Terrorism & Violent Extremism

Just Security provides expert legal and policy analysis of terrorism, counterterrorism, and domestic and international violent extremism.

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ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA - AUGUST 30: U.S. Department of Defense Press Secretary John Kirby speaks at a press briefing (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images).

America Needs a War on Terror Transparency Act

The Pentagon has three months to investigate the disturbing New York Times report that the military conducted and covered up airstrikes in Baghuz, Syria that killed up to 64 civilians.…
MIAMI, FLORIDA - JUNE 07: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis arrives for a bill signing ceremony at the Florida National Guard Robert A. Ballard Armory on June 07, 2021 in Miami, Florida. The governor signed the bills to combat foreign influence and corporate espionage in Florida from governments like China. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Reestablishing Florida’s State Guard Won’t Give DeSantis a Private Army Free of Federal Control

While Florida Gov. DeSantis' proposal is worrisome as a political matter, it is unlikely to pose the kind of threat his critics fear.

The Absence of “The Donald”

The curious omission of a notorious social media site in the FBI's criminal case files on January 6th.
A refugee man and child transport water containers by cattle-drawn cart in Awaradi Refugee camp in eastern Niger, on December 11, 2019. (Photo by Giles Clarke/Getty Images)

Bringing Climate and Terrorism Together at the UN Security Council – Proceed with Caution

The open debate creates risks that counterterrorism will come to dominate the climate security and environmental peacebuilding fields.
Razor wire tops the fence of the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay on October 23, 2016 at the U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. An American flag waves in the background.

The Biden Administration’s Moment of Truth on Torture Evidence

US prosecutors claim the authority to use torture-derived evidence in Al-Nashiri's case, contrary to U.S. domestic and international legal obligations.
A view of a deserted migrants' camp on the Belarusian-Polish border in the Grodno region on November 18, 2021. (Photo by LEONID SHCHEGLOV/BELTA/AFP via Getty Images)

On Empathy, Scholarship, and Political Action: A Response to Lahmann

The situation on Belarus's borders sparks a debate on the appropriate path for international legal scholars. The latest from Aurel Sari and Ben Hudson.
Standing at a podium with the seal of the Pentagon behind him. Defense Department Press Secretary John Kirby speaks during a press briefing on September 3, 2021 in Arlington, Virginia.

Tragic Mistakes: Breaking the Military Culture of Impunity

How framing civilian harm in U.S. military operations -- as a “tragic mistake” -- hides the systemic failure that requires institutional reform.
Large buildings housing the Centcom facility in Florida with pine trees in front.

Centcom’s Full Statement on Baghuz Strike: Annotated

Our co-editor-in-chief identifies and annotates the 20 most significant elements of Centcom's statement.
Legal blind justice Themis metal statue with scales on chains

Litigation Tracker: Major Decisions Facing the Biden Administration

The Biden administration must decide whether to change course or maintain the Trump administration’s litigation approach in major Trump-era cases concerning national security…
This picture shows detainees inside the soundproof glass dock of the courtroom during the trial of 700 defendants, including Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid, widely known as Shawkan, in the capital Cairo, on Sept. 8, 2018. Shawkan, who earlier that year received UNESCO's World Freedom Prize, was sentenced to five years in prison. He had been arrested in 2013 while covering a demonstration. Including time served, he was finally freed in March 2019, but required to be under police supervision for five more years.

When US Security and Democracy Interests Clash

How to break six common and unhelpful patterns in US engagement with security partners that abuse rights or democratic standards.
CAMP SHORAB, AFGHANISTAN - SEPTEMBER 11: A U.S. Army helicopter flies outside of Camp Shorab on a flight to Camp Post on September 11, 2017 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. About 300 marines are currently deployed in Helmand Province in a train, advise, and assist role supporting local Afghan security forces. Currently the United States has about 11,000 troops in the deployed in Afghanistan, with a reported 4,000 more expected to arrive in the coming weeks. Last month, President Donald Trump announced his plan for Afghanistan which called for an increase in troop numbers and a new conditions-based approach to the war, getting rid of a timetable for the withdrawal of American forces in the country. (Photo by Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images)

“Full of Sound and Fury”: Afghanistan’s Tragedy Becomes America’s Drama

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan continues to generate inflated warnings about looming threats ahead. But Jeffrey Rogg and Andrew Stigler say it is time to call attention to…
An Iraqi woman accused of being close to the Islamic State group, an allegation she insists has been intentionally designed to obscure a land dispute, walks at the Hasansham camp for internally displaced people in northern Iraq on December 10, 2020. Rights groups and others -- including the International Organisation for Migration -- are worried about displaced families who stand accused of links to IS, sometimes falsely, and may face violent retribution if sent home. (Photo by FLORENT VERGNES/AFP via Getty Images)

To Ease Iraq’s Displacement Crisis, Restorative Justice and Peacebuilding are Vital

Alongside humanitarian and logistical barriers, the lack of social acceptance is a factor barring 1.2 million people from returning home.
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