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Terrorism & Violent Extremism

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

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2,224 Articles
Mo Brooks talks at a podium with the sign “Save America” and gestures into the air. American flags stand on either side of him.

Timeline: Rep. Mo Brooks, January 6, and the Effort to Overturn an Election

A comprehensive timeline of Rep. Mo Brooks’ reported actions and public statements in trying to overturn the American election.
Nov. 9, 2021 , and 2 more
A letter dated October 29, 2021. It reads, “From: Panel ICO U.S. vs. Khan; To: Convening Authority; The panel members listed below recommend clemency in the case of Majid Shoukat Khan. Mr. Kahn committed serious crimes against the U.S. and partner nations. He has plead guilty to these crimes and taken responsibility for his actions. Further, he has expressed remorse for the impact of the victims and their families. Clemency is recommended with the following justification: 1) Mr. Khan has been held without the basic due process under the U.S. Constitution. Specifically, he was held without charge or legal representation for nine years until 2021, and held without final sentencing until October 2021. Although designated on ‘alien unprivileged enemy belligerent,’ and not technically afforded the rights of U.S. citizens, the complete disregard for the foundational concepts upon which the Constitution was founded is an affront to American values and concept of Justice. 2) Mr. Khan was subjected to physical and psychological abuse well beyond approved enhanced interrogation techniques, instead being closer to torture performed by the most abusive regimes in modern history. This abuse was of no practical value in terms of intelligence, or any other tangible benefit to U.S. interests. Instead, it is a stain on the moral fiber of America; the treatment of Mr. Khan in the hands of U.S. personnel should be a source of shame for the U.S. government. 3) Mr. Khan committed his crimes as a young man reeling from the loss of his mother. A vulnerable target for extremist recruiting, he fell to influences furthering Islamic radical philosophies, just as many others have in recent years. Now at the age of 41 with a daughter he has never seen, he is remorseful and not a threat for future extremism. It is the view of the penal members below that clemency be granted based on the points above, as well as Mr. Khan’s continued cooperation with us efforts in other, more critical, prosecutions. Panel #1, Panel #8, Panel #5, Panel #9, Panel #12, Panel #4, Panel #11.”

Military Officers’ Handwritten Clemency Letter at Guantanamo – What It Says About Who We Are

"A long step toward the ultimate freedom: the realization that there is no them, there is only us."
Nov. 8, 2021
A sign for Camp Justice in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. Five flags waive from posts.

A Torture Survivor Speaks at the Guantanamo Military Commissions

Majid Khan described his torture by the United States for the first time in a case that also shows how plea agreements are the only realistic path for those charged in Guantanamo…
Nov. 4, 2021
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz walk towards an open door on June 3, 2021, at the State Department in Washington, DC. The Israeli flag and American flag stand at the forefront of the photo.

The Downstream Effects of Israel’s “Terrorist” Designation on Human Rights Defenders in the US

The Israeli designation may be designed to trigger US counterterrorism sanctions - and chill human rights activism. Here are some options for the US response.
Nov. 4, 2021
Trump boards Marine One as he departs the White House on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. A person in military uniform salutes him as he passes.

No, Former Presidents Cannot Assert Executive Privilege. At Least Not Meaningfully.

"Former President Trump’s authority, if any, would be at the 'lowest conceivable ebb' by asserting a claim that is incompatible with Congress’s explicit act plus incompatible…
Nov. 4, 2021 and
Members of the Kenyan polices General Service Unit (GSU) take part in a joint exercise hosted by the US embassy to build counter-terrorism capabilities, in Nairobi, Kenya, on October 30, 2021. They wear camouflage and headgear and carry large guns while walking past a truck with police lights.

An Undefined Defining Moment: Marking 20 Years of Counterterrorism Without Ever Agreeing What Terrorism Is

UN Security Council Resolution 1373 in 2001 created a sprawling global system that, rather than solving the problem, spawned widespread abuse.
Nov. 4, 2021
Young boys, children soldiers sit on February 10, 2015 lay down their arms at a ceremony of the child soldiers disarmament, demobilization and reintegration in Pibor overseen by UNICEF and partners.

Sanctions Review Fails to Review Sanctions: Congress Should Step In

US sanctions policy should account for peacebuilding and other crucial civic and development activities.
Nov. 2, 2021 and
Myanmar people gather for refreshment at a teashop in Yangon on August 31, 2018 many hangout to chat and browse Facebook with their mobile phones.

So, What Does Facebook Take Down? The Secret List of ‘Dangerous’ Individuals and Organizations

Facebook has been criticized for content it allows. But we should be equally skeptical of what it takes down, and its claimed legal reasoning for removals.
Nov. 1, 2021 and
Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Bert Koenders hosts the large international consultations with representatives of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) and the Anti ISIS coalition in the fight against terror In The Hague, January 11, 2016. The representatives sit in a large room around tables arranged into a square. Large screens show projections of the minister speaking.

Watchlisting the World: Digital Security Infrastructures, Informal Law, and the “Global War on Terror”

The Global Counterterrorism Forum's new "toolkit" ignores input, tracks US practice to dangerously expand the unaccountable post-9/11 system.
Oct. 28, 2021 , and 1 more
National Counterterrorism Center Director Matthew Olsen, FBI Director James Comey, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, CIA Director John Brennan, Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn testify during a hearing before Senate (Select) Intelligence Committee January 29, 2014 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

20 Years After the Patriot Act, America Must End Secret Law

Of the many abuses that sprung from the Patriot Act’s toxic soil, the most pernicious and enduring is the growth of secret laws. The insistence that the government must not only…
Oct. 26, 2021
US President George W. Bush signs into law an anti-terrorism bill that expands police and surveillance powers in response to September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, 26 October 2001 in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC. With Bush from left to right are Rep. Mike Oxley, R-OH, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-UT, Sen Pat Leahy, D-VT, Sen. Harry Reid, D-NV, and Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-WI.

Rethinking Surveillance on the 20th Anniversary of the Patriot Act

20 years ago, Congress enacted the PATRIOT Act. It's time to move on from that outmoded model of surveillance.
Oct. 26, 2021
Wesam Ahmad, Palestinian human rights advocate at Al-Haq NGO in Ramallah, Palestine speaks via video conferencing. One person sits at a table with a laptop across from the large screen showing Wesam Ahmad.

Counterterrorism Off the Rails: Israel’s Declaration of Palestinian Human Rights Groups as “Terrorist” Organizations

Law professors critically analyze Israel Defense Minister Benny Gantz's designation of six Palestinian human rights groups as “terrorist” organizations
Oct. 24, 2021 and
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