Tzipi Livni Among Leaders to Participate in Peace and Security Summit in New York City June 30-July 1

PHILADELPHIA, June 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ICSR) is hosting Tzipi Livni, Israel's Opposition Leader and former Foreign Minister, and more than 200 leading policymakers, diplomats and scholars in exploring the most serious global threats during the Peace and Security Summit June 30 – July 1 in New York City.

Harvey Rubin, M.D., Ph.D., Executive Director of the Institute for Strategic Threat Analysis and Response (ISTAR) at the University of Pennsylvania, a charter member of ICSR, says a remarkably diverse group of delegates from nearly 20 countries is scheduled to participate in timely working sessions focused on issues ranging from domestic radicalization and violent extremism to the ongoing conflicts across the world, particularly in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

"We will be assessing the state of global counter-terrorism and explore if and how terrorism eventually ends."  In the aftermath of the resignation-removal of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, there is likely to be considerable attention focused on "Can Afghanistan Be Won," a debate featuring former Ambassador Peter Galbraith and noted writer-lecturer Christopher Hitchens.

The roster of international participants includes former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell, Dr. Abdulkarim Al-Eryani, Yemen's former Prime Minister; Ambassador Daniel Benjamin, Counterterrorism Coordinator, State Department; Noman Benotman, former leader of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group; Hekmat Karzai, Director of Centre for Conflict and Peace Studies, Kabul; Fran Townsend, former Homeland Security Advisor; and Lord David Trimble, former First Minister of Northern Ireland and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

Dr. Peter Neumann, Director of ICSR and Senior Lecturer in the Department of War Studies, says, "All of these committed individuals are gathering at a time when the world's most pressing security problems demand fresh ideas, fresh thinking. Our success and credibility enable us to bring together diverse participants, such as former Islamic militants and the current Leader of the Opposition in the Israeli Knesset, and arrive at concrete measures for incremental change."

The conference is made possible through the support of concerned citizens and organizations including Henry Sweetbaum, ICSR's Chairman, the Rockefeller Foundation, Rena and Sami David, and Public Safety Canada.

For program information, visit www.icsr.info, and for real-time reporting icsr.info/blog.

SOURCE International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence