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.

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.

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.

The State Department published this Fact Sheet, issued by the Co-Chairs (Turkey and the United States) of the Global Counterterrorism Forum for the June 7, 2012, GCTF Ministerial-Level Plenary in Istanbul.

The National Counterterrorism Center's 2011 Report on Terrorism was released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in June 2012.

In this United States Institute of Peace special report, freelance journalist Andrew Walker explains the history of Boko Haram, an extremist Islamic sect in Nigeria, that has created havoc across the north of the country and its violent attacks on government offices, the United Nations, and churches.

NATO has been the foundation of transatlantic security for more than sixty years, but despite its longevity, critics question whether the alliance can stay relevant in the face of emerging threats, limited funding, and debates over its mission.

This Congressional Reseach Service report briefly summarizes the legal issues raised by the choice of forum for trying accused terrorists, and provides a chart comparing selected military commissions rules under the Military Commissions Act to the corresponding rules that apply in federal court.

Europol, the European Police Office, released the EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report 2011 in April 2011.

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.

This memorandum from the Congressional Research Service attempts to clarify the debate over lethal targeting of U.S. citizens with suspected ties to terrorist activites by providing legal background, setting forth what is known about the Administration's positionz and identifying possible points of contention among legal experts and other observers.

This Georgetown Journal of International Law article conducts a historical survey of assassinations and targeted killings, following up with a legal analysis of the bin Laden killing as a precedent for future American counterterrorism operations.

Osama bin Laden's killing helped spawn a crisis in Pakistan and left tough al-Qaeda-affiliated movements in the Mideast and Africa, says CFR's Linda Robinson.

John O. Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, gave these remarks at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC on April 30, 2012.

The Council of Europe Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime and on the Financing of Terrorism was adopted in Warsaw, Poland on May 16, 2005.

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.