Good morning, everyone. Hi, welcome. My name is leanne. I am the director of our countering organization at the institute of peace. For those that are new, we were founded by members of congress who were veterans of world war ii. They had returned from the battlefield convinced that the u. S. Needed greater capacities to wage peace as effectively as we wage war. It was a bipartisan effort drawing broad support from both parties, and in 1984, president reagan signed into law the United States institute of peace. An independent, nonpartisan, National Institute charged with the mission of preventing, mitigating, and resolving violent conflict abroad. We fulfill that mission by linking training and analysis, research and policy, and by working with local partners on the ground in conflict zones around the world. We have offices in iraq and afghanistan, pakistan, tunisia, just to name a few, and when it comes to violent extremism, we know that significant knowledge gaps still exist and they continue to pose obstacles. Usip is proud to host the resolve network which stands for researching solution to violent extremism. It is a Global Consortium of researchers and Research Organizations committed to more andr and empiricism understanding violent extremism and the sources of resilience. We have seen through our work and through research that the rise, spread, and evolution of violent extremism is one of the most challenging issues we face today, especially as it interacts with existing conflict, or create new ones, or further damage is already fragile contacts. Violent extremism is on minds todays following the attacks in el paso and dayton. I am still at a loss for words for the victims and what they are feeling right now. The newly empty side of the bed and the people rereading Text Messages over and over again. People in hospitals right now asking why did i live and why did others die . This weekend, more families and friends were added to the list of the forever injured, forever rred, forever harmed from by violence. This is a type of grief and the type of violence that exists in way too many countries around the world today. In fact, a task force on extremism in fragile states, worldwide, attacks have increased fivefold since the year 2001. And extremist groups have spread to 19 out of 45 countries in the middle east and the horn of africa. Sowing chaos and undermining already challenging circumstances. Here, at an institute committed to the notion that peace is possible, we want to help uncover new ways to do better at addressing some of the most Wicked Problems surrounding violent extremism. Today, we are tackling the problem how governments and communities are grappling with what to do with their citizens who travel to the socalled Islamic State and other conflicts and they return home. When they return home. With the territorial caliphate extinguished, more than 100 countries could face the task of not only reintegrating their citizens, perhaps 10,000 in tens of thousands in total, but also preparing their communities for a future with living with people nextdoor. Some who were part of these Violent Extremist Groups will face trial, and some will face incarceration, but not all. Some will eventually be released from prison, and many others will reintegrate directly back into committees. Into communities. So local communities need to be prepared, and society has a Public Safety imperative to pursue rehabilitation and reconciliation. People need processes to enable them to abandon their violent attitudes and behaviors, but communities also need avenues to enable social cohesion and to avoid further violence, ravens, and reradicalization. Yet, we lack the language in our Public Discourse to even talk about people or disengaging from violent extremism. As far as most of us are concerned, once a terrorist, forever a terrorist, and while the radicalization is a very complex process, there are many, many different paths to violent extremism. Inherently, it is social in nature, so disengagement needs to address social factors to not only help someone to disengage from their violent attitudes, but also rebuild the bonds between that person in society that person and society and generate a new sense of belonging. Currently, we scholars, committee members, can be unintentionally using language that underscores trauma, anger, and fear. We reinforce a persons identity as a terrorist or a fighter, and it may contribute to a self fulfilling prophecy. Luckily, for those of us who study violence and conflict, we are not the first discipline to work with highly stigmatized populations. In Public Health and criminal justice, and social work, in social work, practitioners have learned to leverage language as a tool to shape attitudes and behaviors, to reduce the burden of stigma, and to ease open spaces for engagement. And in these spaces, communities can be presented with opportunities for social learning and rehumanization and reconciliation. Let me be clear, i am not pollyanish about the real violent risk that violent extremists groups pose, and this conversation does not take away the need for accountability for accountability mechanisms for those who have committed atrocities and other crimes or enabled others to do so. This is not about forgiveness, absolution, or absolution. But once justice meet up with sentences, prison time has been served, or those who did not commit crimes were never charged, this need to call a spade a spade must grapple with the other reality of how we enable communities, new to the front lines, to get reintegration and reconciliation right, because all of our safety and security depends on it. This is a tall order. Which is why i am delighted today to be joined by four incredible experts who help us further unlock and unleash new avenues for adjusting this addressing this challenge. I will introduce each speaker individually. They will give up about a 15 minute or so presentation. I will then introduce the next speaker, and they will present. When everyone is finished, we will move to question and answers. We are also accepting questions live on twitter and from our overflow rooms here. Here at the institute of peace. With that, i will introduce our speakers and get the day going. It is