Terrorism & Violent Extremism
Just Security provides expert legal and policy analysis of terrorism, counterterrorism, and domestic and international violent extremism.
2,224 Articles
Was the Crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 an Act of Terrorism?
On March 24, an Airbus A320 operated by Germanwings crashed in the French Alps while en route from Spain to Germany. Quite soon after, it emerged that the co-pilot of the flight…
Associated Forces: Why the Differences between ISIL and al-Qaeda Matter
Members of Ansar Dine in Timbuktu, Mali. Image credit: Magharebia via Wikimedia Commons. This post is the latest installment of our “Monday Reflections” feature, in which a…
Canadian Bombs Over Syria and a Reader’s Guide to the Legality of Airstrikes Against ISIL
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is introducing a motion to Parliament today (video here) that would extend Canada’s military mission against the Islamic State for another…
Perfidy, ambush, snipers, and the COLE bombing (al Nashiri) case
Thanks to Rogier Bartels and Kevin Heller for their fascinating debate here and at Opinio Juris on whether the alleged Israeli/U.S. car-bomb operation operation that killed Hezbollah’s…
Killing With Military Equipment Disguised as Civilian Objects is Perfidy
The Washington Post earlier this year revealed US involvement in a 2008 Israeli operation that killed Hezbollah’s Imad Mughniyah in a Damascus parking lot. In discussing various…
Why Sunset and Supersession Provisions Are Both Needed in an Anti-ISIL AUMF
Yesterday, I testified before the Congressional Progressive Caucus, led by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), in a forum on the President’s proposed authorization to use military…
The Council of Europe’s Draft Protocol on Foreign Terrorist Fighters is Fundamentally Flawed
The Council of Europe last week released a Draft Additional Protocol to its 2005 Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism intended to assist European countries in implementing…
Deradicalization, Free Speech, and Academic Freedom
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…
Wall Street Journal Grants Anonymity to al-Qaeda’s “First Easily Accessible Media Liaison”
The Wall Street Journal today quotes at length from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP) “first easily accessible media liaison” and explicitly grants the source…
Does the President’s Proposed AUMF Authorize Force Against ISIL “Wannabes”?
A key question in Wednesday’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing involved what the administration means by ISIL’s “associated forces,” and how the President’s…
Secretary Kerry on the relationship between the 2001 and ISIL AUMFs
Last month, I wrote that “[a]ssuming the President and Congress mean for [the Administration’s draft] AUMF to impose limits on the President’s authority–including,…
Travel Bans and Due Regard: The UK’s New Counter-Terrorism and Security Act
On Feb. 12, 2015, the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 (CTSA) received Royal Assent and many provisions are already in force. The full version is available here. The…