Terrorism & Violent Extremism
Counterterrorism
809 Articles
Kurdish-Held Detainees in Syria Are Not in a “Legal Gray Area”
Kurdish troops from the Syrian Democratic Forces stand in a forward operating base overlooking the frontline near the ISIL-held town of Hole in Rojava, Syria. (Photo by John Moore/Getty…
‘I Won’t Torture’ is Not Enough: Question Pompeo on US Rendition Policy
Numerous concerns have been raised about Mike Pompeo, President Trump’s nominee for secretary of state. Though the US Senate confirmed him as the Central Intelligence Agency…
New Series: Perspectives from Impacted Countries
Millions of people around the world are affected by U.S. armed conflict, security, and counterterrorism policies and practices. U.S. forces regularly carry out airstrikes in Iraq,…
UN Working Group: Indefinite Detention of Gitmo Detainee Violates Human Rights Law
The Jan. 24 findings of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention conclude that the continued detention of Ammar al Baluchi at Guantanamo Bay is arbitrary, discriminatory, and…
The End of Pretending
Above: President Donald Trump speaks at CIA headquarters. Editors’ note: this article has been updated to reflect the newly-reported fact that Gina Haspel was not in charge…
“Reasonable Certainty” vs “Near Certainty” in Military Targeting–What the Law Requires
Former deputy legal counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Commander (ret.) Mike Adams and former Special Counsel to General Counsel of the Dep’t of Defense, Ryan…
Does the Misleading DHS/DOJ Report Violate the Information Quality Act?
President Donald Trump used the State of the Union to malign immigrants as terrorists. In support of his call to end the diversity visa lottery and family-based immigration—which…
Trump’s Immigration Wishlist Risks Running Afoul of U.S. Treaty Obligations
In his State of the Union speech, President Donald Trump reiterated his opposition to a “clean” Dreamers bill – one that protects young immigrants brought to this country…
Trump Administration’s Watchlist Data Overstates Terror Threat
Many have already pointed out the serious methodological flaws contained in last week’s report from the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS). To buttress…
The UN Security Council, Global Watch Lists, Biometrics, and the Threat to the Rule of Law
Members of the United Nations Security Council meet at U.N. headquarters, April 5, 2017 in New York City. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) While much of the world was not paying attention,…
Trump Administration’s Fuzzy Math on Terrorist Origins is More than Misleading – It’s Dishonest
DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Jan. 16, 2018. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) Just as the Senate Judiciary Committee was getting ready to conduct…
16 Years Since Gitmo: A New Chapter in Indefinite Detention Begins
As activists marked the 16th anniversary of Guantanamo Bay’s transformation into a military prison with nationwide rallies, a new and disturbing chapter is unfolding in our Kafkaesque…