Mission
The Forum’s mission is to encourage discussion, development, and dissemination of ideas that will free humanity from the fear of terrorism and war. The primary focus is the utilization of economic incentives and targeted sanctions to establish the rule of law, provide a reliable and humane system of enforcement, and promote international cooperation for the progress of civilized society.
Forum Programs
The Forum operates in three primary areas: strategic counterterrorism; sanctions and security; and reducing nuclear dangers. Since the Forum was founded thirty years ago, we have earned the trust of governments, international organizations, and experts around the world for our policy-relevant research and our innovative work to encourage regional cooperation around common security goals. We have implemented programs on five continents that provide realistic solutions to today’s most urgent global security threats.
The Forum’s endowment helps provide administrative and staff support for these programs, while the majority of their direct activities are funded by grants from foundations, international organizations, and foreign governments. The impact and longevity of our projects in all three programs are further enhanced through your individual gifts to the Forum’s Annual Fund and Legacy Fund.
Counterterrorism
Terrorism is a global problem and requires a coordinated global response. In 2004, the Forum established the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation (the Center) to help build and sustain stronger partnerships to prevent terrorism in a manner that is in keeping with the Forum’s core mission — promoting non-military measures that support and protect human rights and the rule of law. Learn More
Transnational Threats
Transnational crimes such as drug trafficking, maritime piracy and arms and human trafficking pose a new and worrying threat to international security. As we see in settings as varied as Afghanistan, Somalia, the Sahel, and Mexico, technological and social change offer opportunities for criminals to work with politicians, businessmen and even terrorists, creating transnational networks that organize violence in new and challenging ways. Learn More
Sanctions and Security
While a great deal of the Forum’s early work was focused on reducing nuclear dangers, a major sanctions evaluation initiative began in 1992 when David Cortright joined the Forum team. At that time the international spotlight was focused on the effectiveness and negative impact of sanctions as the United Nations was imposing sanctions to disarm Iraq and end the wars in the former Yugoslavia. Learn More
Reducing Nuclear Dangers
Over the last three decades, the Forum has been at the forefront of the nuclear debate by providing creative yet practical recommendations to tackle the concrete steps necessary to achieve the greater goal of a world without nuclear weapons. Its work remains rigorously non-partisan and responsive to new developments in the ever-evolving challenges to global security. Learn More
