Al Qaeda
200 Articles

Al-Qaeda, the Law on Associated Forces and “Belonging to” a Party (did the new UN drones reports get it right?)
[Editor’s note: Kevin Jon Heller responds to Ryan in a Guest Post, and Ryan replies in a subsequent post. A Guest Post by UN Special Rapporteur Christof Heyns also addresses…

The President’s May 23d NDU Speech in Action: The Broader Significance of the al-Liby and Ikrima Operations [UPDATED Oct. 15]
If reported accounts thus far are accurate, the al-Liby and Ikrima capture operations last weekend are important illustrations of several things that the President and his top…

The Al-Libi Case Is a Step Forward, Even if Not (Yet) A Paradigm Shift
Jack Goldsmith on the Lawfare blog has an interesting response to Mary DeRosa and Marty Lederman’s take on the implications of the al-Libi and Ikrima operations. I agree…

The Libya Raid to Capture Abu Anas al-Liby and The Persistence of Memory of Due Process
Now that Abu Anas al-Liby has been brought to the U.S. and may be appearing in court as you read this to face criminal charges, it might be tempting to say that all concerns…

The Case of Abu Anas al-Libi: The Domestic Law Issues
It is now well-known that Abu Anas al-Libi was seized in front of his home in Tripoli on Saturday, October 5 and transported to a U.S. ship in the Mediterranean, where he is reportedly…

Al-Liby: Male Captus, Bene Detentus?
Further to Marty’s post today on the question of Libya’s consent vel non to the recent al-Liby operation, we should also call attention to a long-withheld OLC opinion (13 U.S.…

U.S. Military Operations Against al-Shabaab/al-Qaeda—and Who Exactly is Ikrima?
What domestic legal authority did President Obama invoke to send a team of Navy SEALs into Somalia this weekend to capture or kill a member of al-Shabaab, the terrorist organization…

Food for Thought on the Effectiveness of Drone Strikes
For those following the drone debates, this new study published last week by the US Army War College Strategic Studies Institute is definitely worth a read. Though I haven’t…

Debate (Round 2): A Reply to Rona and Corn
This post is the final post in a series from Gabor Rona, Geoffrey Corn, and Just Security’s Derek Jinks. The debate addresses a fundamental question for US national security…

Debate (Round 2): A Reply to Rona and Jinks
This post is one in a series from Gabor Rona, Geoffrey Corn, and Just Security’s Derek Jinks. The debate addresses a fundamental question for US national security law: What…

Debate (Round 2): A Reply to Corn and Jinks
This post is one in a series from Gabor Rona, Geoffrey Corn, and Just Security’s Derek Jinks. The debate addresses a fundamental question for US national security law: What…

Transparency on Targeted Killings: Promises Made, but Little Progress
Since President Barack Obama’s May 2013 counter-terrorism speech, attention to and criticism of US targeted killings practice and policy has notably dropped off inside the US. …