For the past two years, the Obama administration has been developing a "disposition matrix," or tool for pursuing terrorists.

Max Boot says Obama repeated Bush's mistake, and the power vacuum in Libya has now been filled by jihadists.

The expansion of North Africa's AQIM into Mali and links to attacks against the U.S. consulate in Libya have spurred fears about the group's threat to the region, explains this CFR backgrounder.

Pir Zubair Shah says the attack on Malala, the Pakistani girl gunned down by the Taliban, proves the Taliban's resilience and shows the uphill task of fighting them without a firm plan in place.

American approach to deadly drone strikes in Pakistan proves overly blunt, says journalist and Waziristan native Pir Zubair Shah.

Micah Zenko says, in the aftermath of the attacks in Benghazi, President Obama faces tremendous pressure to "do something" in response, but force won't stop another attack.

U.S. Treasury Department Under Secretary David Cohen gave these remarks on "Kidnapping for Ransom: The Growing Terrorist Financing Challenge" at Chatham House in London on October 5, 2012.

The Senate's Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs , Subcommittee on Investigations, released this report on "Federal Support for and Involvement in State and Local Fusion Centers" on October 2, 2012.

The Haqqani network, a semi-autonomous arm of the Taliban, is one of the deadliest factions of the latter group; and the most financially diverse and sophisticated as well.

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.