South Asia

Since 2010, the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation has been working with the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) to convene a process aimed at facilitating and catalyzing cooperation among police, prosecutors, and other counterterrorism-related officials in South Asia by bringing together law enforcement officials—police officers, prosecutors, and judges—from each South Asian country every six months to share experiences, lessons learned, and best practices in handling cases relating to international crimes and terrorism. The Center is also working to develop a related parallel process among civil society actors in the region.

Strengthening Regional Security Cooperation and Capacity in South Asia: What Role for Civil Society?

17-18 October 2011| International Peace Institute, New York, NY
On 17-18 October 2011, the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation and the International Peace Institute (IPI) hosted a meeting on “Strengthening Regional Security Cooperation and Capacity in South Asia: What Role for Civil Society?”. The workshop brought together civil society representatives from across South Asia, experts on the region, and representatives from the UN to discuss the potential for greater engagement by civil society in preventing and combating terrorism in South Asia. Participants considered how civil society contributes to countering terrorism and how interaction among civil society groups can help to build confidence and improve security cooperation among states in the region. The meeting was intended to help lay the foundations for a series of workshops beginning in 2012, at the Institute of South Asian Studies in Singapore, which will foster more focused discussions among civil society on particular issues identified by regional participants.
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Fourth Regional Workshop for Police Officers, Prosecutors, and Judges of South Asia on Effectively Countering Terrorism

24-26 May 2011 | Thimphu, Bhutan
On 24-26 May 2011, the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation co-convened the “Fourth regional workshop for police officers, prosecutors, and judges of South Asia on effectively countering terrorism” in Thimphu, Bhutan. The three-day workshop, which was the fourth in a series of workshops designed to strengthen counterterrorism cooperation and capacity in the region, focused on issues related to interview and interrogation, the use of sensitive evidence that raises national security concerns, and effective implementation of domestic counterterrorism legislation.
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Preventing Terrorist Abuse of the Non-profit Sector

Since January 2011, the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation has been working with the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), in coordination with the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) Working Group on Terrorist Financing, to develop a common understanding of sound regulatory approaches to counter the risk of terrorist abuse of the nonprofit sector. With support from the goverment of Canada, Switzerland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, the Center has been working to convene a series of meetings to discuss the risk of terrorist abuse of the non-profit sector and to share good practices and foster cooperation in responding to that risk in different regions around the world.

Asia-Pacific Regional Working Group Meeting on Preventing Abuse of the Non-Profit Sector for the Purposes of Terrorist Financing

7-9 November 2011 | Auckland, New Zealand
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South and Southeast Asia Regional Working Group Meeting on Preventing Abuse of the Non-Profit Sector for the Purposes of Terrorist Financing

22-24 March 2011 | Bangkok, Thailand
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East Africa

Since early 2011, with the generous support of the Danish government, the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation has been collaborating with the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development’s (IGAD’s) Security Sector Programme (ISSP, formerly ICPAT) to strengthen law enforcement cooperation and anti-money laundering (AML) arrangements in East Africa.

UPCOMING: ISSP-Center Joint Task Force on East African Legal Cooperation Against Terrorism

March 2012 | Multiple Locations, East Africa and the Horn

In March 2012, ISSP and the Center will convene a core group of senior civil servants from the region to undertake a 12-day study tour, visiting a number of IGAD member state capitals for in-depth briefings and discussions with police, intelligence, security, justice, and parliamentary officials to develop locally owned plans for strengthening law enforcement and judicial cooperation in the region.

UPCOMING: First Annual ISSP Convention for Counterterrorism Practitioners

April 2012 | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
ISSP and the Center are currently developing plans for a high-level, multi-day conference bringing together regional counterterrorism officials with local and international experts to discuss cross-cutting trends in regional cooperation against terrorism and other transnational threats. The Center hopes this will become the first of many annual gatherings for key counterterrorism practitioners in the region, strengthening ties, and fostering improved cooperation.

