Terrorism & Violent Extremism

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

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2,225 Articles
A banner from EIPR reading, “Free EIPR Staff.” Cropped greyscale photographs of four EIPR staff that have been detained are shown over the banner – Patrick Zaki, Gasser Abdel Razek, Mohammad Basheer, and Karim Ennarah.

Defending Human Rights Is Not Terrorism: The Egypt Arrests as a Case in Point

The UN's global counterterrorism system creates a permissive and enabling environment that sustains and facilitates abuse of rights defenders,
A road sign entering Fort Bragg going from Connecticut Avenue in Southern Pines, North Carolina, in March 2010. The sign reads, “US Army Fort Bragg Military Reservation – All persons and vehicles entering or departing this installation are subject to search.”

Trump’s Veto Threat Over Confederate-Named Bases Erodes U.S. Security and American Values

Given the historical significance of this moment and the alternatives for commemorating real, heroism, Congress has a moral and practical obligation to act.
The white supremacist group, the Proud Boys, rally against the results of the U.S. Presidential election outside the Georgia State Capitol on November 18, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. They do not wear face masks, and one wears a MAGA hat. A person appearing to be a sheriff or police office speaks with their leader, Enrique Tarrio, who wears a bullet proof vest.

Could America’s Electoral Process Foment Political Violence?

Scholars of political violence and regime transition caution that there is potential for further escalation of non-state violence in America because, while Election Day passed…
Members and supporters of The Washington Region Religious Campaign Against Torture hold a rally to demand Congressional action to stop torture on Capitol Hill March 10, 2008 in Washington, DC. A banner reads, “Torture is un-American.”

On Accountability and the Next Presidency, Starting With the Cabinet

To truly “Build Back Better,” as Biden promised, he must not nominate, appoint, or otherwise hire anyone for his administration who has seriously abused power.
Prosecutor Robert Jackson speaks at the Nuremberg Trials, 21 November 1945.

75 Years Ago at Nuremberg: Giving a Name to Crimes Against Humanity

The world has not come close to ending such heinous crimes, but the trials established the principle that perpetrators can and must be brought to justice.
Transition Mali President Bah Ndaw without a face mask is seen with Malii Interim Vice President Colonel Assimi Goita, who wears a face, mask during his inauguration ceremony at the CICB (Centre International de Conferences de Bamako) in Bamako on September 25, 2020. Other soldiers with face masks sit and stand behind the two.

Mali: The “Good” Coup d’État?

Will the military, having violated democratic norms, work with a civilian-led government to bring the country back to rule of law and peaceful development?
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.

A Path for Renewing Guantanamo Closure

Although closing the 20-year-old detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (GTMO) may not be a marquee issue among the many significant challenges Joe Biden will face as president…
A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) looks through a door window to a crowded cell where men suspected to be affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group are jailed in northeast Syria in the city of Hasakeh on October 26, 2019.

COVID-19 and International Law Series: International Humanitarian Law – Treatment of Detainees

Prisoners are among the most vulnerable to COVID-19 – especially in a war zone. What obligations do combatants have to prisoners of war and other detainees during a pandemic?…
An Oregon State police officer stands next to a balloon outside the Police Union building in Portland, Oregon, on September 4, 2020.

An Analytic Framework for Assessing Risks of U.S. Post-Election Violence

"When I served as a senior analyst for the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, I developed frameworks to evaluate the risk of election-related instability overseas. As a National…
A chart measuring media and social media mentions of mail-in voting or absentee balloting and fraud or election rigging from March 1, 2020 to August 31, 2020. The y axis is measured as a percent ranging from 0% to 900% and the x axis is a measure of time with markers for every seven days. The line measuring “tweets compared to mean” has the largest peaks on approximately 4/7, 5/11, 5/23, 5/27, 6/23, 6/28, and 7/12. The graph also shows images of Trump’s tweets and screenshots from news stations.

Six Disinformation Threats in the Post-Election Period

Those seeking to sow discord may be keeping their powder dry until after November 3rd.
Acting US Attorney General Matthew Whitaker and Senior Adviser Jared Kushner arrive at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, on December 7, 2018.

Loyalty Above All: The “Shallow State” of the Trump Administration

A compilation of executive branch positions deprived of competence and expertise, and filled instead with political loyalists.
A Somali woman walks in an internally displaced people (IDP) camp as hundreds of people recently fled from southern Somalia US's airstrikes against al Shebab, in Baidoa, autonomous South West State of Somalia, on December 18, 2018.

Plan to Pull U.S. Troops from Somalia is Cold Comfort Amid Civilian Toll of Air War

AFRICOM insists its aim is to ‘degrade’ al-Shabaab. But the US military campaign is taking a heavy toll on civilians and civilian infrastructure.
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