Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO)

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How the Domestic Terrorist Label Endangers Rights and Drives Extremist Violence

Prepared congressional testimony for a Senate hearing that was postponed.
Backside of an officer, wearing a vest that reads: "POLICE COUNTERTERRORISM."

The U.S. Shouldn’t Lose Sight of the Real Terrorist Threats

As the Trump administration portrays far-left activists and drug cartels as major terrorist threats, the most dangerous foes are plotting.
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 02: U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (R) looks on as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting of his Cabinet in the Cabinet Room of the White House on December 02, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Expert Q&A on U.S. Military Actions in Venezuela and Boat Strikes

Expert FAQ on the U.S. military operations against Venezuela, high seas boat strikes, seizure of vessels and more.
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.
The U.S. Navy’s Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, including the flagship USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), left, USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), front, USS Mahan (DDG 72), back, USS Bainbridge (DDG 96), and embarked Carrier Air Wing Eight F/A-18E/F Super Hornets assigned to Strike Fighter Squadrons 31, 37, 87, and 213, operates as a joint, multi-domain force with a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress, Nov. 13, 2025; transiting the Anegada Passage and entered the Caribbean Sea, Nov. 16, 2025

Operation Southern Spear: Why the Crews, Drugs, and Boats are Not Targetable

A deep dive on the international law applicable to the U.S. military's lethal operations against suspected drug boats
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrives to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on June 18, 2025 in Washington, DC.

U.S. Boat Strike Campaign: Questions Congress Should Ask Executive Branch Officials

A list of questions that should be answered by U.S. government officials regarding the lethal campaign against suspected drug trafficking individuals, groups, and vessels.
Hungarian activists of the neo-Nazi Blood and Honour group hold flags in Budapest 11 February 2006 as participants bring wreaths at the tomb of Unknown Soldier in Heroes Square in Budapest where a German WWII helmet and wood cross were placed. More than 600 people attended the event to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the ill-fated escape attempt of Nazi German and Hungarian soldiers from Buda Castle, which was besieged 11 February 1945 by the Soviet Red Army at the end of World War II. (Photo by ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP via Getty Images)

State Dept’s Foreign Terrorist Designations Undermine Claims of “Antifa” Threat

Leading counter-extremism expert unpacks the administration's claimed designation of "Antifa Groups"
The Just Security Podcast Cover Image

The Just Security Podcast: Examining the Trump Administration’s New Antifa Designations

Tom Joscelyn talks with former DOJ counsel Tom Brzozowski about new Antifa designations, their civil liberties impact, and changing limits on speech and association.
U.S. President Donald Trump (C) speaks as (L-R) White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel listen during a roundtable discussion in the State Dining Room of the White House on October 08, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump’s administration held the roundtable to discuss the anti-fascist Antifa movement after signing an executive order designating it as a “domestic terrorist organization”. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

How Designating Antifa as a Foreign Terrorist Organization Could Threaten Civil Liberties

If the Trump administration designates Antifa as an FTO, it could have implications extending beyond anti-fascist activists to the entire architecture of U.S. civil society.
Demonstrators take part in a protest in front of the European Commission representation in Warsaw demanding more restrictive sanctions against Russia and arms supplies for Ukraine on January 8, 2024. (Photo by WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

It’s Time to Designate The Base as an FTO

With increasing violent extremism and waning DOJ interest in curbing far-right extremism, a failure to address the threats posed by The Base could prove fatal.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a joint press conference with French President after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on May 7, 2025. (Photo by STEPHANIE LECOCQ/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Understanding the Trump Administration’s Delisting of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham

On July 8, the Department of State removed Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), also known as Jabhat al-Nusrah, from the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) list. In a press release…
US President Donald Trump (L) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) in the Oval Office.

The Need for Course Correction: The Risks of Treating Drug Cartels as Terrorist Threats

While the executive order is intended to enhance national security, it raises significant concerns.
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