0930 REGISTRATION & COFFEE

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0930 – 1100 SESSION FIVE: Protection against terrorism: The role of public-private partnerships

CHAIR: Stephen Cummings
Director, Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI)

SPEAKERS:

CPNI Speaker

Stephen Phipson
Group Managing Director, Smiths Detection

DCI Chris Phillips
Dead of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO)

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1100 – 1130 MORNING TEA & COFFEE

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1130 - 1230 SESSION SIX: Measuring success and failure in terrorism and counter terrorism

CHAIR: Professor Ali Watson
Head of the School of International Relations
University of St. Andrews

SPEAKERS:

Professor Marco Lombardi
Director, ITSTIME, Catholic University of Milan
Al Qaeda’s Metrics of Global JIhad

Abdel Bari Atwan
Editor in Chief, Al-Quds al-Arabi

Professor Alex P. Schmid
Director, CSTPV
US Government Metrics of the Global War on Terror

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1230 - 1330 LUNCH

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1330 – 1500 SESSION SEVEN: Preventing terrorism: Counter-radicalisation straegies

CHAIR: Robert Lambert
CSTPV, University of St. Andrews

SPEAKERS:

Professor Fernando Reinares
Elcano Institute, Madrid

Theo Bot
Deputy National Coordinator for Counterterrorism. Formerly, Deputy Director, AIVD, Netherlands

Professor Tore Bjorgo
Police University College, Oslo, Norway

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1500 - 15030 AFTERNOON TEA AND COFFEE

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1530 – 1700 PANEL DISCUSSION: Countering ‘Jihadist’ terrorism: Re-thinking strategy

CHAIR: Sir David Omand GCB
Vice President, RUSI

PANELISTS:

Admiral The Lord West of Spithead
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Security and Counterterrorism

Sir David Veness
Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security, United Nations

Frank Gardner
Security Correspondent, BBC

M.J. Gohel
CEO Asia-Pacific Foundation

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1700 – 1715 CLOSE OF CONFERENCE

Professor Louise Richardson
Executive Dean, Radcliffe Institute for Advances Study, Harvard University, incoming Principal, University of St. Andrews