Terrorism & Violent Extremism

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

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The US Department of Homeland Security building

A Window to Rein in DHS

The leverage afforded by the appropriations cycle presents the best and perhaps only opportunity for Congress to confront a department run amok.
Federal officers in full camo gear with gas masks and guns prepare to disperse the crowd of protestors outside the Multnomah County Justice Center on July 17, 2020 in Portland, Oregon.

The President’s Private Army

How did we get here? Goitein discusses legal and political obstacles that faced President Trump's resort to other federal forces, why DHS is now his weapon of choice, what it may…
A phone showing Trump's racist tweet on May 29th, "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" and Twitter's statement that the tweet violated Twitter's rules about glorifying violence.

The Short Fuse: Autocrats, Hate Speech and Political Violence

“When the looting starts, the shooting starts.” It took three and a half years into his presidency, but Twitter finally flagged one of President Donald Trump’s tweets as…
Soldiers handing out water and supplies during Operation HAWKEYE

Bill Barr’s Playbook: His False Claims About Prior Military Force on U.S. Soil

The Insurrection Act, Operation Hawkeye and what really happened
A demonstrator holds a sign that read 'Peace and dialogue' as women from different parts of Ecuador march through the streets of Quito to ask for peace and to repeal the economic measures taken by President of Ecuador Lenin Moreno on October 12, 2019 in Quito, Ecuador.

Trump Administration’s Women, Peace and Security Plans: Blueprint for Action or Empty Promises?

The president and his officials take many actions diametrically opposed to these plans. But Congress and civil society can keep the pressure on.
Federal officers use tear gas and other crowd dispersal munitions on protesters outside the Multnomah County Justice Center on July 17, 2020 in Portland, Oregon.

Portland’s Pretext: Barr’s Long History Manipulating Law to Put Federal Forces on U.S. Streets

In a 2001 interview, Bill Barr boasted that he came up with the idea in 1989.
White supremists with riot gear at the "Unite the Right" rally August 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The Surprising Convergence Between Neo-Nazis and Jihadis

From a military base in Europe in May, U.S. Army Private Ethan Melzer typed out a series of encrypted messages offering support to the Order of Nine Angels (O9A), a neo-Nazi group,…
Renu Begum, eldest sister of Shamima Begum, 15, holds her sister's photo as she is interviewed by the media at New Scotland Yard.

Judgement in the Begum Case: A Good Day for the Protection of Human Rights

The United Kingdom’s Court of Appeal issued its judgement in the Shamima Begum case on Thursday morning. Begum was deprived of her citizenship under the British Nationality Act…
Fire department personnel treat a women hit by a car that drove into a group of protestors in Charlottesville, VA on August 12, 2017.

Vehicle Ramming: The Evolution of a Terrorist Tactic Inside the US

In the United States, white supremacists and other emergent types of terrorists are using vehicle ramming with an increased enthusiasm.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi speaks without a face mask during a press conference in Basra on July 15, 2020.

Iraq’s Raid on Iran-Backed Militias: Is the New Prime Minister Ready to Rein Them In?

The units are at last coming under much-needed pressure from Baghdad to adhere to the rule of law. The international coalition can support that effort.
Migrants walk together along the U.S./Mexican border wall as they look to turn themselves over to the U.S. Border Patrol as they seek asylum in the United States on June 04, 2019 in El Paso, Texas.

Trump’s Latest Assault on Asylum Has Nothing to Do with National Security or Public Health

Last Thursday the Trump administration issued the latest in a long line of administrative rules that unlawfully ban and punish asylum seekers and others pursuing related humanitarian…
Protesters wearing masks hold up placards as they protest the anti-terror bill outside the Philippine congress, despite a ban on public gatherings due to the coronavirus outbreak, on June 3, 2020 in Quezon city, Metro Manila, Philippines.

Under Cover of COVID at the UN: Why Counterterrorism Is Not the Answer to a Pandemic

Contrary to the UN's "CT Week" idea, the security sector's record makes it ill-fit to address the critical health needs of diverse populations.
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