my pleasure to introduce this doctor, a social psychologist with research on the dynamics of violent radicalization. His model drawing from human needs for respect and significance is outlined in his latest book from Oxford University press, the three pillars of radicalization needs narratives and networks. He will provide context on the social and psychological drivers, with attention on significance and respect. Thank you very much. Good morning to all. I am very honored and pleased to be here, and thanks for arranging and organizing this event. As you all know, radicalization that progresses to violent extremism has been and continues to be a major issue for nations around the world. Isis has lost its caliphate, but it is far from being defeated. Neither is al qaeda. Attackstinue to launch and attract followers and inspire individuals to join the all over the world. Hundreds of attacks in different parts of the plan. The question is, how do we understand the global threat, and what can we do about it . In todays talk, i would like to present a psychological perspective on this issue that i believe to be important. Many psychological phenomena, Many Political phenomena that have shaped history and the fate of nations are rooted in human psychology. Macrolevel phenomenon, such as poverty, poor education, or oppression occasionally contribute to radicalization. Sometimes, they matter less and sometimes they matter not at all. Why . Because they matter only when they are in circumstances that activate the psychological mechanism that promotes radicalization. Psychology is the basic discipline that addresses radicalization. And most importantly, if we understand these mechanisms, we cannot only understand it, but we can understand it and prevent radicalization the world over. Over the last decade, several decades actually, we have been carrying out research and various parts of the Globe Research in various parts of the over the last decade, several decades actually, we have been carrying out research and various parts of the Globe Research in various parts of the globe with hundreds, if not thousands of terrorists in jails and other locations, and on the basis of that empirical work, we have developed an integrity model, a model that on the one hand, capitalizes on important insights about extending social sciences, and that model integrating the sense of showing how diverse insights, combined into a process whereby radicalization and violent extremism take place. We suggest, in fact, three parameters of the process are critical. They had been emphasized singly by different models. We combine them together, and the three parameters are individuals motivation, the narrative that tells the individuals how to satisfy their motivations, and the network that validates the narrative and dispenses rewards for those who serve their needs in terms of violent extremism. Let me say a few words about these three. The need is critical. After all, radicalization is located by the individual. It is an individual who decides who will wear a suicide vest, pick up a weapon, and travel thousands of miles to join the fight and kill people wherever they might be. Therefore, a very important question was posed by a researcher is, what is the motivation . Why do they do that . What makes them take those risks, and make those sacrifices, and risk life and limb in order to join the fight . Researchers have provided an answer in terms of the list of different motivations. Or a motivational cocktail as they put it. For example, the perks of afterlife has been one motivation. They do it in order to enjoy the perks up afterlife. For they do it because of their adulation and commitment to their leader. Or they do it because they want to show that women can do it, or they do it because of vengeance. All of these motivations have their place and are important in specific cases, but i submit to you, underlining all the motivations is one universal need, and that is the need to matter and to be significant. To have selfrespect and respect from others and ones community. Now, this quest for significance, like with all motivations, isnt around at all times. How is this quest activated . The simple answer is it is activated when significance requires special value. Special value it is seen when special value loses its value. This can be ones own failures, lack of luck, ones own circumstances that they promote ones suffering. For example, palestinian women were accused of Extramarital Affairs or infertile, or disfigured by fire, so it could be a very personal thing, having nothing to do with international conflicts. But it can also be associate with ones social identity. When you are you militated when you are humiliated, you feel discrimination as your own thing, and then you are motivated to restore your significance. And that is humiliation, that is discrimination that provides an opportunity to become a hero, a martyr for the group that was discriminated against and who was humiliated and experienced the grievance. Now, the quest for significant is a universal human need. As an author put it, all of us have a sense of being a human and a martyr. A little babys the has a quest a little baby has a quest for attention because otherwise it would not survive. No one wants to feel disrespected. We acquire we require respect. We require that sense of significance. We require a sense of significance by living up to our values. It is the values that trickle down to the ones who serve them in land their significance who serve them and lend their significance. The narrative element ties violence to the values of significance, and shows how to obtain significance through violence. It tells you to gain significance, you have to join the fight. You have to kill other people. You have to be ready to take risks, sacrifice yourself, maybe die for the cause and that will give you significance. The narrative function is very important. We all create significant but we are not all terrorists. We serve other values, but if you are of the narrative that you have been assaulted, your group has been insulted, and you have to stand up for the group, join the fight, and protect the groups glory and significance, at this point, you become a violent extremist. And