Terrorism & Violent Extremism

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

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2,268 Articles
A crowded prison cell in the northeastern Syrian city of Hasakeh on October 26, 2019. Men accused of being affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group sit and lay on the floor close together. There does not appear to be an empty floor space.

A Tribunal for ISIS Fighters – A National Security and Human Rights Emergency

There is an immediate need to triage a coordinated response to the ongoing detention of roughly 10,000 ISIS fighters and 60,000 women and children in northeast Syria.
Trump gestures in front of a line of American flags at the "Stop The Steal" Rally on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC.

An Alternative to Impeachment: New Bill Helps Enforce Accountability for Capitol Riots

Experts explain how a new bill in Congress helps enforce accountability for federal officials who enabled the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Flowers line the entrance to Masjid An-Nur mosque as seen on March 14, 2020 in Christchurch, New Zealand. The National Remembrance event to mark one year since the Christchurch mosque attacks, has been cancelled as a precautionary measure due to Covid-19. Signs on the gate read, “Thank you brothers and sisters.”

Terrorism and Other Dangerous Online Content: Exporting the First Amendment?

The First Amendment is no cause for the United States holding back from international multi-stakeholder efforts to address the spread of dangerous online content. Christchurch…
Facebook co-founder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg departs after testifying before a combined Senate Judiciary and Commerce committee hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill April 10, 2018 in Washington, DC.

A Dozen Experts with Questions Congress Should Ask the Tech CEOs — On Disinformation and Extremism

Experts draft specific questions — on disinformation and extremism — for Congress to ask Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai…
Syrian Kurds, one of them carrying a Kurdish YPG (People's Protection Units) flag, watch as a US military vehicle drives on a road after US forces pulled out of their base in the Northern Syrian town of Tal Tamr, on October 20, 2019.

Revitalizing Alliances to Counter Terrorism

Rebuilding U.S. credibility as a counterterrorism partner starts at home.
A white supremacist walks through the halls of the Capitol Building with a confederate flag during the insurrection on January 6, 2021.

The Failure to Police White Nationalism is a Feature, Not a Bug of American Policing

In the wake of the Capitol insurrection, Congressional leaders vowed to launch a comprehensive investigation into the security breakdowns that led to the breach of the Capitol.…
A wide view of the Trusteeship Council Chamber during a joint open briefing by the Chairs of Security Council committees engaged in countering the financing of terrorism, as well as by the President of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), on their respective roles. The room appears to be full and a large projection screen shows a member sitting at the panel in the front of the room.

Protecting Civil Society in Global Counterterrorism: FATF Leads the Way, UN Should Follow

Through the work of advocates, FATF has improved its engagement with and protection of civil society. UN counterterrorism bodies could learn from FATF's approach.
Libya's new interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah speaks after being sworn in on March 15, 2021 in the eastern coastal city of Tobruk. Multiple flags of Libya stand behind him.

National Security This Week at the United Nations (March 12-19)

Libya swears in an interim PM; UN officials decry violence against protestors in Myanmar; and some EU countries resume AstraZeneca vaccinations after EU, WHO rule the vaccine safe.…
International Red Cross and Red Crescent workers keep watch at an airport in the southern city of Aden, the interim seat of the Yemeni government, on October 16, 2020, as the war-torn country began swapping 1,000 prisoners in a complex operation overseen by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Fixing “Material Support” — Lessons from the Houthi Terror Designation

Reversing the Trump administration's disastrous designation was a good first step - but the US must address fundamental flaws in the material support statutes to ensure continued…
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) wears a face mask as she speaks at her weekly news conference one day after Congress passed a $1.9 trillion COVID-related stimulus package at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center on March 11, 2021 in Washington, DC. Two flags of the House of Representatives can be seen behind her.

Pluses and Minuses of Pelosi’s Draft Jan. 6 Commission Proposal

"The draft text has some subtle virtues that are being missed by many commentators, and also some weaknesses."
U.S. Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi wears a face mask as she speaks at a weekly news conference at the U.S. Capitol on February 25, 2021 in Washington, DC. Behind her are American flags and flags for the House of Representatives.

Chart: Comparing Pelosi’s Draft Legislation on Jan. 6 Commission to Other Bills and Prior Commissions

On Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi publicly released a discussion draft of legislation to establish a “9/11-type Commission” to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack.…
A woman clad in mask due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, sits outside a tent near a water cistern at Camp Roj, housing family members of people accused to belong to the Islamic State (IS) group who were relocated from al-Hol camp, in the countryside near al-Malikiyah (Derik) in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province on September 30, 2020.

When Terrorists Traffic Their Recruits

A full reckoning with ISIS' exploitation requires overcoming politics to understand when someone might be at once a victim and a perpetrator.
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