17-18 November 2015 - Workshop on 'Public-Private Partnership in Countering Online Radicalization and Recruitment to Violence'

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