Terrorism & Violent Extremism
Just Security provides expert legal and policy analysis of terrorism, counterterrorism, and domestic and international violent extremism.
2,268 Articles

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.

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.

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…

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.

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.…

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…