Terrorism & Violent Extremism
Just Security provides expert legal and policy analysis of terrorism, counterterrorism, and domestic and international violent extremism.
2,268 Articles

Citizenship-Stripping and ISIS Members: The Recent UK Experience
A framework for understanding when governmental action violates the law against rendering someone stateless. The case of Shamima Begum.

I Helped Write the Exec Order on Public Reporting of Lethal Operations. Here’s What Trump Has Undone.
"Multiple press accounts have cited some of the key problems with the rescission, the backlash from transparency advocates, and why, unsurprisingly, the Trump administration has…

Homeland Security’s Intelligence Overreach: Two Cases Illustrate Risks to Civil Society
The Department of Homeland Security is deploying its intelligence apparatus against activists, journalists, and human rights lawyers, with no guard rails against abuse in place.…

Trump’s Revocation of Reporting on Lethal Strikes: All Eyes on Congress, Now
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order revoking a section of President Barack Obama’s Executive Order on civilian casualties that required annual reporting…

EU ‘Terrorist Content’ Proposal Sets Dire Example for Free Speech Online
Countries around the world are seeking to exert more control over content on the internet – and, by extension, their citizens. Europe, unfortunately, is providing them with a…

Counterterrorism and Homeland Security Are Not the Same Thing
Counterterrorism and homeland security are not the same thing. It is not surprising though that the two get intertwined and conflated. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)…

Shifted Burdens: The U.S. as Detainer of Last Resort
The United States should resist become a detainer of last resort when states refuse to repatriate their nationals being detained in Syria.

“Just fall, that is all!” Is Sudan on the Brink of Change?
Sudan has entered the third month of widespread and sustained protests across the country, and there is now some indication that President Omar al-Bashir’s grip on power is weakening.…

What’s the Mission in Syria? The Answer May be Illegal and Without U.S. Allies’ Support
Statements about a US "peacekeeping" force and a mission to counter-Iran raise serious legal questions and threaten to unravel U.S. allies' support for future U.S. operations inside…

When Human Trafficking and Terrorism Connect: Dangers and Dilemmas
The increasing emphasis at the UN and elsewhere on the connections between terrorism and human trafficking raises complex legal and policy issues, including how to determine whether…

About that Trial Balloon on Using 9/11 AUMF to Authorize Strikes on Iran
Monday’s Washington Times included a breathless “Exclusive” report titled “Iran-al Qaeda Alliance May Provide Legal Rationale for U.S. Military Strikes.” In the piece,…

Unpacking (Some of) the Legal Issues Surrounding Hoda Muthana
Even before the President weighed in on Twitter, there’s been substantial discussion about the fate of so-called “ISIS bride” Hoda Muthana, and her apparent desire…