2026 GLOBAL SUMMIT ON TERRORISM AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE
SEPTEMBER 9-10 2026 - NEW YORK, NY
The Soufan Center will host the third annual Global Summit on Terrorism and Political Violence (GSTPV) from September 9–10, 2026, in New York City. Held on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the tragic attacks of September 11, 2001, this year’s Global Summit marks an important moment for remembrance, reflection, and resolve. Twenty-five years later, the threat landscape has evolved beyond foreign terrorist networks to include emerging technologies, weaponized information, domestic extremism, artificial intelligence, cyber capabilities, and intensifying strategic competition. The two-day gathering will honor those lives lost, elevate survivors and first responders, and convene senior policymakers, security leaders, scholars, and practitioners in a nonpartisan forum focused on practical solutions and responsible leadership.
SPEAKERS
Mr. Paul Abbate
Former Deputy Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Ms. Nadwa Al-Dawsari
Associate Fellow, Middle East Institute
Ms.Hannah Allam
Reporter, ProPublica
Ms.Deborah Amos
Ferris Professor of Journalism in Residence, Princeton University
Dr. Tricia Bacon
Professor of Justice, Law, Criminology & Security, American University
Mr. James Barnacle
Assistant Director in Charge, New York City Field Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Mr.Peter Bergen
Vice President for Global Studies and Fellows, New America; National Security Analyst, CNN
Senator Richard Blumenthal
United States Senator (D-CT)
Admiral Frank M. Bradley
Commander, United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)
Secretary Andrew H. Card, Jr.
Former White House Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush and Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation
Ambassador Roger Carstens
Former Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA), United States Department of State
The Honorable Michael Chertoff
Former United States Secretary of Homeland Security
Dr. Colin P. Clarke
Executive Director, The Soufan Center
Mr.Steve Clemons
Editor at Large, The National Interest; Host, 'The Bottom Line,’ Al Jazeera English
Colonel (ret.) Christopher P. Costa
Former Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for Counterterrorism; Executive Director, International Spy Museum
Mr.Brian Driscoll
Former Acting Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Mr. Brett Eagleson
Son of John Bruce Eagleson, killed on 9/11; President, 9/11 Justice
The Honorable Jen Easterly
Former Director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; CEO, RSAC
Dr. Julia Ebner
Calleva Researcher and Co-Executive Director, Violent Extremism Lab at the University of Oxford and Institute for Strategic Dialogue
Mr. Greg Ehrie
Chief Security Officer, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ)
General (Ret.) Bryan P. Fenton
13th Commander, United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)
Mr. Dexter Filkins
Staff Writer, The New Yorker
The Honorable Patrick J. Fitzgerald
Former United States Attorney, Northern District of Illinois; Former Assistant United States Attorney, Southern District of New York
Mr.Thomas Galati
Former Chief of Intelligence and Counterterrorism, New York City Police Department (NYPD)
Dr.Joshua A. Geltzer
Former Deputy Assistant to the President, Deputy White House Counsel and Legal Advisor to the National Security Council (NSC); Partner, WilmerHale
Mr. Bobby Ghosh
Analyst and Journalist
Mr. John Tully Gordon
Deputy Director for Strategic Intelligence Analysis, Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau, New York City Police Department (NYPD)
Dr. Karen Greenberg
Future Security Fellow, New America; Senior Visiting Fellow, The Soufan Center
Mr.John Haltiwanger
Staff Writer, Foreign Policy
Ms. Elizabeth Hirsh Naftali
Victim Advocate
Dr. Bruce Hoffman
Professor at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University; Shelby Collum Katherine W. Davis Senior Fellow for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, Council on Foreign Relations
Ms. Sandrea Hwang
Former Assistant Director, National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC)
Dr. Amira Jadoon
Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Clemson University
Mr. Brian Michael Jenkins
Adjunct Senior Researcher, The RAND Corporation
The Honorable Kenneth M. Karas
United States District Judge, Southern District of New York (SDNY); Former Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY)
Mr. Liam Karr
Africa Team Lead, Critical Threats Project, American Enterprise Institute
Dr. Kenneth Katzman
Senior Fellow, The Soufan Center
The Honorable David N. Kelley
Former United States Attorney, Southern District of New York (SDNY)
Mr. Rami Khouri
Distinguished Public Policy Fellow, American University of Beirut; Nonresident Senior Fellow, Arab Center Washington DC
Dr. Lyla Kohistany
Senior Fellow, The Soufan Center
Dr. Audrey Kurth Cronin
Trustees Professor of Security and Technology, Carnegie Mellon University
Mr. David Levinson
Chair of the Board, The James W. Foley Legacy Foundation; Son of Robert “Bob” Levinson, considered to be the longest-held hostage in American history
Dr. Matthew Levitt
Director, Jeanette and Eli Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Mr. Charles Maikish
Former Director and CEO of the World Trade Center during the 1993 bombing; Former Executive Director, Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center
Ms. Pearl Matibe
Analyst and Researcher, Global Terrorism Trends and Analysis Center
The Honorable Alejandro Mayorkas
Former United States Secretary of Homeland Security
Mr. Mark Mazzetti
Washington Correspondent, The New York Times
General (Ret.) Austin S. Miller
14th Commander, United States Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC)
Mr. John Miller
Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst, CNN
Dr. Assaf Moghadam
Professor, Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy, and Strategy, Reichman University; Incoming Director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT)
Dr.Daisy Muibu
Associate Professor of Security Studies, Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Lt. General (Ret.) John F. Mulholland
Former United States Senior Officer; Former Associate Director for Military Affairs, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
The Honorable Leon Panetta
Former Secretary of Defense, United States Department of Defense; Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Assistant Chief (Ret.) Joseph Pfeifer
Former First Deputy Fire Commissioner, New York City Fire Department (FDNY); First Fire Chief to Respond to the World Trade Center Attack on September 11, 2001
Dr. Magnus Ranstorp
Strategic Adviser for the Centre for Societal Security, Swedish Defence University
Mr. Don Rassler
Director of Strategic Initiatives, Combating Terrorism Center (CTC), United States Military Academy at West Point
Ms. Caroline Rose
SENIOR DIRECTOR, THE SOUFAN CENTER
Brigadier General Matthew S. Ross
Director, Joint Interagency Task Force 401, United States Army
Mr. Charlie Savage
Reporter, The New York Times
Dr. David Scharia
Director and Chief of Branch of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate, United Nations
Mr. Eric Schmitt
National Security Correspondent, The New York Times
Mr. Preston Stewart
National Security Content Creator
Vice Admiral (Ret.) Tim Szymanski
11th Deputy Commander, United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)
Commissioner Jessica Tisch
Police Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD)
Dr. Yannick Veilleux-Lepage
Associate Professor of Political Science, Royal Military College of Canada
Mr. Ali Velshi
Host of ``The 11th Hour`` & Chief Correspondent, MS NOW
Mr. Jacob Ware
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Georgetown University
Dr. Jason Warner
Senior Intelligence Analyst, U.S. Army, Transformation and Training Command (T2COM)
Mr. Joby Warrick
National Security Reporter, The Washington Post
Deputy Commissioner Rebecca Ulam Weiner
Deputy Commissioner, Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau, New York City Police Department (NYPD)
Vice Admiral (Ret.) Trey Whitworth
8th Director, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)
Dr. Aaron Zelin
Gloria and Ken Levy Senior Fellow, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Ms. Helen Zhang
Tech and Diplomacy Expert and Cofounder of Intrigue Media
ABOUT THE SOUFAN CENTER (TSC)
The Soufan Center (TSC) is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization offering research, analysis, and strategic dialogue on foreign policy challenges with a particular focus on global security, conflict prevention and resolution, and the rule of law.
CONTACT
In-person attendance is by invitation only. The Global Summit is open to media coverage by invited members of the press. For credentials, interview requests, media inquiries, and any further information for journalists, please contact the media coordinator: Gaby.Tejeda@thesoufancenter.org.