In its 5th iteration already, the ASPI-KAS Australia Europe counter-terrorism dialogue is the fruit of a wonderful cooperation between our regional KAS program in Canberra and the Australian Strategy Policy Institute, a prominent defence and security think tank. This annual 1.5 Track Dialogue was initiated in 2015 when the directors of ASPI and KAS in the region recognised that Australia and Europe shared similar challenges in countering violent extremism (CVE) – and yet no forum existed for those involved in combatting these issues to share their views, develop better understandings and explore how cooperation could be strengthened. Proving to be a winning formula, this laid the groundwork for a number of successful seminars and thought-provoking exchanges – held interchangeably in either Australia or Germany/Europe to allow for an ongoing exchange  between experts and practitioners from both regions . Now in its 5th iteration, this year’s dialogue is dedicated to both Jihadi as well as right-wing extremism.

Following the Christchurch attack, it is becoming increasingly clear that in order to fully grasp today’s realities of terrorism, it is necessary to cast the net wider; this means examining specific trends, both emerging and continuing as they manifest themselves across the ideological spectrum. The German Member of Parliament, Prof Dr. Patrick Sensburg gave a keynote address at the opening reception of the dialogue which was hence dedicated exclusively to right-wing terrorism.

Breaking down new and ongoing issues, the dialogue sought to address contemporary terrorism challenges  through a combination of roundtables,  an in-depth seminar and meetings at various relevant institutions and ministries in Berlin and Brussels, as well as the German and European Parliament

This was an invitation-only  closed-door event under Chatham House Rule.

A publication will be released as a follow-on from the dialogue in order  to provide an overview of the discussions.