Policy & Advisory

For over a decade, ISD has driven international debate and pioneered innovative policy-making to counter extremism, hate, disinformation and polarisation.

ISD formulates and advocates policy change at the international, national and local levels. We do this in order to support central and local governments, cities and international organisations in designing and delivering targeted responses to hate, extremism, terrorism, polarisation and disinformation.

We have delivered strategic advice and training to over 44 governments and 135 cities worldwide, providing both the subject-specific expertise and local insights to drive effective action across the civil society, private and public sectors.

ISD’s approach is rooted in rigorous data analysis, as well as experience pioneering and evaluating new approaches in contexts across the globe. Combined, these allow us to navigate the sensitivities and complexities of such topics as they evolve.

Our policy leadership has led the charge on many emerging areas and threats, including:

The transnational mobilisation of the far-right
The growth and proliferation of conspiracy theories
The role of women in extremist movements
How social media algorithms amplify hate and disinformation
Response mechanisms in the wake of terror attacks
Election interference from state and non-state actors
Impact-driven strategies for prevention, disengagement and rehabilitation

ISD is uniquely positioned to consult and convene a wide spectrum of stakeholders from the grassroots through to government. We contribute to policy reform and consultation with platforms like the EU, United Nations and national ministries, while maintaining an ongoing partnership with the community organisations, activists and youth groups who can enact change from the bottom up.

Policy & Advisory Programmes

Strong Cities Network
ISD recognises that cities are uniquely placed to safeguard their citizens from polarisation and radicalisation to create stronger and safer communities. Our global network of mayors, municipal-level policy makers and practitioners to build social cohesion and resilience to counter violent extremism in all its forms.

Digital Policy
Our digital policy analysis and advice seeks to create a safer online space that encourages free speech whilst championing human rights. We use our position as an independent expert organisation to help governments, tech companies and researchers generate coordinated responses to these issues.

Global Counterterrorism Forum
ISD co-chairs the Global Counterterrorism Forum’s initiative on ‘Strategic Communications and Social Media Aspects in Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism’.

Good Web Project
We advise governments, cities and tech companies on policies and strategies to mitigate the online harms we face today and achieve a ‘Good Web’ that reflects our liberal democratic values, prioritises safety and public health, and sanctions harmful activity online.

The FREE Initiative
The FREE Initiative is the first pan-European resource to offer practical guidance on countering far-right extremism across Europe. It aims to inspire and promote cross-border learning among those working against violent far-right extremism.

Latest Publications

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ISD’s Policy & Advisory team

Eric Rosand

Executive Director, Strong Cities Network

Eric Rosand is the Executive Director of the Strong Cities Network. He has nearly two decades of experience working with governments, multilateral organisations, civil society, academics, and the private sector on international counterterrorism and P/CVE issues. This includes more than six years as a senior official at the US State Department where he was the international policy director for the White House CVE Summit and led efforts to develop and launch the Global Counterterrorism Forum, its inspired institutions and the Strong Cities Network. He previously was a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and served as co-director of the Global Center on Cooperative Security, and a lawyer at the US State Department and the US Mission to the United Nations. His writings, including on the role of cities and other local actors in P/CVE, have appeared in a wide range of publications such as the American Journal of International Law, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, Global Observatory, Just Security, The Hill, Lawfare, Order from Chaos, Time, and War on the Rocks. He holds a BA in history from Haverford College, a JD from Columbia University School of Law, and an LLM (Hons) in international law from Cambridge University.

Milo Comerford

Head of Policy & Research, Counter-Extremism

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Milo Comerford is Head of Policy & Research, Counter Extremism, leading ISD’s work developing innovative research approaches and policy responses to extremism. Milo regularly briefs senior decision makers around the world on the challenge posed by extremist ideologies, and advises governments and international agencies on building effective strategies for countering extremism. He was previously Senior Analyst at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, where he led major research projects on Salafi-jihadi propaganda, international educational responses to extremism, and the transnational far right. His writing and research features frequently in international media and he has made recent broadcast appearances on BBC News, Sky News and Al Jazeera.

