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

A comprehensive summary of GTMO policy, practices and prospects
It’s all here in the prepared testimony of Principal Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Brian McKeon before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday morning. Most…

Authorization vs. Regulation of Detention: What Serdar Mohammed v. MoD Got Right and Wrong
The UK Court of Appeal will soon hear the appeal in Serdar Mohammed v. Ministry of Defense, a highly important case in which the UK High Court held that the long-term detention…

UK Court of Appeal to assess legality of detentions in Afghanistan
Next week, the United Kingdom Court of Appeal will begin to hear arguments in the government’s appeal against the High Court ruling in Serdar Mohammed v Ministry of Defense.…

Military Commissions and Unintended Constitutional Consequences
Over at Lawfare, I have a post up this morning providing a preview of next Tuesday’s oral argument in the D.C. Circuit in In re al-Nashiri–a mandamus action challenging…

Homeland Insecurity: Checkpoints, Warrantless Searches and Security Theater
Since June 2013, the American public, press, and policy-makers have been debating the implications of Edward Snowden’s disclosures of mass U.S. government surveillance programs,…

Members Only: Al Qaeda’s Charter List Revealed After 13 Years in US Hands
A fascinating bit of evidence about al Qaeda’s early days emerged yesterday during the trial of alleged al Qaeda operative Khaled al-Fawwaz – what federal prosecutors call…

Schiff Introduces Updated Proposal for AUMF to Fight the Islamic State
Earlier today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) introduced a new proposal for a limited authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) against the Islamic State. Though largely…

Assad: Willing to risk direct confrontation with U.S. over moderate rebels—and stronger opposition to US airstrikes
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s interview with Foreign Affairs’ Jonathan Tepperman provides several important nuggets for international lawyers and policymakers to analyze.…

General Dempsey’s Position on an AUMF for ISIL: The Good, the Bad, and the Confusing
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey gave his views of what a congressional authorization for the use of force against ISIL should contain, in an…

What it Really Means to “Close Guantánamo”
[Editors’ Note: 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…

AUMF Proposals and Congressionally Mandated Reporting Requirements: Some Guideposts
In his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, President Obama called on Congress to authorize force against the Islamic State. This was consistent with the line he has been walking…

Assessing (Again) the Defensive Operations in Syria
The military operations against the Islamic State and Khorasan group in Syria have already received a lot of attention among international lawyers. The conversation has focused…