UPCOMING: Capitalizing on Trust: Regulating Somali Remittances for Peace, Human Rights, & Prosperity

Early 2012
Sending money home is a common practice across diasporas globally, but remittances in the Somali community are different. They are often referred to as the ‘lifeline’ of Somalia by development and aid agencies, yet at the same time they are perceived as a security risk by counterterrorism and security organizations. Through 2011, ISSP has undertaken extensive innovative research into the regulation of Somali remittance organizations. This study, based on extensive interviews in East Africa, Dubai, and Europe, and a questionnaire circulated to Financial Intelligence Units around the world, explores how Somali remittance organizations work, how they are regulated around the world, and how that regulation might be improved. It sets out a range of innovative ideas for using the trust embedded within Somali remittance organizations as a basis for more effective counterterrorism, state-building, and human rights protection in Somalia. Some aspects of the Center's research were also addressed in a short essay by Center Programs Associate Liat Shetret in August 2011, “In Somalia, Banking as Usual is Rather Unusual,” in A Global Agenda: Issues Before the United Nations 2011-2012 (UNA-USA 2011).

First Advisory Group Meeting for the ISSP-CGCC Joint Baseline Study on AML/CFT

21 October 2011 | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
ISSP and the Center recently initiated an innovative study of anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism in East Africa and the Horn. This study is being executed by governmental and independent experts from around Africa, under the guidance and supervision of ISSP and the Center. It takes an innovative methodological approach, focusing on mapping stakeholder perspectives: which groups have what stakes in money-laundering and anti-money laundering, in each country? The study will examine 10 jurisdictions in the region, and make a series of recommendations for strengthening AML/CFT efforts. This meeting drew together a range of advisors from African FIUs, the East African diplomatic corps, and the private sector, to help guide the study team’s work.

Training Seminar on Advanced Interrogation Skills in Counterterrorism

18-21 October 2011| Kampala, Uganda
At the specific request of regional governments, ISSP and the Center delivered a training seminar on advanced non-coercive interrogation techniques. Over 25 interrogators from around East Africa attended. Training modules included the negative operational and strategic consequences of coercive interrogations and the advantages of non-coercive interrogation techniques; relevant human rights obligations and special considerations regarding interrogations of vulnerable groups such as women, youth, and children. A special, interactive session on international human rights obligations was facilitated by a representative of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights in Uganda.
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Community Engagement to Counter Terrorism

19-21 July 2011 | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
This seminar focused on community, civil society, and media engagement for the purposes of effective counterterrorism cooperation. The seminar brought together over thirty law enforcement, military, and judicial officials from around the region, and policing experts from Japan and the United Kingdom. Representatives from the Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance (KYMA) and the Somali Observatory of Conflict and Violence Prevention (OCVP) also presented briefings.
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Open Source Analysis and Information Sharing in Counter Terrorism

14-16 June 2011 | Nairobi, Kenya
This seminar brought together a select group of intelligence officers and criminal analysts from the region to explore analytical, technological, and organizational tools to strengthen their use of open source material in countering terrorism. The program included interactive, small group exercises in which participants engaged in red-teaming, link analysis, and mind-mapping activities. Participants concluded the seminar with a brainstorming session in which they discussed opportunities and obstacles to improve information-sharing in the East African context.
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Violent Radicalization in East Africa: Civil Society and State Perspectives

29 September 2011 | Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation, New York, NY
In late September, the Center’s New York office hosted a discussion of violent radicalization in East Africa. H.E. Ambassador Macharia Kamau, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kenya to the United Nations; H.E. Ambassador Adonia Ayebare, Chargé d'Affaires of the Permanent Mission of Republic of Uganda to the United Nations; and Mr. George Kegoro, Chairman of the Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists all spoke.

Lessons Learned on Prevention and CVE

The Center is currently developing a program stream that focuses on lessons learned on terrorism prevention and countering violent extremism, looking at the experiences of national, intergovernmental, and community institutions. More news on this work will be available soon. In the meantime, the Center has begun to explore some of these issues through commissioning research on key areas.

STREET: A Case Study in Government-Community Partnership and Direct Intervention to Counter Violent Extremism

December 2011 – By Jack Barclay
Guest expert, Jack Barclay, profiles a community counterradicalization program in the United Kingdom known as STREET (Strategy to Reach, Empower, and Educate Teenagers) as a case study of that country’s Prevent strategy. The policy brief examines how STREET operates; why it appears to be so successful; and attempts to identify good-practice lessons that might be applicable in nascent counterradicalization strategies and programs in development by other states.
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Monitoring and Evaluation Tools for Counterterrorism Program Effectiveness

