ISD convened high-level stakeholders to discuss emerging hybridised threats and future-proof countermeasures at two events in Berlin.  

The hybridised threat landscape that democracies face today is marked by a variety of extremist ideologies, from antisemitism to misogyny, that coalesce around a common thread: authoritarianism. This was the crux of high-level discussions ISD convened in Berlin around the dual occasion of the organization’s 20th anniversary and the 10-year commemoration of the passing of Lord Weidenfeld, who founded ISD along with ISD CEO Sasha Havlicek in 2006. Over two days, participants deliberated the shifting landscape and brainstormed future-proof countermeasures, confirming that these threats require a holistic and public response. 

On September 10th, ISD convened high-level representatives at Max Liebermann Haus in Berlin to discuss solutions to cognitive and hybrid warfare, as well as the rise of antisemitism in Europe. It was a timely conversation: only a week earlier, the German government had formally attributed an attempted drone attack on Leipzig airport to Russian state-aligned actors, characterising the attack as part of Russia’s hybrid strategy that aims to undermine support for Ukraine.  

Representatives from the German federal government, business, media and civil society argued that effectively countering an increasingly hybridised threat landscape requires the different sectors to work together to form a holistic situational picture and commensurate response. In particular, participants called on the authorities to strengthen civil defence and challenge authoritarian narratives more confidently.  

ISD’s recent publication, “Lessons in Extremism Prevention for Countering Hybrid Threats: A Framework for Policy Response,” lays out primary, secondary and tertiary prevention measures governments can take to bolster individual and community resilience to hybrid threats. These measures include digital citizenship education, strategic communications campaigns that offer positive alternative narratives and counter-financing mechanisms. 

On September 11th, ISD brought together leading policymakers, foundation strategists, think tank experts and civil society representatives for a roundtable at the Austrian Embassy in Berlin to discuss prevention measures against violent extremism and terrorism.  

Children are increasingly exposed to content that glorifies terrorism and violence online, putting their mental well-being at risk while also putting them in danger of radicalisation and indoctrination in a short timeframe. The conversation highlighted the obvious need for greater safety in the digital sphere. ISD researchers have called for greater transparency around recommender systems and the handling of hate content, and they have urged policymakers to include AI chatbots in existing online safety frameworks. 

In addition to policy changes, participants emphasized the importance of empowering various stakeholders in the community to intervene in publicly visible radicalisation paths as a key step towards preventing potential acts of violence — a concept that is central to ISD’s work with local communities around the world as part of the Strong Cities Network.  

For 20 years, ISD has been at the forefront of safeguarding liberal democracy and human rights in an ever-changing international environment. Hybrid threats, easy radicalisation and readiness for violence in a fragmented and vast online media ecosystem are pressing issues at hand. They can only be tackled when siloes are broken up, when countermeasures are conceptualised holistically and, especially, when the toolkit is rigorously updated. 

As ISD concludes two days of events to commemorate its founder Lord Weidenfeld and celebrate the organisation’s 20th anniversary, we would like to thank all participants and distinguished guests, as well as the Max Liebermann Haus and the Austrian Embassy for hosting these events. From these joint and personal discussions, we draw energy, confidence and a renewed sense of urgency. This is a time of intense and cooperative future orientation for ISD, and a time to keep pushing boundaries in line with our core values: integrity, collaboration, agility and courage. 

Photo credit: David Ausserhofer