Micah Zenko examines the public comments of John Brennan, Obama's closest adviser for intelligence and counterterrorism issues, and finds that there are seven half-truths and direct contradictions between stated U.S. policies and actual practices.

The Arab Spring severely weakened the narrative of Islamist extremists but they are now stirring anti-U.S. sentiments in fragile new democracies, says Mideast expert Ali Soufan.

In the wake of the deadly attacks on U.S. diplomatic missions in Egypt and Libya, Bobby Ghosh writes that the newly-formed democratic governments which replaced long-standing dictatorships, as a result of the Arab Spring, has contributed to greater instability and a more chaotic and unstable Middle East.

Israeli authorities in the West Bank have long worried about stopping Palestinian terrorism.

Micah Zenko says John Brennan, chief adviser to President Obama on counterterrorism issues, has a unique and unprecedented role in shaping and implementing the president's vision for protecting the United States, its allies, and its interests from politically motivated violence.

Post-9/11 U.S. counterterrorism and surrounding civil liberties issues are unlikely to stray far from currently policy no matter who is in the White House in 2013, says CFR's Matthew Waxman.

The 9/11 attacks on the United States catalyzed effective counterterrorism efforts worldwide and demonstrated the ongoing need for public resilience, says CFR President Richard Haass.

The U.S. designation of the Haqqani network as a foreign terrorist organization may heighten tensions with Islamabad, but was the "right decision" because it provides clarity within the U.S. government and to Pakistani authorities, says CFR's Daniel Markey

Richard M. Thompson II assesses the use of drones under the Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.

Unnoticed by the West, al-Qaeda is seizing a golden opportunity in Syria, says Ed Husain.

Listen to CFR senior fellows Robert Danin and Ed Husain as they discuss the crisis in Syria, the international community's response, and the jihadist threat.

Al-Qaeda may become the Free Syrian Army's most potent weapon against the Assad regime, but its collaboration with rebel forces poses serious risks for the country's future, says CFR's Ed Husain.

The role of drones in the military--and their move toward autonomy--is rapidly progressing.

The State Department's yearly Country Reports on Terrorism was released on July 31, 2012 and covers the year 2011.

In his latest exclusive dispatch from Deir el-Zour province, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad meets fighters who have left the Free Syrian Army for the discipline and ideology of global jihad.

The People's Mujahedin of Iran, or MEK, is a militant Iranian opposition group and a recognized terrorist organization, according to the U.S. State Department. This Backgrounder examines the group's history and the politics surrounding its relocation from Iraq.

Efforts to vaccinate Pakistani children are in peril after the CIA's vaccine ploy to help capture Osama bin Laden, placing the entire region at risk of outbreaks, says CFR's Laurie Garrett.

A new multimedia resource from CFR's International Institutions and Global Governance program reveals gaps in multilateral efforts to combat transnational organized crime.

The West may no longer be the main target for terrorist organizations; turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa has given rise to an increased number of more locally-focused attacks in the last year.

The U.S. drone attack that killed an al-Qaeda leader has further frayed ties and is feeding Pakistani anger, humiliation, and frustration over U.S. aims, says CFR's Daniel Markey.