INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR TERRORISM STUDIES AT

POTOMAC INSTITUTE FOR POLICY STUDIES

“Populist Politics: From Protests to Violence”

May 10, 2016

The current election campaigns in the United States and abroad have once again refocused the world’s attention on “populist politics.” Single-issue concerns such as anarchism, nativism, nationalism, racism, and fundamentalism have resulted in protests, extremism, and violence. Interdisciplinary experts have analyzed the current re-emerging trends and their future implications for security and peace.

Opening remarks were provided by General Alfred Gray, USMC (Ret.), Twenty-Ninth Commandant of the United States Marine Corps; Senior Fellow and Chairman of the Board of Regents, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. The discussion of the panelists was moderated by Professor Yonah Alexander, Director, Inter-University Center for Terrorism Studies, and Senior Fellow, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. The keynote speaker was Professor Amitai Etzioni, University Professor and Professor of International Relations, The George Washington University. He formerly served as a Professor of Sociology at Columbia University and the president of the American Sociological Association. Professor Etzioni authored twenty-four books and is regarded as the "guru" of the communitarian movement.

The panel for the seminar consisted of Benjamin Haddad, Research Fellow at Hudson Institute specializing in European and transatlantic affairs. Dr. Patrick Murphy, Former U.S. government official and currently Co-Director, Project on European Security, Inter-University Center for Terrorism Studies. Abraham Stein, Former Deputy Secretary for Multidimensional Security and Senior Advisor to the Secretary General on Defense and Hemispheric Security, Organization of American States. The closing remarks were provided by Professor Don Wallace, Jr., Chairman, International Law Institute.