Terrorism & Violent Extremism
Just Security provides expert legal and policy analysis of terrorism, counterterrorism, and domestic and international violent extremism.
2,225 Articles

A Lost Phone Brings a Female ISIS Returnee to Trial for Crimes Against Humanity
Almost six years have passed since the genocide against the Yazidis, an ethno-religious minority group in Northern Iraq, and one of the first trials against a female ISIS returnee…

The Significance of the Supreme Court’s Opati Decision for States and Companies Sued for Terrorism in U.S. Courts
On Monday, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Opati v. Republic of Sudan opening the door to victims of the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam to pursue…

Beyond Reproach: Legal, Political, and Social Implications of the Recent Attack on a Maternity Ward in Afghanistan
Childbirth is a trepidatious experience for every expectant mother anywhere in the world. Imagine, then, being in a maternity ward that comes under a blaze of gunfire. On May 12,…

And Then There Were Seven: Rwandan Félicien Kabuga Arrested in France
The case illustrates the long arm of justice, via international tribunals created in the 1990s after the genocides in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.

National Security at the United Nations This Week (May 8-15)
(Editor’s Note: This is the latest in Just Security’s weekly series keeping readers up to date on developments at the United Nations at the intersection of national security,…

U.S. Fails to Acknowledge Killing Yemeni Civilians
A Yemen-based human rights organization has documented the impact of U.S. air strikes for the last seven years. The results contradict DOD's report.

The Syrian War’s Forcing Effect on International Law
A new book by Scharf, Sterio, and Williams demonstrates how global legal standards have shifted with the increasing complexity of war.

Getting It Wrong: The 9/11 Military Commission and the Justiciability of Armed Conflict
In an apparent effort to preserve its own jurisdiction while proceeding towards trial, the 9/11 military commission has made a hash of its armed conflict jurisprudence. It has…

National Security at the United Nations This Week (May 1-8)
(Editor’s Note: This is the latest in Just Security’s weekly series keeping readers up to date on developments at the United Nations at the intersection of national security,…

Grading DOD’s Annual Civilian Casualties Report: “Incomplete”
The new information demonstrates how much progress the department has made and yet how much of a paradigm shift is still needed for full accountability.

Accountability in the Time of COVID-19: Syria & Iraq
The coronavirus crisis has dominated the global news coverage, but the war in Syria has not gone away. The ceasefire brokered by Turkey and Russia in March 2020 remains fragile,…

Coronavirus Adds Urgency to Ending Egypt’s Detention and Torture of Children
The United States has long justified its support for Egyptian security services as necessary for the security and stability of Egypt and the region. Yet the means by which the…