Terrorism & Violent Extremism
Just Security provides expert legal and policy analysis of terrorism, counterterrorism, and domestic and international violent extremism.
2,228 Articles
British Forces Hit the Islamic State With ‘the Punisher’ – the Legality of Airburst Munitions
A few days ago, it was reported that British special forces had used a deadly new weapon, nicknamed the Punisher, in a confrontation with ISIL in the Libyan city of Sirte (see…
Cybersecurity, Elections, and Critical Infrastructure at Home and Abroad
In the last few days, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and Homeland Security Advisor Lisa Monaco have both suggested that in the wake of the DNC hack, the United States…
France’s Emergency Powers: The New Normal
France’s latest renewal of its emergency law has made few headlines abroad—except perhaps in Turkey, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, fresh from passing his own sweeping…
Guest Post: US Dollars and Kenya’s ‘Disappeared’
Just over a year ago, in May , 2015, Kenyan Border Patrol police arrested Hussein Ali Abdullahi from his shop in Wajir, northeastern Kenya, and took him to Wajir military camp.…
Secret Law, Targeting, and the Problem of Standards: A Response to Dakota Rudesill
In his recent posts and an article, Dakota Rudesill tackles the phenomenon of secret law. Dakota persuasively describes a growing body secret law, which he defines as “legal…
Donald Trump’s Wall, David Rieff’s Long War, and the Dangers of Fear-Mongering
This post is the latest installment of our “Monday Reflections” feature, in which a different Just Security editor examines the big stories from the previous week or looks…
Theresa May’s Record on Surveillance, Human Rights, and Counterterrorism
Theresa May, Britain’s newly appointed Prime Minister was previously the UK Home Secretary. In that role she fought for expansive state surveillance powers, blamed human rights…
DOJ’s Motion to Dismiss in Smith v. Obama, the case challenging the legality of the war against ISIL
As I noted in an earlier post, Nathan Smith, a U.S. Army captain deployed to Kuwait as part of the campaign against ISIL, Operation Inherent Resolve, has sued the President,…
Syria, J’Accuse! Syrian State Responsibility for War Crimes
So far, achieving any measure of accountability for the grave international crimes being committed in Syria has been elusive, as I’ve outlined before. A draft Security Council…
Judge Garland & The Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act
As promised, this post surveys several Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act (FSIA) opinions penned by Judge Garland while on the D.C. Circuit. Judge Garland has had occasion to consider…
Visions and Revisions: Karen Greenberg on the Making of the Modern Security State
“It’s lovely to live on a raft. We had the sky up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss about whether they was made…
Judge (Justice?) Merrick Garland & International Law
I recently had occasion to review the international law jurisprudence of Judge Merrick Garland as part of an evaluation prepared by the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee…