Perspective on Terrorism Financing

In her speech on terrorism, Dr. Edwina Thompson explains what she learned from the war on terror. A world expert in threat finance, the speaker describes her time in Afghanistan during her PhD and researching terrorism finance. She also discusses how decision-makers can be strategic in their fight against the funding of jihadists and offers a new perspective for Westerners in uncertain and fearful times.

The speech on terrorism explains why it is important not to demonize things we don't understand and that, in fact, understanding the perspectives of others is absolutely necessary. The speaker identifies two key drivers of change when it comes to combating terrorism: how the West builds trust, who they listen to and when they intervene. Nuanced understanding is especially relevant in terms of terrorism finance and the hawala system.

She talks about how customer base, achievements, secrets of dealers and the trust people have in this system are facets the UN in Afghanistan need to consider when faced with the decision about whether to use hawala system and gain further understanding.