News of planned military trials for five 9/11 suspects underscores the Obama administration's need to more forcefully defend the necessity of military tribunals if they are to have legitimacy at home and abroad, says CFR's Matthew Waxman.

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

Drones have become a cost-effective default tactic for dealing with potential terrorist threats since 9/11, but this policy could lead to drone strikes by other countries as well as pushback from targeted states, says CFR's Micah Zenko.

Bin Laden's death dealt a blow to al-Qaeda, but the events of this year have shown the Arab masses have emphatically rejected the terror group's ideology as they seek democratic reforms, writes CFR's Ray Takeyh.

The Supreme Court's upholding of bans on "material support" for foreign terror groups, even involving legal activities, reflects a further post-9/11 broadening of federal powers, writes CFR's Matthew C. Waxman.

The Boston Marathon bombings illustrate the stresses on domestic intelligence gathering and counterterrorism in a democratic system, says CFR's Richard Falkenrath.

What is the Obama administration's legal justification for targeted killings? CFR national security expert John Bellinger explores this question as well as others with significant implications for U.S. counterterrorism.

All signs suggest that the United States will not be keeping large numbers of forces in Afghanistan for much longer, says CFR's Stephen Biddle.

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.

Targeted killings are up in Yemen and military trials have resumed in Guantanamo. CFR's Matthew Waxman assesses the White House's evolving legal basis for its war on al-Qaeda.

The latest spate of violence in Afghanistan is unlikely to change the course of planned troop withdrawals, but should refocus efforts on bringing under control Pakistan-based militants, says CFR's Daniel Markey.

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.

With his new executive order on Guantanamo, President Obama acknowledges that the controversial detention center will remain open for some time, says CFR's Matthew Waxman, but provides improved protections and review processes.

Congress passed a short-term extension for three surveillance provisions of the Patriot Act to allow for more debate, which CFR's Matthew Waxman says will likely focus on tightening restrictions and oversight.

Nine years after 9/11, the United States needs to combat the proliferating threat of Islamist radicalism abroad and anti-Muslim sentiment at home, says CFR's Richard A. Falkenrath.

After months of harsh words, the White House's conciliatory tone during the Afghan president's visit was calibrated to encourage Karzai to behave more like a "wartime leader and less like an innocent bystander," says CFR's Stephen Biddle.

As the Obama administration assesses American troop numbers in Afghanistan, the senior U.S. Army general training Afghan security forces says the White House should also double the size of the Afghan army and police.

CFR Fellow Micah Zenko says U.S. air strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas are ineffective as a counterinsurgency tool. He recommends that Washington create oversight mechanisms for its covert operations in the tribal areas and develop a comprehensive national strategy toward Pakistan.

CFR's Steven Simon says President Obama has asserted a new counterterrorism approach that balances aggressiveness on some fronts with a milder set of interrogation and detention policies.

Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's ambassador in Washington, says his government views the war against al-Qaeda and the Taliban as a national priority in spite of the doubts of some American officials. He also takes issue with the notion that Pakistan is close to bankruptcy.