Terrorism & Violent Extremism
Counterterrorism
776 Articles

What a Few Cakes Say About the US Drone Program
Fondant creations on cakes - yes cakes - provide a rare window into a largely closed culture of national security policymaking. Their creation in 2013, publication, and re-emergence…

How to Answer Iraq’s Failure to Put a Stop to Torture
Parliament should ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture. Short of that, Prime Minister al-Kadhimi can take action.

Whistleblower: DHS Suppressed Reports on Central America and Inflated Risk of Terrorist Border-Crossers
Brian Murphy’s Whistleblower complaint confirms: White House officials and political appointees in federal agencies hid carefully investigated and proven facts and substituted…

Toward a New Approach to National and Human Security: Close Guantanamo and End Indefinite Detention
Closing Guantanamo responsibly is not an intractable problem, the checkered history of prior efforts notwithstanding. It can be done, and in relatively short order, if decision-making…

Toward a New Approach to National and Human Security: Introduction
One year from today marks the 20th anniversary of 9/11. A president addressing the nation on such a solemn occasion should be able to tell the American people not only that there…

On 9/11, Interrogating the Assumptions that Undergird the “Forever War”
To find a path out of the Forever War, we must begin by examining the assumptions that have underpinned our fight all along.

DOD Inspector General’s Report Whitewashes Potential Violations of the Posse Comitatus Act
In finding no violation of Posse Comitatus Act, the IG misinterprets federal law and exaggerates the power of DOD policy — creating a dangerous precedent for the domestic use…

Shoring up Sanctions Enforcement in Sub-Saharan Africa: A North Korea Case Study
Helping countries bolster regulatory systems for national security could also build a more sound international financial system overall.

Hardwired Against Change: Race, Incarceration, and COVID-19
"Given the unique risks of exposure, infection, and death in prisons, jails and detention centers, challenging carceral secrecy is even more important than ever in the midst of…

The Supreme Court’s Attack on Habeas Corpus in DHS v. Thuraissigiam
Refugees are the primary target of the Court’s decision in DHS v. Thuraissigiam, but the the opinion endangers everyone – U.S. citizens included – by reopening settled questions…

DHS’s Portland Follies: Tracing the Official Public Narrative and Internal Communications
Jeffrey Michaels examines the rhetorical frameworks used by the Department of Homeland Security in describing protest events in Portland and beyond.

New Technologies, New Problems – Troubling Surveillance Trends in America
The rapid advent of powerful digital surveillance technologies raises questions about the U.S. ability to maintain a balance between security and citizens' rights. Several troubling…