Recording of the panel discussion on 2 October 2025 In cooperation with the Ministry of Defense and the Australian Embassy Vienna. Terrorism has undergone profound transformations in its forms, motivations, and geopolitical implications, increasingly defying conventional frameworks of security analysis. This keynote interrogated the evolving nature of terrorism and its implications for the reconfiguration of international security agendas in the twenty-first century. The October 7 attacks and the ongoing war in Ukraine illustrate how acts of political violence resonate beyond their immediate theatres, producing ripple effects that destabilize regional balances and challenge global governance mechanisms. Placing these developments within a longue durée perspective, the keynote drew parallels to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, an event that precipitated systemic conflict through the entanglement of alliances and rivalries. By juxtaposing historical and contemporary cases, the lecture underscored the ways in which terrorism operates not only as a tactic of asymmetrical warfare but also as a catalyst for structural transformations in international order. The analysis highlights the necessity of reassessing existing theoretical paradigms and policy approaches, emphasizing the interplay between terrorism, state power, and the fragility of multilateral institutions. Moderation: Dr. Daniela Pisoiu oiip Keynote: Dr. Levi West Australian National University Dr. West is an internationally recognised authority on terrorism and counter-terrorism, and is currently working on an Office of National Intelligence funded grant, researching radicalisation. For over a decade, Dr West was the Director of Terrorism Studies at the Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security at CSU where he built a world leading post-graduate terrorism studies program. Dr. West is also an Adjunct Fellow with the Irregular Warfare & Special Operations program at UNSW Canberra; an Adjunct Research Fellow with the Institute for Sustainable Industries & Liveable Cities at Victoria University; and an expert with The Cipher Brief. He is also a 2024 Non-Resident Fellow with the Irregular Warfare Initiative, a joint project of Princeton University’s Empirical Studies of Conflict program and West Point Military Academy’s Modern War Institute. His research interests focus on the intersection of terrorism, communication, and technology. He has been published in academic journals and scholarly books, as well as national media outlets and on prominent national security blogs and podcasts. He has lectured at numerous academic conferences, and extensively to law enforcement, intelligence, military, and policy audiences both domestically and internationally. Dr West has liaised with, and advised, in varying capacities, the Australian and US intelligence, special operations, and law enforcement communities in relation to counter terrorism matters.
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1 hr and 34 mins