The expansion of the Abraham Accords to include cybersecurity was announced on February 3, 2023 by the US Department of Homeland Security, alongside cybersecurity officials from Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco. Addressing the historical significance of the Abraham Accords and the normalization process, this event will explore both the shared regional challenges from criminal and state-sponsored cyberattacks and the political and economic benefits of improved trans-regional cybersecurity cooperation.
This event will feature a fireside chat with DHS Under Secretary Robert Silvers, Ambassadors from the Kingdom of Bahrain and Israel, and the head of cybersecurity of the United Arab Emirates, moderated by the Honorable R. Clarke Cooper, former Assistant Secretary for political-military affairs at the US Department of State and nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. The event will also feature remarks from the co-chair of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus, the co-chair of the Senate Abraham Accords Caucus, and an experts panel moderated by former DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism Policy and Middle East Programs’ nonresident senior fellow Thomas Warrick.
This event will take place in a hybrid format on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. ET at the Atlantic Council headquarters in Washington, DC. Participants can join in-person or virtually via Zoom.
This event is part of the N7 Initiative, a partnership between the Atlantic Council and the Jeffrey M. Talpins Foundation, which seeks to broaden and deepen normalization between Israel and Arab and Muslim countries.
Congressional remarks
The Honorable James Lankford
United States Senator (R-OK); Co-Chair, Senate Abraham Accords Caucus
United States Congress
The Honorable Elissa Slotkin
United States Representative (D-MI); Co-Chair, Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus
United States Congress
Fireside chat
Ambassador Shaikh Abdullah bin Rashed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United States
H.E. Dr. Mohamed Al-Kuwaiti
Head of Cybersecurity
United Arab Emirates Government
Managing Director, National Data Centre
Supreme Council for National Security
H.E. Michael Herzog
Ambassador of Israel to the United States
The Honorable Robert Silvers
Under Secretary, Strategy, Policy, and Plans
United States Department of Homeland Security
Moderated by
Panel discussion
Jeanette Manfra
Global Director, Security and Compliance
Google
RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery
Executive Director
Cyber Solarium Commission 2.0
Senior Director, Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Lauren Zabierek
Senior Policy Advisor, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
United States Department of Homeland Security
Additional speakers to be announced.
Moderated by
Recommended Reading
N7 Initiative
The N7 Initiative, a partnership between the Atlantic Council and Jeffrey M. Talpins Foundation, seeks to broaden and deepen normalization between Israel and Arab and Muslim countries. It works with governments to produce actionable recommendations to deliver tangible benefits to their peoples.
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