Testimonials

“I was a speaker at the CIOR 2016 conference focusing on Islamic State. This brought together individuals from a diversity of backgrounds, different skill sets and divergent perspectives on understanding the terrorist threat posed. Indeed, in retrospect this was precisely what was needed given the multi-faceted nature of the threat posed by Islamic State from ideology to military to cultural and financial facets. Whilst there were at times sharp differences between these contending perspectives, these views were always articulated in a respectful manner. As a result, CIOR 2016 was both intellectually stimulating whilst also creating a spirit of camraderie. Indeed on both these counts I found my attendance at the conference extremely useful. Intellectual insights from the conference provided me with fresh impetus to finish a book on Islamic State. This was just published by Palgrave Macmillan entitled: Islamic State and the Coming Global Confrontation. At the same time, my attendance of the conference has greatly expanded my own network and I remain in contact with many of the participants I met in Bonn. Thank you CIOR.”

“A sign of an excellent workshop is when speakers learn as much from their audience as vice versa. This was my experience of the 2016 winter CIOR seminar in Bonn. Having been invited to speak to the conference about my research on proxy wars and the contemporary terrorist threat, I was deeply impressed by the insightful and challenging questions from the reserve officers present. These officers were fully committed to creating a richly rewarding intellectual environment through the sharing of operational experiences and academic readings. The seminar was superbly organised by CIOR staff and partner institutions, who had arranged a blend of lectures, question and answer sessions, and interactive workshops to enhance the learning experience. Long may the CIOR seminar series continue. It really rewards all participants.””

“I had the pleasure of participating in the 2015 CIOR Seminar in Koenigswinter. The audience of (senior-) reserve officers was well informed and quite engaged. The topic of Russian intervention was certainly timely, but I am especially glad that the organizers chose to include the often neglected issues of culture and religion in their discussions. I have kept in touch with several of the participants since then, and can recommend this forum as one of the most valuable for the study of security issues in a European context.”