Targeted killings have become a central component of U.S. counterterrorism operations around the globe. Despite pointed criticism over transparency and accountability issues, analysts say the controversial practice seems likely to expand in the future.
Pakistani journalist Najam Sethi discusses the factors behind anti-Americanism in Pakistan. He says the two countries have failed to develop a strategic relationship because of their differences in Afghanistan.
Detainee policy that would mandate military custody for al-Qaeda suspects captured in the United States could have a detrimental impact on U.S. counterterrorism operations, say CFR legal experts Matthew C. Waxman and John B. Bellinger III.
The Carnegie Endowment's Christopher Boucek discusses the developing situation in Yemen and what strategies the U.S. might pursue to most successfully reduce violence in the country.
Authors: Stuart Levey and Christy Clark Foreign Policy
Stuart Levey and Christy Clark argue that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is the world's premier standard-setting body for combating terrorist financing and money laundering, and it should develop and enforce standards for sanctions implementation.
Following the ten-year anniversary of 9/11 and the six-year anniversary of the London subway bombings, Theresa May discusses counterterrorism strategy in the United Kingdom. The meeting focused on the nature of the threat, its evolution, the impact of events like the Arab Spring, and the United Kingdom's response, particularly as it prepares for the 2012 Olympics.
Speakers: Richard A. Falkenrath, John E. McLaughlin and Juan Carlos Zarate Presider: Gideon Rose
Experts discuss how changes to U.S. domestic and international policy since September 11, 2011 have enhanced counterterrorism approaches and contributed to preventing planned terrorist attacks.
This session was part of a CFR symposium, 9/11: Ten Years Later, which was made possible by the generous support of Shelby Cullom and Kathryn W. Davis.
Speakers: Richard A. Falkenrath, John E. McLaughlin and Juan Carlos Zarate Presider: Gideon Rose
Experts discuss how changes to U.S. domestic and international policy since September 11, 2011 have enhanced counterterrorism approaches and contributed to preventing planned terrorist attacks.
This session was part of a CFR symposium, 9/11: Ten Years Later, which was made possible by the generous support of Shelby Cullom and Kathryn W. Davis.
President Obama issued this executive order on September 9, 2011. Among its provisions, it calls for a new body, the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, to "coordinate, orient, and inform Government-wide public communications activities directed at audiences abroad and targeted against violent extremists and terrorist organizations, especially al-Qa'ida and its affiliates and adherents, with the goal of using communication tools to reduce radicalization by terrorists and extremist violence and terrorism that threaten the interests and national security of the United States."
Barry Pavel and Matthew H. Kroenig argue that while a deterrence approach holds great potential for helping to thwart future al Qaeda attacks, it remains a poorly understood and underutilized element of U.S. counterterrorism strategy.
The CIA has expanded its focus to include more paramilitary missions rather than intelligence collection, write Greg Miller and Julie Tate of The Washington Post.
The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press indicates that the American public generally views the government's response to terrorism favorably, yet fewer than half of those surveyed believe that government policies have prevented another major attack on the United States.
Within days of the 9/11 attacks, Congress authorized U.S. military and intelligence agencies to kill and detain terrorists. It is time to revise that authority on matters like detentions and drone attacks, says CFR's John B. Bellinger III.
Brian Michael Jenkins, Senior Adviser to the President of the RAND Corporation, revisits the topic of homegrown terrorism, expands on earlier writings about domestic counterterrorist strategy, and updates the numbers and case descriptions to include all of 2010.
A near absence of terrorist incidents in the United States since 9/11 points to the success of the Bush administration's counterterrorism measures that once stirred controversy but now have bipartisan acceptance, writes CFR's Max Boot
The Council on Foreign Relations' David Rockefeller Studies Program—CFR's "think tank"—is home to more than seventy full-time, adjunct, and visiting scholars and practitioners (called "fellows"). Their expertise covers the world's major regions as well as the critical issues shaping today's global agenda. Download the printable CFR Experts Guide.
Gause posits that, though the Arab Awakening has caused tensions in Saudi-American relations, the two countries do not face a crisis and still have significant mutual interests that should be prioritized.
The authors assess the strengths and weaknesses of international institutions and provide a set of practical recommendations for how the United States can strengthen the global architecture for preventive action by partnering with those organizations.
A leading Middle East scholar pens this "good introduction to the Saudi paradox of social change and political stability and an invaluable guide to the challenges the country faces." More