EWI recently convened a small and select group of influential opinion leaders, decision makers, and media for a briefing of the new publication, “Countering Violent Extremism.” The report is the result of EWI’s work on violent extremism and radicalization, which aims to provide new understandings of this reality, and new techniques for prevention and counter-extremist work. The meeting, held on October 19, 2007, in New York, provided a briefing on the highlights of the publication to EWI senior staff members, project leaders and special guests followed by an open discussion and Q&A on the findings.

Participants included but were not limited to: Amb. Abdul Wahab of the Organization of the Islamic Conference mission to the UN, Brandon Declet of the U.S. House of Representatives, Michael German, Policy Counsel at the ACLU, George Schwab, President of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, Amb. S. Azmat Hassan of Seton Hall University, Samantha Job, First Secretary of the UK mission to the UN, and Msgr. Bernadito Auza, First Counsellor of the mission of the Holy See to the UN. Mr. Roger Parkinson, Chairman of the University of Toronto Press, chaired the event. The event was also attended by members of the press (Financial Times, Reuters, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies).