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Twenty years after 9/11: Missions unaccomplished 

September 07, 20217:00 p.m.
MADRID
Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Alcalá, 62). 7:00 p.m. In order to attend this event in person, you must sign up in advance.
Register using this form.
In Spanish

On Tuesday, September 7, we have organized this conference in Madrid, to be given by two experts in the field. Register to attend in person or watch the event live on YouTube. 

A blue sky with black smoke in Manhattan. September 11, 2001 marked the horrific appearance of terrorism on the world’s TV screens, live and in full color. The attack on the Twin Towers marked a change in paradigm in terms of security and asymmetric warfare, but also communication and propaganda, extremism and the arms race, international alliances and new non-state actors. Two decades have elapsed, and the images of destruction have continued one after the other: from New York to Kabul, from Baghdad to Guantanamo, from Aleppo to Paris, from Istanbul to Tripoli and back to Kabul with the reinstatement of the Taliban movement and the withdrawal of Western forces in August 2021.

The so-called “war on terror” launched by US President George W. Bush gave rise to a multiplicity of new unresolved conflicts and fueled violent radicalism, while the underlying problems remained in place and peoples like those in Iraq and Afghanistan have endured the consequences in their own flesh. The geopolitical shake-up resulting from 9/11 has also profoundly transformed international relations, as well as our perception of a more polarized world. As usual in its September events schedule, Casa Árabe is inviting experienced analysts to reflect upon recent history and its main role-players, as well as its effects on the Middle East and Mediterranean area.

Taking part are Jesús Núñez Villaverde, co-director of the Institute for Studies on Conflict and Humanitarian Action (IECAH), and Barah Mikail, associate professor and director of the Political Science and International Relations Program at Saint Louis University. Moderated by: Cristina Manzano, director of esglobal.

Jesús A. Núñez Villaverde is a co-director of the Institute of Studies on Conflicts and Humanitarian Action (IECAH). An economist and retired member of the military, he is a specialist on security-related topics, the building of peace and conflict prevention, with a special emphasis on the Arab and Muslim world. He is a professor at the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas, a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) since 1993, and  a consultant for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in the field of peace building and the prevention of violent conflicts. He also frequently contributes to different media.

Barah Mikaïl is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Political Science and International Relations Program at Saint Louis University in Madrid. He is also the founding director of Stractegia Consulting, a network of experts focused on the Middle East and North Africa region. He was a senior researcher on the Middle East and North Africa and water issues at the Institute of International Relations and Strategy (IRIS) in Paris and a senior researcher on Middle East and North Africa issues at FRIDE in Madrid, as well as a lecturer at the Collège Interarmées de Défense of the French Defense Ministry (2005-2007). He holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Paris 8 Saint-Denis.

Cristina Manzano is director of esglobal. She is also a columnist for El País and El Periódico de Catalunya, as well as editorial coordinator of the journal Pensamiento Iberoamericano, published by Segib. She has been a commentator on Iñaki Gabilondo's programme HOY on CNN+ and Deputy Director General of the Fundación para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Diálogo Exterior (FRIDE), an independent think-tank based in Madrid. In February 2006, she joined Foreign Policy Spanish Edition, the predecessor of esglobal. She is a regular panellist and speaker at meetings, seminars and roundtables on international affairs.