Regional Responses to Security Challenges in Europe and Africa

09:30 – 09:50

WELCOME REMARKS 

Karim El Aynaoui, Managing Director, OCP Policy Center
Jonathan Eyal, Associate Director for Strategic Research Partnerships, RUSI

09:50 – 11:10

PANEL I: TERRORISM TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS

Over the years, the African continent has witnessed the multiplication of terrorist groups, destabilizing the countries and regions in which they operate in their fight for influence over particular regions. In the Sahel, both Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the Islamic State (IS, also known as Daesh) are at play, competing for influence and ideological supremacy. This terrorist phenomenon knows no borders, and thrives on new forms of communication, primarily social media. Through this medium, both AQIM and IS are able to export their extremist views worldwide, and have seen their ideology translated into violence, hence the wave of terrorist attacks  in Europe. The new trend in terrorism is to operate in isolation and utilize basic methods such as knife attacks and car ramming, which make them difficult to prevent, and makes any crowd a potential target. Across Europe and Africa, states and governments are struggling to overcome the terrorist threat and are witnessing great challenges when faced with the phenomenon of returning foreign fighters. What are the roots of these groups? Are there similarities in their discourse and ideology? And how has the situation evolved over the past couple of years?

CHAIR
Jonathan Eyal, Associate Director for Strategic Research Partnerships, RUSI

SPEAKERS 
- Abdelhak Bassou, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center 
- Bouchra Rahmouni Benhida, Senior Fellow, Al Akhawayn University
- Tobias Borck, Associate Fellow, RUSI

11:10 – 11:30

Coffee Break

11:30 – 12:50

PANEL II: COUNTER-TERRORISM AND SAFEGUARDING PEACE AND SECURITY

There is an urgent need to take stock of the many security challenges facing both Europe and the African continent, identify the links between each one, and design policies that address the rise of terrorism, both in the medium and long term. For instance, the Islamist threat in Europe has triggered a far right-wing domestic movement that expresses a hostile narrative against Muslims, and more generally against immigration, and which in certain cases has even perpetrated their own acts of violence and terrorism. Broad generalizations about the motives of terrorist groups should be avoided, and it is crucial to take into account the local dimension that feeds into a group’s discourse when discussing appropriate counter-terrorist measures. Dismantling the anti-globalization and anti-Western extremist narrative that causes wide social unrest and which leads to the radicalization of young people is also fundamental when dealing with such movements. What can be done to contain or defeat the terrorist phenomenon? Do governments alone have the capacity to address current security challenges? What are the structures put in place to deal with terrorism, in Europe, MENA and Africa? Is there sufficient coordination between North and South on their counter terrorism efforts?

CHAIR

Bouchra Rahmouni Benhida, Senior Fellow, Al Akhawayn University

SPEAKERS
- El Mostafa Rezrazi, President, Moroccan Association for Asian Studies 
- Zineb Benalla, CEO & Founder, Eirene Associates Intl.
- Mohammed Elshimi, RUSI

14:20 – 15:40

PANEL III: INTEGRATING THE EU AND NATO IN THE SECURITY SPHERE

In Europe NATO is traditionally responsible for the defence and security of the continent. In turn, the European Union is its foremost political and economic body. In this way they neatly divide, in theory, the core tasks of protection, wealth generation and political coordination. However, the European Union has in truth become an increasingly important security actor in Europe and its limited military ambitions are increasingly creating some tensions between it and NATO. While both the EU and NATO are far more developed, extensive multilateral organizations than those in Africa so far, it is clear that greater coordination in the security arena is required between the two bodies. What role is there for the European Union in promoting security in Europe? How can NATO and the EU integrate their security and defence policies effectively? What tension is there between the EU and NATO with regard to the USA’s membership of the latter body? What lessons can prospective regional initiatives, such as in Africa, learn from them? And what aspects of them should Africa’s own regional initiatives avoid?   

CHAIR 
Jonathan Eyal, Associate Director for Strategic Research Partnerships, RUSI
    
SPEAKERS
- Rachid El Houdaigui, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center 
- Alice Billon-Galland, European Leadership Network

15:40 – 16:00

Coffee Break

16:00 – 17:20

PANEL IV: REGIONAL INTEGRATION IN AND SECURITY IN AFRICA

In the face of Africa’s multiple security threats, integration and regionalization initiatives are increasingly seen as providing unique opportunities for securing sustainable economic growth, peace and stability, and democratic consolidation. Thus, regional integration and co-operation groupings such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) are emerging as conflict managers in their respective regions. In response to regional conflicts, some have come up with regional early warning and early response apparatus, such as the ECOWAS Early Warning Mechanism and the IGAD Conflict Early Warning and Early Response Mechanism, CEWARN. Projects such as the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the UN Millennium Declaration, and the African Union (AU) have emphasized the role of regional economic communities in responding to Africa’s challenges. How can these groupings help the continent identify and deal with its security issues?   

SPEAKERS
- Fatima Harrak, Professor, Mohamed V University in Rabat 
- Ewan Lawson, RUSI

17:20 – 17:30

CLOSING REMARKS

Karim El Aynaoui, Managing Director, OCP Policy Center
Jonathan Eyal, Associate Director for Strategic Research Partnerships, RUSI