“Abstract” terror – violence led by armed groups in solidarity with cohorts located elsewhere – lessens the physical and financial burden of transnational terrorism, while also complicating the effectiveness of multinational responses. At the same time, violent attacks and arbitrary reprisals by state security agencies create significant distrust, which encourages safe havens.

In this webinar, Jillian Foster and Dr Peter Thompson share findings from their XCEPT research on responses to transnational terrorist groups in West Africa. They ask: What factors influence trust in multinational responses to terrorism? And what is the role of propaganda in building or losing that trust?

Speakers include:

• Jillian Foster – XCEPT Researcher, founder of Global Insight
• Dr. Peter Onah Thompson – Assistant Professor, Department of Government and Justice Studies at Appalachian State University
• Blerta Cela – Director of Regional Stabilisation Facility, UNDP, Regional Office, Dakar
• Livinus Okoh – social scientist and data modeling expert

The session is moderated by Alexander Fischer, a Senior Research Manager at the Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends Programme.