Terrorism & Violent Extremism

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

× Clear Filters
2,228 Articles
silhouette and target

Soleimani Strike Marks a Novel Shift in Targeted Killing, Dangerous to the Global Order

"President Donald Trump’s decision to target Soleimani ... brings the signature technique of the so-called 'war on terror' – the targeted killing of individuals outside any…
Fully veiled women walk behind a man with a gun in the northern Kuridish-Syrian city of Qamishli as Uzbek women and children linked to the Islamic State group are handed over to diplomats from the Central Asian country for repatriation, on May 29, 2019.

CVE’s Relevance and Challenges: Central Asia as Surprising Snapshot

With its traditional over-emphasis on security-heavy responses to threats, experts didn't expect the region to be so receptive to "whole-of-society" approaches to counter violent…
Two soldiers work together on a radio-in-a-box training between U.S. Psychological Operations (PSYOP) Soldiers with Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force and an Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) PSYOP team on Feb. 10, 2019, in Baghdad.

Trump’s Fatal Mistake: Killing Soleimani vs. Countering ISIS

The fight against ISIS is on hold. It’s unclear how exactly it will ever resume. An article by Luke Hartig, former Senior Director for Counterterrorism at National Security Council,…
Heavy smoke billows following an airstrike on the western frontline of Raqa on July 17, 2017, during an offensive by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, a majority Kurdish and Arab alliance, to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters.

Civilian Casualties: A Case for U.S. Condolence Payments in Syria

The U.S. military acknowledges it unintentionally killed 40 civilians in a 2017 air strike, but rejects appeals to help those who survived.
Side by side photos of a Congressional document labeled, “H.J. Res. 542” and the remnants of the U.S. airstrike still on fire that killed Soleimani and al-Muhandis on Jan. 3, 2020 outside the Baghdad International Airport.

The Soleimani Strike and War Powers

Key Legal Questions, With Preview of a New Research Database
Side by side photos of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and remnants of the U.S. airstrike still on fire that killed Soleimani and al-Muhandis on Jan. 3, 2020 outside the Baghdad International Airport.

United States Killed Iraqi Military Official and Iraqi Military Personnel in the Two Recent Attacks

"If these dimensions of the unfolding events are not properly understood by U.S. decision makers and the media, the currently highly volatile situation—between the United States,…
New York State Troopers stand guard in front of the house of Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg on December 29, 2019 in Monsey, New York. Media also stand outside the house.

The Monsey Attack: What’s the basis for the federal charges against Grafton Thomas?

"The government's decision to use Section 247 but not Section 249 will probably make successful prosecution more difficult, for several reasons."
Turkish soldiers drive American-made M60 tanks in the town of Tukhar, north of Syria's northern city of Manbij, on October 14, 2019, as Turkey and its allies continue their assault on Kurdish-held border towns in northeastern Syria.

The Inevitable Day of Reckoning in Syria

President Trump's decision to disengage with the YPG and ultimately side with Turkey was rash and immoral, yet fundamentally inevitable.
A banner calling for the release of Austin Tice, an American journalist held captive in Syria, is displayed at the Newseum in Washington, DC on November 2, 2016. The sign reads, “Held captive for being a journalist since August 2012.” And “#FreeAustinTice”

Taking Stock at 40: The UN Convention Against the Taking of Hostages

A product of its time, the Convention emphasized preventing future terrorist attacks by punishing perpetrators. But now, several decades later, it’s clear that stopping hostage…
Sudanese protesters stage a demonstration on December 3, 2019 calling upon authorities to deliver justice to those killed in demonstrations against the now ousted autocrat Omar al-Bashir and during the weeks long sit in outside the military headquarters after Bashir's fall.

“Freedom, Peace, and Justice”: The Surprising Success of Sudan’s Glorious Revolution

What a difference a year makes. Today marks the one-year anniversary of the first protests that would eventually topple the brutal dictatorship of Sudanese President Omar al Bashir.…
Women and children ride in the back of a truck at the Kurdish-run al-Hol camp for the displaced where families of Islamic State (IS) foreign fighters are held, in the al-Hasakeh governorate in northeastern Syria on December 9, 2019.

Rehabilitating the Islamic State’s Women and Children Returnees in Kazakhstan

Many countries are looking at what kind of model Kazakhstan builds with its efforts to reintegrate ISIS returnees, and whether it will be effective. The countries that get this…
A cluster of corrugated iron huts resembling military barracks jut out of Nauru's sweltering rocky landscape to reveal refugee Camp Four on the Pacific island of Nauru.

Boochani’s Tribunal: Normalizing Human Degradation at Borders

A complaint to the ICC on Australia's detention practices highlights a very clear risk that this precedent represents an emerging global normalcy of human degradation when it comes…
1-12 of 2,228 items

DON'T MISS A THING. Stay up to date with Just Security curated newsletters: