Today’s guest is Elizabeth Hoffman, Executive Director, North America at ONE, a global, nonpartisan organization advocating for the investments needed to create economic opportunities and healthier lives in Africa. In this episode, Alon and Elizabeth discuss the background to the current civil war in Sudan, Elizabeth’s on-the-ground observations from her journey to the country earlier this year, the atrocities being committed against the people of Sudan, and what the international community, particularly the US, can do to help end this conflict.
Originally aired June 22, 2026
Full bio
Elizabeth Hoffman is Executive Director, North America at ONE, a global, nonpartisan organization advocating for the investments needed to create economic opportunities and healthier lives in Africa.
She has extensive experience in government relations and international policy. Before joining ONE, she held positions at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and as a senior staff member in the House of Representatives focused on foreign policy, national security, and human rights. She also worked at the George W. Bush Institute, where she developed and executed a leadership program for Burmese political leaders.
Elizabeth is a nonresident senior associate at CSIS and a term member at the Council on Foreign Relations. She has published articles and analysis for a variety of organizations and outlets and is a frequent media commentator on foreign policy and defense.
She holds an M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University and a B.A. in Political Science from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.
Welcome to another episode of “On the Issues with Alon Ben-Meir.” Today’s guest is Dr. Anne Speckhard, Director of the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism. She is an expert in rehabilitation and repatriation of terrorists and their families, and has consulted with foreign governments on issues of terrorist prevention, interventions and repatriation; and the rehabilitation and reintegration of ISIS foreign fighters, wives and children. Her latest book, Homegrown Hate: Inside the Minds of Domestic Violent Extremists, examines the deepening threat of domestic violent extremism in the U.S. through more than 50 in-depth interviews with current and former members of a wide range of domestic hate groups.
In this episode, Alon and Anne discuss the psychological and psychosocial dimensions of violent extremism, what attracts people to these ideologies, how terrorists and violent extremists have been able to utilize social media to draw people into their ideologies, and what can be done to try to prevent people from falling into these extremist ideologies.
Originally aired June 9, 2026
Full bio
Anne Speckhard, Ph.D., is Director of the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism (ICSVE) and served for over two decades as Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University School of Medicine and also served as an Affiliate in the Center for Security Studies, Georgetown University.
She has interviewed over 800 terrorists, violent extremists, their family members and supporters around the world, including in Western Europe, the Balkans, Central Asia, the Former Soviet Union and the Middle East. Over the past five years, she has conducted in-depth psychological interviews with 275 ISIS defectors, returnees and prisoners, as well as 16 al Shabaab cadres (as well as their family members and leaders), studying their trajectories into and out of terrorism, and their experiences inside ISIS and al Shabaab.
Speckhard developed the ICSVE Breaking the ISIS Brand Counter Narrative Project from these interviews, which includes over 250 short counter narrative videos that mimic ISIS recruitment videos but contain actual terrorists strongly denouncing ISIS as un-Islamic, corrupt and brutal. These videos have been utilized in over 200 Facebook and Instagram campaigns globally. Beginning in 2020, she launched the ICSVE Escape Hate Counter Narrative Project, interviewing 54 white supremacists and members of hate groups, developing counternarratives from their interviews, and creating anti-recruitment videos. She has also conducted rare interviews with five Antifa activists (Antifa protestors rarely grant interviews.)
Dr. Speckhard is also an expert in rehabilitation and repatriation of terrorists and their families. In 2007, she designed the psychological and Islamic aspects of the Detainee Rehabilitation Program in Iraq to be applied to 20,000+ detainees and 800 juveniles. This work led to consulting with foreign governments on issues of terrorist prevention, interventions and repatriation; and the rehabilitation and reintegration of ISIS foreign fighters, wives and children. She has worked individually with former terrorists from Belgium, Australia, Sweden and elsewhere. She has also worked on these issues with NATO, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), UN Women, United Nations Countering Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (UNCTED), United Nations Office of Drug and Crime (UNODC), the EU Commission and EU Parliament, and to the U.S. Senate & House, Departments of State, Defense, Justice, Homeland Security, Health & Human Services, and the FBI.
