Terrorism & Violent Extremism
Just Security provides expert legal and policy analysis of terrorism, counterterrorism, and domestic and international violent extremism.
2,268 Articles
The Islamophobia Administration
POLITICO is reporting today that President-elect Donald Trump will likely nominate Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) for attorney general and Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) to be director…
Recommendations to the New President on Countering WMD and Terrorism
After the U.S. Presidential election, we are entering a particularly vulnerable period as militant Islamists seek to test the new American president just as al-Qaeda (AQ) tested…
Preventing Violent Extremism in 2017 and Beyond: Fading or Renewed UN and U.S. Leadership?
The current UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, and U.S. President Barack Obama will both leave office in January 2017, with at least one common legacy: a more comprehensive framework…
State Department’s Chief Legal Adviser Rebukes (Trump’s) Proposed Closures of the Internet
The U.S. government should not consider shutting down parts of the Web as it continues to develop ways to prevent the Internet from being used for terrorist purposes, a top State…
Assessing Trump’s Mandate—A Sober Analysis
Both supporters and opponents of Trump’s campaign want to know what kind of mandate the election results mean for his Presidency and for questions about the political capital…
What are the Legal Issues Surrounding the Use of Depleted Uranium in Syria and Iraq?
Although it received little attention at the time, journalist Samuel Oakford broke the story last month that the Pentagon has confirmed using weapons containing depleted uranium…
State Dep’t Legal Adviser’s Answer to “Acute Question” on US Mil. Action against Al-Shabaab
On Friday, the Legal Adviser of the State Department, Brian Egan answered questions posed to him by New York Times journalist Charlie Savage on the current reach of Congress’s…
The Drone Memos—The Book
My new book, The Drone Memos, will be published on November 15. It’s a collection of the most important legal and policy documents relating to the U.S. drone campaign, preceded…
Beyond Gitmo: What is the US Going to Do About the Coming Wave of ISIL Detainees?
With the Mosul battle raging and the Raqqa offensive possibly weeks away, U.S. policymakers and government attorneys will be facing a familiar kind of problem: What is going to…
Is Throwing a Rock Through a Window “Terrorism”? Some Federal Prosecutors Think So
Image by Tomas Castelazo— Wikimedia Did you know that throwing a rock through the window of a Whole Foods could be punished as a federal crime of terrorism? An Assistant United…
Untangling the Web of Actors in Syria and Additional Complexities of Classifying Armed Conflicts
As the international community struggles to find solutions to the humanitarian crisis in Syria, several recent posts at Just Security and elsewhere have offered interpretations…
Masculinity, Jihad and Mobilization
In spite of considerable state and international efforts being spent to regulate terrorist groups and individuals labeled as terrorists, much less substantive scrutiny has been…