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

Now is the Time to Repeal the 2002 AUMF

Repealing the 2002 AUMF would take an unnecessary force authorization off the books, ensure it can’t be improperly invoked to drag the U.S. into unauthorized war, and reassert…
A sign reading, “Government property no trespassing,” is posted at the U.S. Border Patrol station where lawyers reported that detained migrant children had been held unbathed and hungry in Clint, Texas. June 26, 2019

We Treat America’s Wartime Detainees Better Than Migrant Children

Migrant children held in temporary government custody should be detained in conditions superior to those of enemy fighters detained during wartime. Today, it appears they are not.…
La Meute, a far-right, anti-immigration group, holds a rally in Quebec City, Canada, on August 20, 2017.

Canada is Starting to Outlaw Far-Right Groups, and It’s About Time

When the Canadian government listed Blood & Honour, a neo-Nazi group, and its armed branch, Combat 18, as terrorist organizations last month, it marked the first time that any…
US army elite team members participate in the 2011 Commando Forces competition in San Salvador, on June 21, 2011.

The Massive Perils of the Latest U.N. Resolution on Terrorism

A newly proposed U.N. Security Council resolution expanding anti-terrorism requirements for member States targets the nexus with organized crime. But like so many counterterrorism…
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives to announce the creation of the "Iran Action Group" during a press briefing at the State department in Washington, DC, August 16, 2018.

Unpacking the State Dept Acknowledgment that 2001 and 2002 AUMFs Don’t Authorize War Against Iran

An analysis of State Dept's major concession, whether the one stated exception is a loophole for military action, and what Congress should now do.
Central American migrant families arrive at a Catholic Charities respite center after being released from federal detention on June 12, 2019, in McAllen, Texas.

Top Expert Backgrounder: Children in Immigration Detention — What are the International Norms?

Vice Chair of the United Nations Committee Against Torture, Felice Gaer, writing in her personal capacity.
The detainee hospital's operating room is seen in Camp Delta which is part of the U.S. military prison for 'enemy combatants' on June 26, 2013 in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Deprivation and Despair: The Crisis of Medical Care at Guantánamo

The Center for Victims of Torture, along with Physicians for Human Rights, released a joint report today finding that Guantánamo’s medical care system has long been broken in…
A Casa 235 turboprop plane with registration number N168D taxis along a runway at Ruzyne Airport April 8, 2005 in Prague, Czech Republic.

Citizens to the UN: Investigate Our “Torture Chambers in the Sky”

On behalf of the North Carolina Commission of Inquiry on Torture (NCCIT), a citizen-initiated truth panel, we just submitted a 35-page communication to 10 U.N. Special Rapporteurs…
The State Department's director of policy planning and head of the Iran Action Group, Brian Hook, shakes hands with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after the announcement of the "Iran Action Group" during a press briefing at the State department in Washington, DC, August 16, 2018.

Asking the Right Question on Iran, Al-Qaeda and the AUMF

The President and senior members of his administration are trying to skew a critical public debate by framing it inaccurately. The stakes—including a potential new war in the…
Logo for Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission United States Congress - Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Tom Lantos Commission: Enhancing U.S. Ability to Pursue Accountability for Atrocities

I had the honor of testifying last week before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission at a hearing devoted to “Pursuing Accountability for Atrocities.” My written testimony…
Women and children evacuated from the Islamic State (IS) group's embattled holdout of Baghouz arrive at a screening area held by the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor, on March 6, 2019.

Repatriating ISIS Families: An Opportunity to Show that “Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism” Can Work

Working with returning mothers and children may be the best opportunity that any country, or the international community more broadly, will ever have to get preventing/countering…
House Armed Services Committee ranking member Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) questions witnesses during a hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill April 12, 2018 in Washington, DC.

What’s In the New Draft National Defense Authorization Act

"The baseline draft bill, which is also called the chairman’s mark, touches on key issues ranging from the militarization of the southern border to deterring Russia and reemphasizing…
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