Dr. Speckhard actively trains key stakeholders in law enforcement, intelligence, elite hostage negotiation teams, educators, and other professionals in countering violent extremism, locally and internationally. Her focus is on the psychology of terrorism, the effective use of counter-narrative messaging materials produced by ICSVE, as well as studying the use of children as violent actors by groups such as ISIS. Her consultations and trainings include U.S., Australian, Canadian, German, British, Dutch, Austrian, Swiss, Belgian, Danish, Iraqi, Syrian, Jordanian and Thai national police and security officials, among others. She also serves as an expert witness, testifying both internationally and nationally on a variety of topics pertaining to trauma, loss, dissociation, violent extremism and terrorism.
Dr. Speckhard is the author of five books: Homegrown Hate, Talking to Terrorists, Bride of ISIS, Undercover Jihadi, and ISIS Defectors: Inside Stories of the Terrorist Caliphate. She has appeared on CNN, BBC, NPR, Fox News, MSNBC, CTV, CBC, and in the New York Times, Washington Post, London Times, TIME Magazine, Newsweek, Daily Beast and more. She regularly writes a column for Homeland Security Today. Her research has been published in Global Security: Health, Science and Policy, Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression, Journal of African Security, Journal of Strategic Security, the Journal of Human Security, Bidhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies, Journal for Deradicalization, Perspectives on Terrorism and the International Studies Journal. Her academic publications are found at https://georgetown.academia.edu/AnneSpeckhard and www.icsve.org.
ICSVE’s Breaking the ISIS Brand and Escape Hate Counternarrative videos and training seminars can be watched on ICSVE’s YouTube channel.
ICSVE’s research has been funded by the EU Commission; U.S. Departments of: State, Homeland Security, Defense and Justice; UN Women; and the Embassy of Qatar.
Follow @AnneSpeckhard
Today’s podcast guest is Dimitris Eleas, a political scientist, writer, and independent researcher. His work explores the role of personality in the social-historical, philosophy, global politics, antisemitism, and modern history, with a particular focus on the Holocaust.
In this episode, Alon and Dimitris discuss the repercussions of the October 7 attack on Israel and Israel’s retaliation, the rise of antisemitism, and the Israel-Iran war.
Originally aired June 2, 2026
Full bio
Dimitris Eleas is a New York City–based political scientist, writer, and independent researcher. His work explores the role of personality in the social-historical, philosophy, global politics, antisemitism, and modern history, with a particular focus on the Holocaust.
He has written a plethora of articles, and his writing has appeared several times in the letters sections of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post.
Dimitris Eleas supports the democratic ideals of Israel and the Jewish people. He believes in civil liberties, and that all people deserve a decent income, quality food, clean water and air, and equal human rights. He strongly opposes wars, because in the end it is always the poor, their children, and the workers who pay the price of every war.
He has published several books in Athens, and is the author of the novel-essay When Shakespeare Was Lost, 1585–1592, published in 2025 by Govostis Publishers (Est. 1926).
He is currently developing his long-term project, the novel-essay The Black Birds of Warsaw.
Today’s guest is Jane Olson, a noted humanitarian who has worked many decades as a volunteer promoting international peace and justice and humanitarian work. She has chaired the International Board of Trustees of Human Rights Watch, from 2004 to 2010, and chaired the board of Survivor Corps for 12 years since its founding as Landmine Survivors Network.
In this episode, Alon and Jane discuss the current rise in human rights abuses globally, what roles international organizations have played in combatting human rights abuses, and the importance of educating people about their basic universal human rights, including starting in schools.
Originally aired May 19, 2026
Full bio
Jane Olson has worked many decades as a volunteer promoting international peace and justice and humanitarian work. She chaired the International Board of Trustees of Human Rights Watch, the largest US-based international human rights organization, from 2004 to 2010, having worked on behalf of HRW since 1988. She also chaired the board of Survivor Corps for 12 years since its founding as Landmine Survivors Network. LSN and HRW were among the five organizations to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997for the International Landmine Ban Treaty.
