counterterrorism

What Happens When Sudan is Removed from the U.S. Terror List?

SWJED — Sat, 08 Feb 2020 13:31:49 +0000

What Happens When Sudan is Removed from the U.S. Terror List? SWJED Sat, 02/08/2020 - 8:31am

Its been nearly a year since Sudan’s longtime dictator, Omar al-Bashir, was ousted from power. As the country moves to transition to democracy, its civilian government and Sudanese civil society have called on the U.S. government to remove Khartoum from the State Sponsors of Terrorism (SST) list. The Sentry’s Hilary Mossberg and John Prendergast recently argued that although delisting is an important for Sudan’s transition, it is just one of multiple steps needed—from both the U.S. and Sudan—in order for pro-democracy forces to achieve their goals.

Donald Trump Eliminated a Bully. Simple.

SWJED — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 14:31:12 +0000

Donald Trump Eliminated a Bully. Simple. SWJED Mon, 01/20/2020 - 9:31am

President Trump may epitomize the kid who unabashedly challenges the menace of the schoolyard bully. Most kids? They tiptoe around bullies, nervously looking away. Most hope the bully will not take notice and simply move on without inflicting harm. Yet most kids understand these dynamics as irksome risks undermining the very sense of order, calm, and security.

East Africa Needs a Regional Counterterrorism Center

SWJED — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 10:30:43 +0000

East Africa Needs a Regional Counterterrorism Center SWJED Tue, 12/17/2019 - 5:30am

The task of rethinking East African counterterrorism cooperation has gone through many phases but remains limited in scope. Kenyan, Tanzanian, and African Union counterterrorism centers exist, but they are principally research and policy centers or local one-country interagency apparatuses. Other limitations are highlighted by the lack of multi-country intelligence operations uniquely designed for East African counterterrorism writ large, i.e. tackling the regional al-Shabaab threat in a simultaneous permanent fashion at one location.

Pass On What You Have Learned

SWJED — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 09:55:11 +0000

Pass On What You Have Learned SWJED Mon, 11/18/2019 - 4:55am

Many of the troopers and leaders who were part of the early deployments of the “Global War on Terrorism” have since departed the military. But I know many remain, though for a lot of them, I suspect their experiences consist of deployments involving security force assistance or limited patrols with limited goals as host-nation forces were pushed to take on more responsibility. Despite this, the troopers who are still in our military have valuable lessons that should be passed on to those with less experience.

Can Policy Catch Up to the Golden Age of Terrorism Research?

SWJED — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 13:50:22 +0000

Can Policy Catch Up to the Golden Age of Terrorism Research? SWJED Wed, 11/06/2019 - 8:50am

There is a great hunger to better understand violent extremism and diminish its impact, especially given its global spread. Policies should stand on the shoulders of research to yield better outcomes for countless people around the globe whose lives are devastated by violent extremism.

Israel, America's Presidential Election and the Law of Armed Conflict

SWJED — Sun, 03 Nov 2019 15:39:57 +0000

Israel, America's Presidential Election and the Law of Armed Conflict SWJED Sun, 11/03/2019 - 10:39am

Already, back in 2014, US Senator Bernie Sanders fancied himself an informed scholar on the complex laws of war. Then as now, however, the Senator's seat-of-the-pants judgments concerning Israeli counterterrorism were evidently contrived and woefully incorrect. Whether wittingly or unwittingly, this recurrent American presidential aspirant, by accusing Israel of using "disproportionate force" against Palestinians, still ignores the (1) critical regional context of Israel's self-defense responses to terrorism, and (2) the authentic legal meaning of "proportionality."

Targeting Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: Pertinent Issues of Law and Strategy

SWJED — Mon, 28 Oct 2019 15:00:38 +0000

Targeting Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: Pertinent Issues of Law and Strategy SWJED Mon, 10/28/2019 - 11:00am

The US targeted killing of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on 26 October 2019 raises both tactical and legal questions. Although it is by no means certain that such "decapitation" tactics can tangibly diminish Jihadist terrorist threats to the United States, there is little reason to doubt their permissibility under pertinent international law. In the final analysis, such permissibility derives from our world's still-decentralized legal structure.

Incomparable Attractions of Immortality in World Politics: Jihadist Terror and Countervailing Policies of "Mind"

SWJED — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 17:55:44 +0000

Incomparable Attractions of Immortality in World Politics: Jihadist Terror and Countervailing Policies of "Mind" SWJED Sun, 09/22/2019 - 1:55pm

Though generally unseen, the most compelling form of power on earth is power over death. Always. Today, after an American president declared "victory" over one especially notorious organization with aggressive claims to such ultimate power, Jihadist doctrine is anything but in retreat. On the contrary, ISIS is in the verifiable midst of a substantial "comeback" or group "resurrection."

Would Sherman Pursue Today’s Jihadists?

SWJED — Thu, 29 Aug 2019 17:05:00 +0000

Would Sherman Pursue Today’s Jihadists? SWJED Thu, 08/29/2019 - 1:05pm

In December of 1860, William Tecumseh Sherman delivered a speech to Louisianans on the subject of secession and articulated the kind of timeless logic Americans ought to apply before deciding to go to war.

ISIS: Forgotten But Not Gone

SWJED — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 13:38:25 +0000

ISIS: Forgotten But Not Gone SWJED Tue, 08/13/2019 - 9:38am

Despite complete territory loss in recent months, ISIS still has plenty of life left, and its predecessors have recovered from far more difficult situations in the past. ISIS has more manpower, money, and reliable networks than it ever had before it began controlling territory.