Counterterrorism
484 Articles

Keeping Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism in Focus at the UN
Egypt has for years sought to undermine UN consensus on norms for human rights in countering terrorism. It's time for UN members to take a principled stand.

Trump’s Communications Malpractice Mars His Victory Lap on al-Baghdadi
The president politicized the raid’s aftermath and jeopardized our foreign policy and military operations in the process.

How Trump’s Gilding the Lily on Baghdadi Death Will Return to Haunt Americans
I handled State Dept’s public messaging after we killed bin Laden. I know the risks.

Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism’s ‘Transparency Report’ Raises More Questions Than Answers
The Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism doesn’t go far enough in allaying concerns about the negative impacts on freedom of expression facilitated by this opaque, private…

What’s the New Terror Financing Executive Order All About?
Last week, the Trump administration updated E.O. 13224 to expand both State and Treasury’s ability to wield sanctions against terrorists. What are the practical implications…

Why a Judge’s Terrorism Watchlist Ruling is a Game Changer: What Happens Next
Leading expert and author of a book on the subject, Jeffrey Kahn explains what happens now that a court declared a major terrorist watchlist unconstitutional.

Q&A on Court Decision Invalidating Administration’s Terrorism Watchlist
Expert Backgrounder on the big questions coming out of the court's ruling. The case involved US citizens. How might the ruling affect foreign nationals? What were the judge's key…

The Tit-for-Tat Dynamics of 21st Century Extremism
After two decades of focus on militant jihadist terrorism, a broader understanding is developing of another form of extremism – that of the violent far-right or ultra-nationalist…

Part III: The Muddy Middle: A New Framework for Use of Force
We may not have wanted to land in this muddy middle between peace and war that we currently find ourselves in, but this is the reality of the current moment in the counterterrorism…

Part II: The Muddy Middle: Challenges of Applying Use of Force Policy Guidance in Practice
In part two of a three-part series, the authors explain how new operational models for both why and how the U.S. used force outside areas of active hostilities created tensions…

The Muddy Middle: The Disappearing Lines in America’s Counterterrorism Wars and How to Restore Order
In three articles, the authors explain how the lines have blurred between U.S. military operating procedures for use of force in hot war zones versus outside areas of active hostilities…

A Post-Mortem on UN Security Council Resolution 2482 on Organized Crime and Counter-Terrorism
The creeping conflation of armed conflict, terrorism and organized crime does not lend legal clarity to complex legal and political challenges. In the long run, it may, in fact,…