Panelists discuss the White House’s newly released Counterterrorism Strategy and its significant shifts in geographic priorities and ideological focus amid growing concerns about independent terrorist groups and extremist non-state actors in the Middle East.
Panelists
Dr. Colin P. Clarke is the Executive Director of The Soufan Center. His research focuses on domestic and transnational terrorism, international security, and geopolitics. He previously served as the Director of Research at The Soufan Group and as a Senior Research Fellow with The Soufan Center. Prior to those roles, Clarke was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, where he spent a decade researching terrorism, insurgency, and criminal networks.
Mr. Michael Jacobson is the Mark and Wayne Levy Senior Fellow in The Washington Institute’s Jeanette and Eli Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence. Prior to rejoining the Institute, Mr. Jacobson served in the State Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau from 2010 until 2025. Most recently, he served as the Director of Strategy, Plans and Initiatives, where he played a key role in the development of the Bureau’s priorities and goals, ensuring that all activities were appropriately aligned with these overarching objectives.
Dr. Jason H. Campbell (Moderator)is a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, where he focuses on international security, geopolitics, and foreign policy. Prior to joining MEI, he was a Senior Policy Researcher at RAND, covering an array of defense and national security issues. From June 2016 through September 2018, he served as Country Director for Afghanistan in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy.
