Strategic Trust-Building

Including conducting a human rights impact assessment, to protect civilians in counter-terrorism operations.

EWI Founder, President and CEO John Edwin Mroz explores the qualities of leadership in the context of an ever changing world.

It contends that the role of governments in preventing violent religious extremism is limited. Religious leaders, faith communities and civil society must do the heavy lifting to counter this threat. The report, based on research and analysis, and the convening of experts with leading persons of faith, offers specific policy recommendations to combat violent extremism. It was launched at an event in New York attended by leaders from government, media, and civil society.

The use by violent extremists of the internet and video formats disseminated on it is a well-known and increasingly disturbing phenomenon. The paper advises governments to distinguish sharply between strategies intended to suppress web-based aspects of direct terrorist actions or operations and those used to counter generalized extremist calls to violence.

Media Coverage:

Feb-22-2008: IHA article (Turkish)

Pakistan carries out a full range of activities relating to nuclear weapons: from mining and milling raw materials; through the production of heavy water, tritium, highly enriched uranium and plutonium; to weaponization. It also has an advanced missile program. Yet little is actually known about the security of all these facilities apart from the fact that they are guarded by a specially trained force of 10,000 separate from, but under the control of, the military.

The manifestations of narcoterrorism are manifold and far reaching: increased drug production; wide spread abuse of drugs; serious drug-related crime; threats to the rule of law, public security, and public health; money laundering; infiltration of the legal economy and financing of terrorism

Over the years, several definitions of “narcoterrorism” have been introduced. The widest definition is given by the Oxford dictionary (1999): “Terrorism associated with the trade in illicit drugs”. It does not indicate whether ideological and political or, criminal and commercial motives are the main driving factors. The simplest way of describing narcoterrorism is, perhaps, as a part of an illegal complex of drugs, violence and power, where the illegal drug trade and the illegal exercise of power have become aggregated in such a way that they threaten democracy and the rule of law.

The security environment of the future will be shaped by transnational threats evolving from wars, violent extremism, natural disasters, pandemics, and unaddressed systemic problems—including poverty, organized crime, and environmental degradation. Technology will remain a force-multiplier for violent extremists, not only for higher levels of lethality, but for propaganda dissemination. Real-time, global communication will exacerbate the psychological impact of potential threats and the aftermath of incidents.

The conflict zones it works in are as politicized as its process of appointing its members. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has entered an election year and will decide which states are best fit to be non-permanent members for the 2009-2010 term. Turkey is bidding for a seat in the Western European and Others Group (WEOG) along with Austria and Iceland.