Counterterrorism

An engineer points at a screen with markings for people (in red) and vehicles (in yellow)

Will the Next U.N. Counterterrorism Strategy Hold States Accountable For Their Use of AI?

The 9th U.N. Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy should insist that AI-enabled counterterrorism policies and practices demonstrably comply with international law.

Mar. 27, 2026 Tomaso Falchetta and Romain Lanneau

The Shield of the Americas Is the Trump Corollary’s Military Edge

The Shield of the Americas operationalizes the 2025 National Security Strategy, creating serious consequences for sovereignty, civil-military relations, and democratic governance.

Mar. 16, 2026 Orlando J. Pérez

Stephen Miller, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Marine General Francis L. Donovan walk side by side outdoors at U.S. Southern Command headquarters in Doral, Florida, during the Americas Counter Cartel Conference, with other officials visible in the background.

Did the United States Just Bomb Ecuador?

The U.S. military continues maritime strikes on alleged drug smugglers and may now be hitting targets on land. Brian Finucane analyzes Trump’s latest War Powers report.

Mar. 13, 2026 Brian Finucane

How a Broadly Defined Counterterrorism Statute Could Be Abused

18 U.S.C. § 2339A doesn’t require proof of group membership or terrorist intent, and the policy framework around it outweighs any single verdict.

Mar. 3, 2026 Thomas E. Brzozowski

Two small children unload white bags off of a big white truck with a Red Crescent sign on the side, at dusk. A woman fully covered in a black chador stands next to the truck with her back to the camera.

Syria’s Al-Hol Camp Is Closed, But Another Remains, as Does International Responsibility

Responsible states can end the chaos and suffering in remaining camps like Roj by repatriating detainees and upholding their obligations to their citizens.

Feb. 27, 2026 Beatrice Eriksson

The image shows a large hall from above at the rear, with at least 5 rows of desks and chairs arrayed in a crescent facing away from the viewer toward the front of the room, where officials sit at a dais flanked by two large screens on the wall behind them showing speakers giving remarks.

How to Prevent the U.N. Global Counterterrorism Strategy Negotiations from Blowing Up

As the UN marks 20 years of its Global Counterterrorism Strategy, co-facilitators must steer fraught negotiations to protect human rights and preserve consensus.

Feb. 25, 2026 Jordan Street and CJ (Caleb) Pine

Two women wearing t-shirts under bulletproof vests, helmets and handcuffs, are escorted by armed guards on either side, walking up stairs to a court building. The vests and helmets have the letters BJMP on them, for the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, part of the country's Ministry of the Interior.

The Philippines Is Jailing Journalists in the Name of “Terror Financing”: Why the World Should Be Alarmed

The case of a jailed journalist in the Philippines is a warning for how efforts to counter terrorism financing can be manipulated into political tools of repression.

Feb. 17, 2026 Tom Smith

Military unmanned aerial vehicle at sunset.

Is the U.S. Conducting Air Strikes Against Al Qaeda in Yemen?

Despite official silence, multiple reports indicate renewed U.S. drone strikes in Yemen targeting AQAP militants, reviving debates on transparency and endless war.

Feb. 12, 2026 David Sterman

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (L) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping in front of their countries' flags.

Asia’s Administrative Arms Race: How U.S.-China Strategic Competition is Reshaping Economic Statecraft

Across Asia, formalized legal and bureaucratic mechanisms are reinforcing a regional arms race in administrative instruments. U.S. policy must react accordingly.

Feb. 11, 2026 Evan Enns

A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II taxis at a base in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Dec. 19, 2025. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Operation Hawkeye Strike: Attacking ISIS in Syria and International Law

International law, the new Syrian government, and U.S. military strikes against ISIS

Dec. 22, 2025 Michael Schmitt and Ryan Goodman

A man holds a Syrian flag across the street from the White House. An American flag waves in the background.

Caesar Act Repeal and the Syria Sanctions Removal Report Card

Where things stand along the path of Syria sanctions removal and what restrictions remain to inhibit burgeoning investment and development in post-Assad Syria.

Dec. 19, 2025 Rachel Alpert and Garrett Salzman

A young boy looks on at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah on December 9, 2025, which resulted in a Palestinian man being killed.

An Analysis of Resolution 2803 and the International Stabilization Force: A Militarized Enforcement Mission with Precarious Legal and Strategic Implications

UN Resolution 2803 authorizes a Gaza stabilization force under U.S. guidance, raising questions about legality, impartiality, and risks to Palestinian self-rule.

Dec. 10, 2025 Samiksha Mukherjee and Sanmay Moitra