Combating Extremist Ideology Since 9/11

In this episode we’re looking to answer the big question of whether or not the country is safer than before 9/11. There hasn’t been a big terrorist attack on our soil since then, ISIS has lost almost all its territory in Iraq and Syria, Bin Laden is dead, and yet there are still thousands of extremist fighters out there and their ideology persists in attracting new recruits. To get a sense of what was proposed and how far we’ve come, we’ll hear from both a Commissioner of the 9/11 Commission as well as it’s director. We’re focusing on the efforts made by the Obama and Bush administrations. We ask top officials from those State Departments what they did to counteract extremist ideology - where they succeeded and where they failed. And we’ll go to Lebanon where the U.S. is funding a local anti-terrorist organization, and making an impact one individual at a time. Experts on this episode: Daniel Benjamin: Norman E. McCulloch Jr. Director of the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, Dartmouth College. Former Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism, U.S. State Department. Rukmini Callamachi: Reporter, New York Times and Host of podcast Caliphate. Nicholas J Cull: Professor and Director, Master of Public Diplomacy program at USC Annenberg School for Communiation and Journalism. Osama Gharizi: Regional Program Manager, Middle East at United States Institute of Peace. James Glassman: Former Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, US State Department. Former Chairman, Broadcasting Board of Governors. Stephen Hadley: Chair Board of Directors, United States Insitute of Peace. Former National Security Advisor under George W. Bush. Lee Hamilton: Former Member of US House of Representatives (D-OH). Former Vice-chair, 9/11 Commission. Tara Sonenshine: Former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs under Barack Obama. Senior Career Coach, George Washington University's Elliot School of Interiontaional Affairs. Phillip Zelikow, Former Executive Director of 9/11 Commission. J. Wilson Newman Professor of Governance and Professor of History at the University of Virginia,