finally, the last is a network. Why the network . The network is important because we are social beings. The network of people who you respect in the group, define for us what is real and it is validating the narrative. Without the social network, we would not know that actually you have to fight. It is important to fight. The Network Tells you, yes, that is what you need to do. Agreement of the network validates, and beyond validation, it dispenses rewards. It admires people who serve the network through violence. It tells you, you know, you are a hero, you are a martyr, and you will be forever engraved in the collective memory of the group. You may go to paradise and so forth. What kind of network . What are we talking about . The network varies widely from approximate face to face networks. A bunch of guys that get inciteer and insight each other to action, all the way to virtual networks, networks on the internet that are particularly influential these days that people attend. So, it does not have to be in a physical presence of the network. You know that if you carry out a shooting, if you run your vehicle into people and kill them, and if you pick up a knife and kill enemies of the group, you will be appreciated, so it is kind of an implicit network. You do not have to be in physical presence of. Now, what is unique about our model . And how does that relate to radicalization . After all, social scientists social scientists have been studying violent extremism for many decades. And they have provided very important insight. I think what is important about our model is that it brings him and him these insights together into a unified function al portrayal of violent extremism. Some people in some models illuminate one part of the elephant, and our aspiration is to highlight the entire elephant and show how the different parts work together. Let me examine some very let me illustrate that by examining some very important contributions in this domain. Ted kearns famous book, while why men rebel discusses relative deprivation, the idea that your group has not received its just desserts and has been slighted, discriminated in comparison to others. This touches on the quest of significance. There are other ways of losing significance, as i mentioned, even sources of significance that are personallybased, and your personal failures. We have evidence that personal failure leaves people to embrace collective causes in the service of regaining their significance. Of course, he does not emphasize the essence of the network. He does identify an important element, but i think those other parameters are also important and we bring them together. People talk about macro factors, economies, and others, poverty, oppression, poor education, and they all came to the inclusion all came to the conclusion that neither of them promote. Violent extremism. It also addresses the loss of significance. If you are poor or oppressed, you dont feel very good. You feel very significant, like you dont matter, but not all violent extremism. It also addresses the loss of significance. If you are poor or oppressed, you dont feel very good. You feel very significant, like you dont matter, but not all poor or oppressed people become violent extremists. There are other ingredients to the mixture. You need to have the narrative and you have to have the social movement that supports the narrative in order for this to combine into this combusted mixture. My great colleague emphasize the issue of sacred values and devoted factors as an important ingredient in violent extremism. Sacred values are important because they allow people to serve them, and therefore, become significant. It comes to the individual and their motivation and the motivation for significance is served wonderfully if you sacrifice life, take risks, are ready to die, on order of sacred values, so sacred values are important in conjunction with the other elements. Mark made famous the issue of networks. Networks are important. They are important because they validate the narrative and they dispense rewards. They pronounce you a martyr or a hero. What about deradicalization . It is a reversal so the same three elements that promote radicalization, if you reverse them, they promote deradicalization. For example, the importance of narrative, the importance of counter messaging is of paramount significance. You have to counter the idea that islam is served by jihad. You have to promote the idea that there is a tolerance and that the audiology is actually misinterpretation of what the prophet intended. You have to have a counter narrative. We listen to reason. And narratives are what provide justification and the rationale for our actions. Narrative is important in deradicalization. Network is very important in deradicalization. We recently completed another book on the german neonazis, and those who led the movement, often left because they connected to another network. They meet somebody, a friend, a romantic relationship, that drove them back to the mainstream ways of thinking. So the networking important is very important in promoting deradicalization. And finally, reduction of the dominance of the quest of significance. It is an activation of other needs. A need for love, having a career, having a life, and nobody expresses better a former member of an organization claimed organization who explained why he wanted to deradicalize. You say to yourself the f word, i say to myself that time is running out. You may want to get married. You are going on 40 years old and you want to get married next year, and you say to yourself, well, at this stage of the game, to go picking at peace you have to [indiscernible] we have to live a bit. The other needs are activated. In the quest of significance is reduced. I mentioned empirical evidence, on which our theorizing has been based and time is too short and are probably already exceeded my time, but i would like to share with you a story of one Research Project on violent radicalization. You all know. You all know who they are. They raised a 30 year long [indiscernible] they were recognized as a terrorist organization and employed brutal tactics, highprofile assassinations, suicide bombings, child of child abductions used for human