President Obama signed this directive on May 23, 2013, which he said in a speech at the National Defense University is a framework that governs the use of force by United States against terrorists.

A state of emergency in Nigeria's northeast signals that Islamist violence and the government's brutal response have rendered the region ungovernable, says CFR's John Campbell.

Elliott Abrams discusses the latest House hearing on the Benghazi embassy attack of September 11, 2012.

Stewart Patrick and Alexandra Kerr make recommendations to improve the counterterrorism efforts of the United States and its allies, in conjunction with CFR's Global Governance Report Card, published by the International Institutions and Global Governance program.

The article also provides a detailed case study of Hossam Yaacoub—the convicted Hizb Allah operative now serving time in a Cypriot prison for his role in a plot targeting Israeli tourists—to show how Hizb Allah has resurrected its terrorist capabilities. Drawn from the police depositions of interviews with Yaacoub after his arrest, the case provides unique insights into how Hizb Allah recruits and trains new operatives.

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

Julia Sweig reflects on implications of the Boston Marathon bombings in the midst of debates on gun control and immigration reform.

According to Ed Husain, "the answers to countering the appeal of radicalism among some Muslims in the West rests in more, not less, debating of religion, pluralist politics and integrating immigrants."

U.S.-EU cooperation against terrorism has led to a new dynamic in U.S.-EU relations by fostering dialogue on law enforcement and homeland security issues previously reserved for bilateral discussions. Nevertheless, some challenges persist in fostering closer U.S.-EU cooperation in these fields. Among the most prominent are data privacy and data protection concerns.

In light of the terrorist attack at the 2013 Boston Marathon, Max Boot writes, "Keep calm and carry on."

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon reflects on the terrorist bombing at the Boston Marathon.

A panel of experts discuss the new HBO documentary film, Manhunt, which details the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

President Obama gave a speech on April 15, 2013, after explosions went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. In a second speech on April 16, he said the case will be investigated as an "act of terrorism" and on April 19, he discussed the federal and local coordination in locating and taking into custody one of the suspects and in collecting intelligence.

"While it was not the first country where the United States used drones, [Pakistan] became the laboratory for the targeted killing operations that have come to define a new American way of fighting, blurring the line between soldiers and spies and short-circuiting the normal mechanisms by which the United States as a nation goes to war."

Elliott Abrams forecasts "trouble ahead" in Europe, once its passport-holding jihadis return home from fighting in Syria.

As the French-led military forces retake northern Mali, [AQIM emir Abdelmalek] Droukdel's eight month old letter should resonate as an ominous warning as it points to a long-term strategic plan to outlive the intervention and sets the stage for a potentially successful return. Clearly, under Droukdel's leadership, AQIM has no intention of relinquishing northern Mali.

Trace the Iraq war campaign through ten CFR meetings that assembled some of the leading foreign policy analysts and news figures of the past decade.

In the wake of the U.S. withdrawal, a resurgent al-Qaeda in Iraq, allied with jihadist fighters in neighboring Syria, constitutes a considerable threat to regional security, explains this Backgrounder.

UN Special Rapporteur on Human rights and Counterterrorism Ben Emmerson released this statement on March 14, 2013, following his meetings in Pakistan with victims of drone strikes.