9:00 – 9:30 a.m.
Introductory Remarks by:

Frederick Kempe
President and CEO
Atlantic Council
 
Giampiero Massolo
President
Italian Institute for International Political Studies
 
Armando Varricchio
Ambassador
Embassy of Italy
 
9:30 – 10:45 a.m.
The Struggle for Regional Hegemony: A Great Powers Game
 
A conversation with:
 
Rend al-Rahim
President
Iraq Foundation
 
Mona Yacoubian
Senior Advisor for Syria
US Institute of Peace
 
Nabeel Khoury
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East
Atlantic Council
 
Federica Saini Fasanotti
Nonresident Fellow
Brookings Institution
 
Moderated by:
 
Karim Mezran
Senior Fellow, Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East
Atlantic Council
 
 
11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
The Islamic State, al Qaeda, and the Resilience of Jihadism
 
A conversation with:
 
Arturo Varvelli
Co-Director, Middle East and Northern Africa Center
Italian Institute for International Political Studies
 
Kim Cragin
Senior Researcher
National Defense University
 
Hassan Hassan
Senior Fellow, Program on Extremism
George Washington University
 
Frederick Kagan
Director, Critical Threats Project
American Enterprise Institute
 
Moderated by:
 
Lorenzo Vidino
Director, Program on Extremism
George Washington University
 
12:30 p.m.
Lunch Served
 
 
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Keynote Address
 
David Hale (invited)
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
US Department of State
 

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