Workshop on 'Public-Private Partnership in Countering Online Radicalization and Recruitment to Violence'
Program Agenda
Day 1
1000 - 1045 hrs
Welcome Remarks
General NC Vij, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, Director, Vivekananda International Foundation
(Former Chief of the Army Staff & Founder Vice Chairman NDMA)
Opening Remarks
Ambassador Richard R. Verma, U.S. Ambassador to India
Keynote Address
MJ Akbar, BJP National Spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand
Vote of Thanks
Steve Goldrup, Counterterrorism Coordinator for South Asia, U.S. Embassy New Delhi
1045 - 1230 hrs
Panel 1: ISIL Recruitment and Dynamics – Global Perspectives
Description: How ISIL (and/or its surrogates) recruit online. What vulnerabilities are susceptible of exploitation?
Moderator: Brandon Behlendorf, START
Panelists:
Brian Fishman, New America Foundation
Aaron Zelin, Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Anthony Lemieux, Georgia State
1230 - 1245 hrs Group Photo
1245 - 1400 hrs Lunch
1400 - 1545 hrs
Panel 2: ISIL Recruitment and Dynamics – Indian and South Asian Perspectives
Description: How ISIL (and/or its surrogates) recruit online in India and South Asia. What are the important distinctions from ISIL writ large for recruitment and extremism efforts in this region? Are their unique contexts or narratives in this region that ISIL and other extremists are leveraging within their messaging strategy?
Moderator: Susan Sim, Soufan Group
Panelists:
Sushant Sareen, Senior Fellow, Vivekananda International Foundation
Bibhu Routray, Middle East Institute
Rajeshwari Krishnamurthy
Praveen Swami, The Indian Express
1545 - 1600 hrs Tea Break
1600 - 1800 hrs
Panel 3: Conventional Collaboration to Counter Online Recruitment
Description: “Conventional” (encompassing virtual and “real” world, but not relying on IT tools in any particular sense, and primarily directed at countering ISIL messaging piece-by-piece) government and non-government responses.
Moderator: CSCC Coordinator Rashad Hussain
Panelists:
Syed Ata Hasnain, Visiting Fellow, Vivekananda International Foundation
Maulana Mahmood Madani, Jamiat Ulema-I-Hind
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, Centre for Peace & Spirituality
Day 2
1000 – 1145hrs
Panel 4: Tech Sector Initiatives to Counter Online Extremism
Description: What are the possibilities and limits of partnership with the IT sector in countering online extremism and recruitment? How are firms in the U.S. and India addressing vulnerability to abuse by terrorists?
Moderator: Monika Bickert, Facebook
Panelists:
Farhad Chowdhury, FifthTribe
Asma Uddin, Becket Fund
David Lastova, U.S. Open Source Center
1145 – 1200 hrs Tea Break
1200 – 1330hrs
Panel 5: New Opportunities and Models for Collaboration
Description: discuss opportunities for collaboration in the online sphere (based on better understandings of how ISIL messages, what strategies, techniques, and technologies can be used by stakeholders to enhance the persuasive effect of moderates? Can tools be combined to more proactively reach out to those vulnerable to recruitment? Can tools be use to promote dialogue and reduce stovepiping?)
Moderator: Special Representative Shaarik Zafar
Panelists:
Jason Johnson, NCTC
Jennifer Bryson, Stanford
MA Ganapathy, MHA Joint Secretary for Internal Security
1330– 1415hrs Lunch
1415– 1600 hrs
Panel 6: Off- and Online Tactics for Community Empowerment
Description: deeper dive on tactics that could be used to empower communities to counter extremism in the online sphere (could also have offline applications)
Moderator: Lt General Ravi Sawhney, Dean, Centre for Defence Studies, Vivekananda International Foundation
Panelists:
Zubair Meenai, JMI
Alejandro Beutel, START
Khwaja Iftikhar Ahmad, AIOM
Ali Khan Mahmudabad
1600 – 1615 hrs Tea Break
1615 – 1745 hrs Recommendations
Valedictory Address
Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs
Closing Remarks
General NC Vij, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, Director, Vivekananda International Foundation