Anne Speckhard

Anne Speckhard, Ph.D., is a leading authority on the psychology of terrorism and violent extremism. She serves as director of the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism and as an adjunct associate professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University School of Medicine. Speckhard is recognized for her expertise in the psychological aspects of terrorism and posttraumatic stress disorder, with research focused on disengagement, deradicalization, and rehabilitation of individuals involved in terrorism.

With more than 30 years of experience in the field of posttraumatic stress disorder, Speckhard has worked extensively in Europe, the Middle East, and the former Soviet Union. She has conducted interviews with more than 800 terrorists, violent extremists, their family members, and supporters across Western Europe, the Balkans, Central Asia, the former Soviet Union, and the Middle East. Her research includes in-depth psychological interviews with 273 ISIS defectors, returnees, and prisoners, as well as 16 al Shabaab cadres, examining their pathways into and out of terrorism and their experiences within these organizations. Speckhard contributed to the design of the psychological and Islamic challenge components of the Detainee Rehabilitation Program in Iraq, which was implemented with more than 20,000 detainees and 800 juveniles. Her work also addresses the role of women in terrorist organizations and the dynamics of homegrown radicalization.

Speckhard is the author of several books, including "Talking to Terrorists: Understanding the Psycho-Social Motivations of Militant Jihadi Terrorists, Mass Hostage Takers, Suicide Bombers and Martyrs," "Bride of ISIS," "Undercover Jihadi: Inside the Toronto 18 — Al Qaeda Inspired, Homegrown Terrorism in the West," "ISIS Defectors: Inside Stories of the Terrorist Caliphate," and "Homegrown Hate." She leads the Breaking the ISIS Brand — ISIS Defectors Counter Narratives Project at the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism, producing video content to counter ISIS recruitment efforts. These materials are used for prevention, intervention, and rehabilitation by professionals in multiple countries across four continents.

Speckhard has chaired the NATO Human Factors and Medicine Research and Technology Experts Group on the psychosocial, cultural, and organizational aspects of terrorism and served as co-chair of the NATO-Russia Human Factors and Medicine Research Task Group on social sciences support to military personnel engaged in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations. She is a member of the United Nations Roster of Experts for the Terrorism Prevention Branch and has consulted for NATO, OSCE, UN Women, UNCTED, the European Commission and Parliament, foreign governments, and U.S. government agencies including the Senate, House, Departments of State, Defense, Justice, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, and the FBI.

Speckhard frequently appears on CNN, BBC, NPR, Fox News, MSNBC, and CTV, and her work has been featured in Time, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The London Times, and other major publications. She writes a column for Homeland Security Today and regularly publishes and speaks on the psychology of radicalization, terrorism, and countering violent extremism.