Jane is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Science and a board member of both the National World War II Museum in New Orleans and Direct Relief, based in Santa Barbara, CA. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Pacific Council on International Policy. She served as co-chair of the Women’s Refugee Commission in New York and continues to support the WRC as a commissioner.
Jane has received numerous awards, including the 2010 inaugural Alison Des Forges Award from Human Rights Watch, and the inaugural Eleanor Roosevelt Award from Feminist Majority in 2005. California Senator Barbara Boxer presented the “Women Making History” Award to Jane in 2010. She received Public Counsel’s Community Achievement Award and the Silver Achievement Award from the Los Angeles YWCA.
Today’s guest is Katrina Fotovat, the former Principal Deputy Director in the Secretary of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues, where she led a team of experts promoting women, peace, and security, countering violent extremism, promoting women’s economic empowerment, and combatting gender-based violence.
In this episode, Alon and Kat discuss the critical work that has been done by the Office of Global Women’s Issues under three different presidential administrations, local outreach programs facilitated by the US overseas to support women’s issues and combat gender-based violence, including working with men and boys, and the global impacts of the current Trump administration’s drastic cuts to foreign aid.
Originally aired May 12, 2026
Full bio
Katrina “Kat” Fotovat is the former Principal Deputy Director in the Secretary of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI), where she led a team of experts promoting women, peace, and security, countering violent extremism, promoting women’s economic empowerment, and combatting gender-based violence. Ms. Fotovat has over 20 years of experience advocating gender and human rights globally, specifically in conflict and post-conflict settings. Before joining the office she served as Director for the Office of Communications, Policy, and Partnerships, in the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations where she oversaw an expert team that provided policy and strategy guidance to respond to atrocities, fragility, increase global stability and peacebuilding, and integrating women, peace, and security efforts in areas of conflict. Ms. Fotovat was also the Deputy Director for the Global Programs Office in the Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor where she oversaw over a billion dollars in active programs geared toward supporting civil society and human rights in the most sensitive and fragile spaces, including internet freedom, transitional justice, and marginalized populations. Other positions in the US Government included as a Political Officer in the US Embassy in Moldova, and as the Senior Grants Officer in the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, Senior Human Rights Advisor in the Office of the Procurement Executive, and Interagency Liaison at USAID.
Before joining the U.S. government, Ms. Fotovat’s experience includes transitional justice and peace negotiations efforts with the Nobel Prize-nominated, Public International Law and Policy Group (PILPG). This work included drafting post-conflict constitutions in Iraq and Kosovo, and international crisis aid negotiations in Sri Lanka. Additionally, she has done extensive gender and human rights work supporting the efforts of UNHCR, CEDAW, American Bar Association, and other organizations. Ms. Fotovat previously worked as a part of legal counsel at the International Human Rights Legal Clinic, focusing on trafficking in persons and asylum cases, with a special focus on Burma. Ms. Fotovat also helped to found an anti-trafficking in persons organization in Moldova, where she was also a Peace Corps Volunteer. She holds a Juris Doctor in International Human Rights Law and a master’s degree in Foreign Policy from American University. She is married and has a son.
Today’s guest is Evaggelos Vallianatos, a historian, environmental strategist, and writer who has served as a visiting professor on environmental history and environmental regulation and politics at a number of universities. He worked for the US Environmental Protection Agency for 25 years, where he studied US agriculture and pest management practices and policies.
In this episode, Alon and Evaggelos discuss the current political juncture of the climate change discussion in the United States, what countries are doing globally to combat climate change, the societal, health, and human rights impacts of climate change, and what actions everyday people can do to help combat climate change.
Originally aired April 21, 2026
Full bio
Evaggelos Vallianatos is a historian, environmental strategist, and writer. He has served as a visiting professor on environmental history and environmental regulation and politics at a number of universities, including Humboldt State University, the University of New Orleans, Bard College, American University, George Washington University, the University of Maryland, Pitzer College, and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Vallianatos worked for the US Environmental Protection Agency for 25 years, where he studied US agriculture and pest management practices and policies. His experience led him to write the book Poison Spring: The Secret History of Pollution and the EPA (2014, co-authored with McKay Jenkins), which highlights how the environmental watchdog agency became a “polluter’s protection agency.”
