ATLANTIC COUNCIL
J. Peter Pham, director of the Atlantic Council’s Michael S. Ansari Africa Center, addressed a conference on violent extremism at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies on Friday. Pham spoke on “The Nigerian Boko Haram Movement: Islamism and Ideological Trends” to participants in the senior executive seminar on “Beyond Al Qaeda: How to Understand and Counter Violent Extremism.” Other speakers at the conference included Admiral James Stavridis, supreme allied commander Europe and commander of the US European Command; Jean-Louis Bruguière, formerly chief investigating magistrate for counterterrorism; and former FBI Supervisory Special AgentAli Soufan, who led the investigations into the East African embassy bombings and the attack on the USS Cole.
The senior seminar, directed by retired French Major GeneralPhilippe Sommaire, drew 98 military and civilian participants, including 36 of the flag or general officer rank, from 61 countries, including 13 African nations.
The Marshall Center is a unique German-American defense and security studies institute located at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the Bavarian Alps. Since its dedication in 1993, its mission has been to create a more stable security environment by advancing democratic institutions and relationships, especially in the field of defense; promoting active, peaceful security cooperation; and enhancing enduring partnerships among the nations of Europe, Eurasia, and North America.
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