By James Brooks
Public Affairs Office
George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany (Nov. 4, 2016) - Marshall Center Senior Fellowship Program Director James Wither shared his expertise on terrorism on Oct. 31, in Tirana, at a conference hosted by Rome’s Institute for Global Studies and the Albanian Armed Forces Academy. 

Wither was an invited speaker to address the conference theme, "Terrorist Threats in the Balkan Region."  He was joined by International Relations, Security and Geopolitics European University of Tirana Enri Hide; Director of the Institute of the Global Studies of Rome Nicola Pedde; and International Politics and Security analyst Paolo Quercia.

The conference attracted more than 80 military and civilian officials from the Albanian Ministry of Defense and other government departments concerned with the threat from terrorism and extremism. Topics discussed focused on the threats from Wahhabi/Salafi violent extremism in the western Balkans, religious extremism, terrorism in the Balkan region, and other regional terrorism challenges from Syria, and the Middle East.   

According to Wither, the George C. Marshall Center has a long standing relationship with the Albanian Armed Forces Academy and faculty members here assist with the Albanian Armed Forces Academy Senior Course on Security and Defense Studies since its inception in 2007.