Vallianatos is the author of hundreds of articles on Greek history and the environment, and six books, including Poison Spring. He has a BA in Zoology and MA in medieval Greek history from the University of Illinois, and received a PhD in European and Greek history from the University of Wisconsin.
Today’s guest is Yossef Ben-Meir, co-founder and president of the High Atlas Foundation, a Moroccan-US nongovernment organization dedicated to sustainable development. In this episode, Alon and Yossef discuss sustainable development in Morocco and the role the High Atlas Foundation has played in development. Particularly, they discuss the importance of water infrastructure in uplifting everyday Moroccans, the environmental and societal implications of planting millions of trees across Morocco, and the critical importance of community participation in establishing development projects which will benefit local communities.
Originally broadcast April 7, 2026
Full bio
Yossef Ben-Meir is co-founder and president of the High Atlas Foundation, a Moroccan-U.S. nongovernment organization dedicated to sustainable development. In Morocco, he was also a Peace Corps Volunteer (1993-95), Associate Peace Corps Director (1998-99), Research Fellow at the American Institute of Maghreb Studies (2003-4), and Assistant Professor at Al Akhawayn University at the School of Social Sciences and Humanities (2009-2010). Dr. Ben-Meir holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of New Mexico (2009) where he also taught, an MA in international development from Clark University (1997), and a BA in economics from New York University (1991).
Today’s guest is Dr. Wiola Rebecka, a Doctor of Psychology and human rights activist whose work focuses on the long-term consequences of conflict-related sexual violence. In this episode, Alon and Wiola discuss the issue of abducted Ukrainian children in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which now marks its 4th year. They discuss the magnitude of this crisis in terms of number of children abducted, the various abuses taking place against abducted children, including forced Russianization and in some cases torture and sexual violence, and the support systems needed to care for these children in the aftermath.
Originally aired February 24, 2026
Full bio
Dr. Wioletta (Wiola) Rebecka is a Doctor of Psychology and human rights activist whose work focuses on the long-term consequences of conflict-related sexual violence. She is the author of the War Rape Survivors Syndrome (WRSS) framework, the heuristic model of the Social Political Nervous System (SPNS), and the SERS method (Stabilization, Education, Redirection, Self-awareness), developed for therapeutic work with survivors of sexual violence.
Today’s guest is Kiran Nazish, an award-winning journalist, professor, and founding director of the Coalition for Women in Journalism and Women Press Freedom. In this episode, Alon and Kiran discuss the state of press freedom in the United States and the transgressions that the Trump administration has committed against them; how the United States relates to other countries known as violators of press freedom; and how to protect journalists by strengthening democratic institutions.
Originally aired February 10, 2026
Full bio
Kiran Nazish is an award winning journalist, professor and founding director of the Coalition For Women In Journalism and Women Press Freedom.
Kiran Nazish spent two decades as a journalist and foreign correspondent covering Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Mexico and many other places in a post 9/11 world for the New York Times, LA Times, MSNBC, ABC News, USA Today and many others. Witnessing the inequality and discrimination women journalists faced in newsrooms around the world, she founded the Coalition For Women In Journalism. An organization that is closing the gender gap in the industry.
The CFWIJ is New York based and works globally with much of its work focused on support and advocacy for women, LGBTQ and non binary journalists. In 2019 Kiran Launched the Press Freedom Newsroom to bring awareness to how women journalists in particular are targeted by repressive regimes. This newsroom started with monitoring 12 countries and now (within 2 years) covers violations from 145 countries around the world. Kiran’s career spans two decades, and many regions including the Middle East, South Asia and Mexico, where she covered stories from the frontline of conflict, democracy and human rights. She was also selected as the Stanley Knowles Distinguished Professor in 2019 and 2020. And a senior fellow at New America Foundation in Washington D.C. in 2016, where she shared her expertise in the International Security Program.
Before Kiran’s initiative, launching the Press Freedom Newsroom, there was no systematic data for women targeted for their work.