Terrorism & Violent Extremism

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

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Iraqi human rights activist Nadia Murad, co-recipient of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, listens during a press conference at the National Press Club October 8, 2018 in Washington, DC.

Draft “Murad Code” Aims to Improve Investigations of Sexual Violence in Conflict

The guidelines respond to troubling past practices that made investigations ineffective, re-traumatizing, unnecessarily duplicative, and a security risk.
A man and a girl stand in front of a mural in homage of six Jesuit priests and two employees murdered during the civil war on the 30th anniversary of the crime in San Salvador, on November 16, 2019.

After 30 Years of Impunity, the Jesuits Massacre Trial Commences in Spain

Monday, after a decade of pre-trial litigation, a trial that is seeking justice for the 1989 massacre in El Salvador of six Jesuit priests (Ignacio Ellacuría, Ignacio Martín-Baró,…
French soldiers of Operation Barkhane, an anti-terrorist operation in the Sahel, patrol with UN soldiers in armoured vehicles on the road between the nearby French army base and Gao city, northern Mali, on May 30, 2015.

Trump and Duterte Show Why UN Must Reassess Embrace of Counterterrorism

If the Secretary-General and his team were to support realistic, practical steps, the UN could chart a much more responsible way forward.
Trump walks with US Attorney General William Barr (L), US Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper (C), Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark A. Milley (R), and others from the White House to St. John's Church where tear gas was used to clear the crowd on June 1, 2020 in Washington DC. Only one person in the background has a face mask. No one is social distanced.

The Untold Power of Bill Barr to Direct US Military Forces in Case of “Civil Unrest”

Whether deployed against protests for racial justice or deployed to interfere with free and fair elections in November, the US military operations would be led by Bill Barr, not…
A Black Lives Matter protest on June 4, 2020 in New York City. Demonstrators hold signs, one is a large picture of George Floyd, who was killed by police on May 25th. Other signs read, “Black Lives Matter,” “Color is not a crime,” “Brionna Taylor Say Her Name,” White Silence Equals Violence,” and “Stop Police Brutality.” Demonstrators wear face masks due to the coronavirus.

The United States’ Racial Justice Problem Is Also an International Human Rights Law Problem

An essay by United Nations Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, Professor E. Tendayi Achiume.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a press conference at the State Department in Washington, DC, April 8, 2019.

The Growing Irrelevance of State’s List of Countries Not Cooperating on Counterterrorism

Any certification that labels countries as not cooperating fully on counterterrorism and includes only the five countries listed by the State Department last month is less about…
National Guard with riot gear stand between protestors and the White House during a demonstration over the death of George Floyd, who died in police custody, on June 2, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Invoking “Terrorism” Against Police Protestors

"The invocation of 'terrorism' to respond to Antifa—and those protesting police violence more generally—has real consequences even if it does not create new legal powers."
Members of the National Guard join police in holding a line on the fourth day of protests on May 29, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The President and the Domestic Deployment of the Military: Answers to Five Key Questions

Can President Trump use the military without governors' consent? What are the rules for the use of force?
The guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) fires a close-in weapons system during a live-fire exercise, April 27, 2020.

On Iranian Gunboats: Beware Conflating American and Mainstream Views of the Law

In a recent essay in Just Security entitled “Iranian Gunboat Harassment and the Rules of Engagement,” Michael Schmitt and Durward Johnson explore important questions raised…
Red and blue Lights of police car in night time.

White Supremacist Infiltration of US Police Forces: Fact-Checking National Security Advisor O’Brien

What the available research says about systemic discrimination in law enforcement as well as links to racist and white supremacist ideology.
Protests

Far-Right Infiltrators and Agitators in George Floyd Protests: Indicators of White Supremacists

Evidence points to specific White Supremacist and far-right groups having infiltrated George Floyd protests, writes scholar of violent extremism, Georgia State University professor…
Press Briefing by Ms. E. Tendayi Achiume, Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance

A Conversation With U.N. Special Rapporteur E. Tendayi Achiume: COVID-19, Racism, and Xenophobia

Editor’s Note: This piece is part of Just Security‘s United Nations Special Rapporteurs on #COVID-19 series, in which mandate holders offer their views on pressing…
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