In the wake of the unspeakable terrorist attacks in Las Vegas, Manchester, and Paris, the super star musicians at the Grammy’s received a counter-terrorism briefing ahead of the ceremony. The 60th Annual Grammy’s took place last night at a packed house at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
One ISIS expert, Dr. Amir Bagherpour, was part of the team of experts that briefed the musicians. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he had this to say:
“Behind arms, music and entertainment are the largest Western exports, and musicians and entertainers serve as ambassadors around the world. Attacks against them generate a lot of coverage, and send a powerful message. It makes sense that they would be targeted. “
The briefing was an all-day training seminar held in a Times Square hotel sweet consisting of high profile musicians. It was the first time a briefing “provided non-event-specific practices from US State Department and European Union officials directly to the musicians themselves.” Part of the briefing included creating situational awareness, avoiding time and place predictability and crafting a contingency plan.
With almost all of the music industry’s biggest start in one of the world’s most iconic venues, it’s no surprise this briefing was held. There’s no doubt that moving forward, this will be become the status quo. It’s part of the world we live in now.