The Global Coalition against Daesh: Countering Terrorism Beyond the Battlefield — Achievements, Research, and Future Directions

This convening, co-hosted by the Program on Extremism at George Washington University and the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) at King's College London in association with the Global Coalition’s Counter Daesh Communications Cell at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office marks a decade since the rise and defeat of ISIS. It offers an in-depth look at the strategies, challenges, and humanitarian efforts involved in dismantling one of the most brutal terrorist organizations in modern history.

The event highlights the Coalition's comprehensive approach to counterterrorism—encompassing military, financial, and ideological narratives—and emphasizes the vital role of academic research in shaping effective policies. Participants, including policymakers, academics, and military leaders, engaged in discussions to reflect on successes, assess the ongoing threats, and explore future strategies for preventing the resurgence of extremist movements.

This convening aimed to advance the dialogue on countering terrorism by drawing on a decade's lessons learned, strengthening international cooperation, and enhancing community resilience in the face of evolving threats.

• Omar Mohammed, Senior Researcher, Program on Extremism at The George Washington University.
• Speaker from the Embassy of Bahrain in London, United Kingdom.
• Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens, Co-Director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR).

• Sergio Altuna, Senior Researcher, Program on Extremism at The George Washington University, "An introduction to the PoE's Jihadist Narratives Analysis Project."

• Speaker from the Embassy of Bahrain in London, United Kingdom.
• Shiraz Maher, Co-Director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR).
• Hugo Micheron, Assistant Professor, Sciences Po Paris School of International Affairs.
• Martyn Warr, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
• Sergio Altuna, Senior Researcher, Program on Extremism at the George Washington University.
• Moderated by Omar Mohammed, Senior Researcher, Program on Extremism at the George Washington University.

On October 24, 2024, the Program on Extremism (PoE) at The George Washington University hosted an event titled “The Global Coalition against Daesh: Countering Terrorism Beyond the Battlefield.” The event featured Shiraz Maher, Co-Director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization (ICSR), Hugo Micheron, Assistant Professor of Sciences at Po Paris School of International Affairs, Martyn Warr, from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, a speaker from the Embassy of Bahrain in London, Sergio Altuna, Senior Researcher at the Program on Extremism. This event was moderated by PoE Senior Research Fellow & Head of the Antisemitism Research Initiative, Omar Mohammed.

The event opened with remarks from Omar Mohammed, who shared his firsthand account of the destruction of Daesh. Due to its vigilance and adaptability, Mohammed noted that building stronger bridges between academia and policymakers will be important in the role of rebuilding and countering extremism.

A speaker from the Embassy of Bahrain in London shared Bahrain’s efforts in countering extremism, noting that the country has mostly dealt with terrorism against them. The speaker also mentioned that while there have been strong achievements against terrorism regarding financial monitoring, there is still a need to study the root causes of extremist ideologies.

Next, Martyn Warr contemplated what the Middle East might look like without the coalition. He highlights that while Daesh is “down, but not out,” the coalition still has a lot to be proud of, reiterating the importance of continued efforts. In practice, Warr mentions that the coalition can start by recognizing its own successes to learn what has been effective and what future responses beyond the battlefield might look like.

Altuna then gave a presentation on “Project TITAN- Terrorism Insight Through the Analysis of Narratives.” This innovative project was designed to analyze the narratives of Al-Qaeda and ISIS through linguistics. His methodology is based on a compilation, codification, and exploitation of monolingual electronic corpus of their discourse.

The panel examined key challenges such as managing foreign fighters and their families in camps, addressing the ideological radicalization of youth, and assessing the tools available to respond effectively.Panelists emphasized the need for collaboration between academia and policymakers, and for more decisive action to counter the long-term threats posed by ideologically driven actors.

During the Q&A section of the event, the panelists focused on the future work of the coalition, despite political uncertainties. Moreover, a “whole-of-government” approach was highlighted when considering how to best tackle these ideological narratives in the long-term.