Terrorism & Violent Extremism

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

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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…
Fully veiled women and children walk 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.

Time to Bring Women and Children Home from Iraq and Syria

Kazakhstan proves that bringing home the women and children stranded in Iraq and Syria is possible for all countries facing the problem.
US National Security Advisor John Bolton speaks at the United Against Nuclear Iran Summit in New York on September 25, 2018.

Bolton’s Stated Predicate for War With Iran Doesn’t Work

"Bolton has repeatedly threatened that Iran’s support for its 'proxies' could bring 'a very strong response'—even military force. By threatening military action against Iran…
A woman walks past a makeshift memorial outside the Tree of Life Congregation October 30, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Finding the Federal Data on Domestic Terrorism

Is the government collecting data on acts meeting the definition of “domestic terrorism”? The short answer to the question is: Yes, but clearly more can be done.
Displaced Syrians, who fled their homes in Deir Ezzor city, carry boxes of humanitarian aid supplied by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) at a refugee camp in Syrias northeastern Hassakeh province on February 26, 2018.

Correcting Course: Avoiding the Collision Between Humanitarian Action and Counterterrorism

"When the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2462(2019), aimed at combating the financing of terrorism, it included language meant to protect humanitarian action.…
Security personnel stand guard outside a mosque during Friday noon prayer in Colombo on May 3, 2019, following a series of bomb blasts targeting churches and luxury hotels on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka. Signs outside the mosque read, “Terrorism & Extremism has no place in Islam. Sufism is against terrorism.” “We stand with Christian brethren in grief. You are Us! We condemn terrorism in whatever form. Let us grieve together, let us rise together!”

In Legislation to Reduce Global Violence, Can U.S. Move Beyond a Focus on “Extremism”?

The real priority for the United States is to address not just ‘extremism’ but violent conflict overall by being clear-eyed about the complex factors driving it and what contributes…
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