Jiore Craig

Resident Senior Fellow, Digital Integrity

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Jiore Craig is a Resident Senior Fellow at ISD with focus on Digital Integrity. Her work focuses on safeguarding democracy globally and the wider impact of online harms on society. Jiore advises global leaders on mitigating online harms including work to advance tech policy reform and tech accountability at a global scale. She has extensive international experience, previously spending eight years helping elected officials, political leaders, media organizations, academic institutions and civic society organizations across five continents to research, measure, and effectively mitigate the impact of disinformation and influence operations on public opinion and elections. She previously built a digital research and communications practice serving Europe, Asia, Africa, South and Central America, and the US at a global political consulting firm. Jiore’s work informed the design of major coalition efforts to counter disinformation in the 2020 US and 2019 European Parliament elections. In 2022, Jiore testified for the U.S. Congressional House Administration Elections Subcommittee Hearing on “A Growing Threat: Foreign and Domestic Sources of Disinformation”. She is a member of Issue One’s Council for Responsible Social Media. Her work is cited in The Washington Post, New York Magazine, The L.A. Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and she has been a featured guest in election broadcast programs around the world, including the podcast Pod Save America.

Jacob Davey

Head of Research & Policy, Far-right and Hate Movements

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Jacob Davey is Head of Research & Policy for Far-right and Hate Movements at ISD. Jacob has managed projects focusing on online hate speech, the international far-right and political violence. He has led a number of projects piloting novel models for identifying extremist conversation and hate speech online, including analysis tracking hate groups in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia, and is currently leading a major programme of work mitigating hate threats in the US. He has advised national and local policymakers on right-wing extremism, including the Home Affairs Select Committee and the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament. Jacob has managed and co-authored numerous ISD reports including Between Conspiracy and Extremism: A Long COVID Threat?, ISD’s Gaming and Extremism Series, and A Safe Space to Hate: White Supremacist Mobilisation on Telegram.

Daniel Hooton

Director of Global Engagement, Strong Cities Network

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Daniel Hooton is Director of Global Engagement at the Strong Cities Network, with responsibility for strategy and delivery of international cities' programmes. This includes current projects to develop institutional approaches to long-term governance, human security and social policy challenges in cities across Africa, Asia, the Western Balkans and the Middle East. He has advised and worked with numerous international governments, UN agencies and mayors on international counter-terrorism and counter-extremism strategy, briefing senior ministers and leaders, as well as shaping multilateral cooperation on grassroots practices in cities around the world. Daniel previously served as policy advisor to the Shadow Minister for Communities in the UK Parliament, developing opposition policy and scrutiny on community cohesion, social exclusion and public services reform. He holds a Master’s degree with Distinction from the London School of Economics, a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Bristol, and has a longstanding interest in devolution, borders and port cities.

Jennie King

Head of Climate Research and Policy

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Jennie King is Head of Climate Research and Policy, leading efforts to translate ISD's digital research into frontline programming and response. Through ISD, she helped found Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD), a coalition of over 50 organisations working to identify, analyse and counter climate disinformation worldwide. She has spearheaded investigations on climate denialism and ‘discourses of delay’ in the contexts of Australia, Canada, Central Europe, Germany, South Africa, the US and UK, as well as co-authored a number of ISD’s flagship reports on this issue. Jennie also helped design, and currently manages, the COP Intelligence Units on behalf of CAAD, leading over 15 partners to produce real-time monitoring of mis- and disinformation around climate summits.

Henry Tuck

Head of Digital Policy

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Henry Tuck is the Head of Digital Policy at ISD, where he leads Advisory work on digital regulation and tech company responses to terrorism, extremism, hate and dis/misinformation online. Henry oversees ISD’s Digital Policy Lab (DPL) and engagement on key digital regulation proposals in Europe and Five Eyes countries, advises key governments, international organisations and major private sector tech companies, and collaborates with ISD’s Digital Analysis Unit to translate research into actionable digital policy recommendations. Having joined ISD in 2013, Henry has previously worked across a variety of ISD’s Analysis and Action programmes, including education, on- and offline counter-extremism interventions, and civil society networks. Henry holds a Masters in International Conflict Studies from Kings College London, and a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Durham University.

Helena Schwertheim

Senior Digital Policy and Research Manager, ISD Germany

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Helena Schwertheim is Senior Digital Policy and Research Manager at ISD Germany, where she leads the Digital Policy Lab (DPL), a new intergovernmental working group focused on policy responses to prevent and counter disinformation, hate speech and extremism. Helena also leads a team of analysts studying digital threats posed to democracy by disinformation, hate speech and extremism. Previously, Helena managed digital policy and research projects at Democracy Reporting International. She also has experience working in risk and political analysis in international organizations and think tanks, including at the UN World Food Programme in Rome, and the think tank International IDEA in Stockholm.