Terrorism & Violent Extremism
Just Security provides expert legal and policy analysis of terrorism, counterterrorism, and domestic and international violent extremism.
2,224 Articles

Video: UN Expert Pablo de Greiff on Holding US Officials Responsible for Torture
Last week, I had the chance to ask Pablo de Greiff, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation, and Guarantees of Non-Recurrence, about accountability…

The Backroom: An Inside Account of UN Sec-General’s Statement on US War in Syria
President Barack Obama and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Image credit: White House/Pete Souza Several posts at Just Security have focused on international legal questions raised…

Jihad, Counter-Terrorism and Mothers
Women have had a limited presence in counter-terrorism discourses. When women come into view during conversations about terrorism they typically do so as the wives, daughters,…

Gender, Violent Extremism, and Countering Violent Extremism
The role of gender in violent extremism and countering violent extremism (CVE) has long been overlooked, despite being symptomatic of many of the human rights dilemmas CVE efforts…

The Intellectual—But Not Political—AUMF Consensus
[Cross-posted at Lawfare] A real consensus is developing on the contours of an appropriate AUMF—at least among academics and other commentators. It wasn’t always this way.…

Sunset and Supersede: Striking the Right Balance in the AUMF against ISIL
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…

End of War = End of Detention? Taliban detainee files renewed habeas petition
At year’s end, I examined here the possible legal significance of the President’s declaration on December 28 that “our combat mission in Afghanistan is ending,…

Another Successful Terrorism Trial Inside the US
Khaled Abdul Rahman Hamad al-Fawwaz was stoic as his fate was announced, staring straight ahead, unflinching, his face blank, wearing the same white Islamic kufi on his head and…

Just Security Q&A with Rep. Adam Schiff on ISIL AUMF
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, has become a prominent voice among lawmakers demanding that Congress authorize the fight against…

Sexual Torture, Rape, and Gender-Based Violence in the Senate Torture Report
The ramifications and significance of the Senate Torture Report continue to spin out in various fora. While I have noted that the use of certain torture methods used at Guantanamo…

Judge Pohl’s rebuke of DOD’s unorthodox effort to accelerate the 9/11 trial
[UPDATED at 6:00 p.m. with links to, and some discussion of, DoD rationales and the regulatory amendment itself.] Things have been moving very slowly, to say the least, in the…

What is no longer classified? (and what does it portend for the credibility of government declarations insisting on the need for categorical secrecy of covert action programs?)
The prosecution’s motion to amend the protective order in the 9/11 military commission is finally posted. As I discussed here, Judge Spath has granted a similar motion…