Foreign Policy Research Institute A Nation Must Think Before it Acts Countering Extremism – Violent and Nonviolent

Countering Extremism – Violent and Nonviolent

  • September 9, 2015
Private: Lorenzo Vidino

Senior Fellow, FPRI

(Founding) Director of the Program on Extremism, Center for Cyber and Homeland Security, GWU


In this talk, Lorenzo Vidino will examine the different ways governments have attempted to counter radicalization, assess the weaknesses and strengths of these approaches, and offer his own suggestions to counter extremism — including the nonviolent forms of extremism that may be precursors or facilitators of violent extremism. An expert on Islamism in Europe and North America, Vidino has focused for the past 15 years on the mobilization dynamics of jihadist networks in the West; governmental counter-radicalization policies; and the activities of Muslim Brotherhood-inspired organizations in the West. A native of Italy who holds American citizenship, Vidino earned a law degree from the University of Milan Law School and a doctorate in international relations from Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He has held positions at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, the RAND Corporation, and the Center for Security Studies (ETH Zurich). Vidino’s most prominent work is The New Muslim Brotherhood in the West (Columbia University Press, 2010), with an Arabic edition released by the Al Mesbar Studies and Research Center. He has testified before the U.S. Congress and other parliaments, and advised law enforcement officials around the world. He regularly provides commentary to diverse media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, PBS, CNN,  Fox News, MSNBC, and more.

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Countering Extremism – Violent and Nonviolent