September 2011 - By Anthony Ellis, Andrew Cleary, Michael Innes, and Martine Zeuthen
In this policy brief, Integrity Research and Consultancy outlines innovative tools and methodologies for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of counterterrorism programming. The brief looks at three specific monitoring and evaluation tool kits in common use among the research and development communities, and how, through their use, counterterrorism practitioners may gain new insights in measuring the effectiveness of prevention efforts.
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Countering Violent Extremism Among Kenyan Muslim Youth

September 2011 - By Hassan Ole Naado
In this policy brief, Hassan Ole Naado, founder and CEO of the Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance, looks at how a culture of peaceful cohabitation between diverse Kenyan communities has been threatened in recent years by terrorism and violent extremism. Mr. Naado describes efforts to prevent radicalization in the country, particularly among Kenya’s youth, and explores opportunities for expanding counter-radicalization programming throughout the region.

Transnational Threats

Beginning in 2012, and responding to significant interest from the Center's stakeholders, the Center’s parent organization, the Fourth Freedom Forum, will be developing a new project on transnational threats (TNTs) to explore why, when, and how transnational violence occurs, and to identify promising and practical solutions. The project will be led by Center Co-Director James Cockayne.

Transnational Threats: The Criminalization of West Africa and the Sahel

December 2011 – By James Cockayne
As part of the Center’s expanding work on transnational threats, Co-Director James Cockayne was invited to present off the record briefings to senior UN, political, business, and diplomatic leaders at two gatherings, in Switzerland and New York. Cockayne argues that illicit money, particularly from trafficking in drugs, is rapidly undermining the regions’ political and economic governance, infecting legislatures, police forces, militaries, courts, and presidential offices, as well as chambers of commerce and traditional governance institutions. Some of his arguments are reproduced in a new policy brief published by the Center, Transnational Threats: The Criminalization of West Africa and the Sahel, which considers the nature and provenance of these problems and some unorthodox ideas to tackle them.
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“Flying Blind? Political Mission Responses to Transnational Threats”

October 2011 – By James Cockayne and Camino Kavanagh
In this thematic essay in the Center on International Cooperation’s 2011 Annual Review of Political Missions, Cockayne and CIC Senior Fellow Camino Kavanagh look at how UN, EU, and OSCE political missions are responding to transnational threats.
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“State Fragility, Organized Crime and Peacebuilding: Towards a More Strategic Approach,” Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Centre NOREF Report

September 2011 - By James Cockayne
Fragile states offer sites of competitive advantage for militant organizations, criminal networks, and political leaders alike. Collaboration among them may benefit all three – financing militancy, protecting crime, and securing political control. Yet the international community currently lacks a coherent approach to tackling organized crime in conflict-affected communities. In this working paper written for the Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Centre, Center Co-Director James Cockayne argues that there are normative, analytical, and practical obstacles to the development of an effective response and offers a series of practical recommendations for developing a more strategic response.
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The Center Welcomes New Senior Analyst and Program Associate

Naureen Chowdhury Fink joined the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation as a Senior Analyst in October 2011. She focuses on the international and multilateral response to terrorism and related challenges, such violent extremism, armed conflict and political instability, and the role of the United Nations. Naureen comes to the Center after five years at the International Peace Institute, where she developed the counterterrorism portfolio and published on international efforts to promote deradicalization and violent extremism; regional counterterrorism cooperation in South Asia; terrorism and political violence in Bangladesh, and the United Nations’ counterterrorism program. She has also worked closely with the UN Counter Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) on developing their initiatives in South Asia.

Matthew Schwartz joined the Center as a Programs Associate in July 2011. He focuses on the Center’s ongoing work in East Africa. Before joining the Center, Matt worked with United Nations Security Council's 1267 Al-Qaida/Taliban Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team where he conducted independent research and analysis regarding the level of threat posed by, and key personalities and groups affiliated with, Al-Qaida and the Taliban. From 2007 to 2010, Matthew served as a congressional staffer under Congressman John J. Hall of the United States House of Representatives. There he served as liaison to the US Air Force, Army, Naval and Merchant Marine Academies, and coordinated Hon. Hall's academy nominations process. Matt received an M.A. in International Affairs from the New School University in New York, specializing in political, conflict, and security analysis. He holds a B.A. from the State University of New York at Albany where he double-majored in International Politics and Global History.

The Center on Global Counterterrorism is a project of the Fourth Freedom Forum, a nonpartisan 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1982 to advance cooperative, nonmilitary solutions to the world’s most pressing security challenges. To learn more about the Forum, please visit www.fourthfreedomforum.org.