event

Al-Qaeda Transformed: The Core, Its Affiliates, and Their Splinters

Fri. May 30th, 2014
Washington, DC

This conference brought together leading scholars and practitioners from the United States, Europe, and the Arab world to examine the complex dynamics underway within al-Qaeda. This included its role in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and North Africa, as well as European influence on the movement, and the broader political and social context within which al-Qaeda operates today.

Agenda

8:30–9:00 a.m.
Registration

9:00–10:15 a.m.
Al-Qaeda in the Levant

  • Fidaa El Itani
  • Nelly Lahoud, U.S. Military Academy at West Point 
  • Joas Wagemakers, Radboud University Nijmegen
  • Moderator: Frederic Wehrey, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

10:15–10:30 a.m.
Break

10:30–11:45 a.m.
Al-Qaeda in North Africa

  • Ismail Alexandrani, Arab Reform Initiative 
  • Anouar Boukhars, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 
  • Frederic Wehrey, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
  • Bronwyn Bruton, Atlantic Council
  • Moderator: Michele Dunne, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

11:45 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Break

12:00–1:00 p.m.
Luncheon Discussion: Al-Qaeda's Curious Comeback
Bruce Hoffman, Georgetown University

1:00-1:15 p.m.
Break

1:15–2:30 p.m.
European Influences on Al-Qaeda— and Potential Blowback

  • Farhad Khosrokhavar, Sciences Po  
  • Petter Nesser, Norwegian Defense Research Establishment  
  • Raffaello Pantucci, Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies 
  • Moderator: Sarah Chayes, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

2:30–2:45 p.m.
Break

2:45–4:00 p.m.
Implications for Local and Western Strategies

  • Nadwa Al-Dawsari, Yemeni Tribal Voices blog 
  • Peter Bergen, New America Foundation
  • Jen Easterly, National Security Council
  • Moderator: William McCants, Brookings Institution   
SecurityMiddle EastNorth AfricaSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaCaucasusEastern EuropeWestern Europe
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

Frederic Wehrey

Senior Fellow, Middle East Program

Frederic Wehrey is a senior fellow in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where his research focuses on governance, conflict, and security in Libya, North Africa, and the Persian Gulf.

Anouar Boukhars

Nonresident Fellow, Middle East Program

Boukhars was a nonresident fellow in Carnegie’s Middle East Program. He is a professor of countering violent extremism and counter-terrorism at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University.

Michele Dunne

Nonresident Scholar, Middle East Program

Michele Dunne was a nonresident scholar in Carnegie’s Middle East Program, where her research focuses on political and economic change in Arab countries, particularly Egypt, as well as U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Sarah Chayes

Senior Fellow, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program

Sarah Chayes is internationally recognized for her innovative thinking on corruption and its implications. Her work explores how severe corruption can help prompt such crises as terrorism, revolutions and their violent aftermaths, and environmental degradation.