Terrorism & Violent Extremism
Just Security provides expert legal and policy analysis of terrorism, counterterrorism, and domestic and international violent extremism.
2,273 Articles

Judge Chutkan’s Ruling on the Unidentified U.S. Citizen Detainee
Late Saturday night, Judge Tanya S. Chutkan ruled that the Department of Defense must allow the ACLU Foundation “immediate and unmonitored access” to the U.S. citizen…

Episode 50 of the National Security Law Podcast: The Big Chill
Are your other podcasts letting you down by taking a holiday break? Never fear, National Security Law Podcast is here! With two hosts who would much rather be podcasting than…

U.S. “Confronting” Iran inside Syria: Spoiling for an Unlawful Fight?
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani meet during the BRICS/SCO Summits – Russia 2015 on July 09, 2015 in Ufa, Russia. (Photo by Alexey Filippov/Host…

Want to Stop Homegrown Attacks? Start With Locally-Driven Violence Prevention
In her Congressional testimony last month, Elaine C. Duke, the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, put one last nail in the coffin of a key Obama administration effort to fight…

USG Statement on Int’l Criminal Court Probe into Alleged U.S. War Crimes is Missing Some Things
As states gathered earlier this month to kick off the 16th Session of the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court, ICC watchers wondered what to expect from…

The Problem With Western Suggestions of a “Shoot-to-Kill” Policy Against Foreign Fighters
An Iraqi policeman fires a machine gun at ISIS fighters in Mosul, Iraq. Image: Carl Court/Getty As ISIS’ self-proclaimed caliphate disintegrates in Iraq and Syria, Western governments…

Episode 49 of the National Security Law Podcast: Interrogation, Detention, Prosecution, and Targeting
In this week’s episode, Bobby Chesney and I pick up the thread on a handful of familiar issues, and introduce a few new ones as well. Interrogation: The topic is a blend,…

How to Fix the US Military’s Broken Targeting System
The recent groundbreaking investigation by the New York Times into civilian casualties in Iraq uncovered a shocking truth for the many Americans who believe the United States is…

“Congressional Authorizations on Use of Force,” by Defense Dep’t Principal Deputy General Counsel William Castle (Full Text)
On Monday evening, William S. Castle, the Pentagon’s top lawyer, gave a speech entitled, “Congressional Authorizations on Use of Force?,” at the New York City Bar Association.…

DOJ Evades the Key Question in the Case of the Unnamed Citizen Detainee
On Thursday morning, in the ACLU Foundation v. Mattis case, Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered the government to inform the court by 5:00 p.m. whether the unnamed U.S. citizen detainee…

The Secret Ruling That Broke the Guantanamo Military Commissions
Sixteen years after Sept. 11, 2001, and 17 years after two suicide bombers killed 17 sailors aboard the USS Cole, the death penalty trials of the Guantanamo detainees accused of…
Episode 47 of the National Security Law Podcast: Donuts and Depth Charges
And…we’re back! Fresh off of Thanksgiving, Professor Chesney and I are (all too) fired up to discuss the latest national security law news (not to mention a bunch of stuff…