From time immemorial natural and man-made disasters have become permanent fixtures of human life. The latest alarming reports on the spread of the Ebola virus in Africa and its reach elsewhere as well as the grave humanitarian crisis resulting from the Islamic State (IS) blitzkrieg in the Middle East have raised an urgent question whether the international community is adequately prepared to cope with these security concerns. The International Center for Terrorism Studies hosted a seminar on “Health Security Challenges and Responses: From Ebola to Terrorism” on October 31, 2014. General (Ret.) Alfred Gray (Twenty-Ninth Commandant of the United States Marine Corps; Senior Fellow and Chairman of the Board of Regents, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies) made opening remarks and Professor Yonah Alexander (Director, Inter-University Center for Terrorism Studies, and Senior Fellow, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies) moderated the event. The panel included Dr. Robert Kadlec (Former senior official at the White House, Pentagon, and U.S. Senate), Dr. Rashid A. Chotani (The George Washington University, and Senior Fellow, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies), and Professor Larry Velte (Former Deputy Chief of the Middle East Division in the Joint Staff's Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate and Associate Professor at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies (NESA) at the National Defense University). Professor Don Wallace, Jr. (Chairman, International Law Institute) made closing remarks. This panel of experts from the public and private sectors focused on current and future health related disasters. They also provided “best-practices” policy recommendations both on national and global levels.

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