Violence and Security

Taliban Announces Spring Offensive in Afghanistan

April 26, 2018

The Taliban has announced the launch of their annual spring jihadi offensive, aimed at targeting "American invaders and intelligence agents," and rejected the Afghan government's offer of peace negotiations in the run-up to the country's parliamentary elections in October.
US Responds to Taliban's Continuing Jihad in Afghanistan

April 26, 2018

The US State Department issued an official response to the Taliban's announcement of a spring jihadi offensive in Afghanistan, condemning the Islamist extremist group's sustained campaign of violence targeting civilians, violating international human rights standards, and undermining the stabilization of a legitimate government in the geopolitically crucial Southwest Asian country.
Debate on Seized MB Assets Uncovers Economics of Extremism

April 26, 2018

The drafting of legislation in the Egyptian Parliament related to the seizure and disposal of assets from the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) is revealing the extensive scope of legitimate business and investment activities and illegal activities that explain popular support for Islamist extremism and financing capabilities for Islamist terrorist operations.
US Legislation Recognizes Hezbollah as Transnational Threat

April 26, 2018

The "Disarm Hezbollah Act," introduced with bipartisan support in the US Congress, calls for the US Director of National Intelligence to report on the transnational activities and threats of Hezbollah, a Shiite Islamist party dominating Lebanon's politics and utilizing narcotics trafficking and other illegal activities in a global network from North America to the Middle East.
UNESCO Meeting Seeks Education to Combat Extremism

April 25, 2018

A consultation hosted by the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on the prevention of violent extremism highlights UNESCO's focus on "the transformative power of education" in combating the proliferation of violent extremist ideology around the world.
IS Threatens to Disrupt Iraqi Elections

April 24, 2018

Islamic State (IS) actors have issued new threats to attack polling stations in Iraq’s upcoming parliamentary elections as a move opposing control by "Iranian Shiite infidels" and showing the group's continuing activity in the country.
IS Cell Bombs Kabul Shiite Neighborhood

April 23, 2018

An Islamic State (IS) cell in Afghanistan executed a mass-casualty suicide bombing attack in a Shiite neighborhood in Kabul, with the latest in a spate of attacks by the Sunni jihadi group against the country’s Shiite minority indicating the intensification of sectarianism as a driver of violence by radical Islamists.
Belgian Party Campaigns on Sharia State Platform

April 23, 2018

Belgium’s Islam Party is campaigning in the approaching Fall 2018 municipal elections on a platform of converting the country into a sharia state, prompting several Belgian politicians to call for a ban on extremist parties whose platforms oppose the country’s Constitution.
IS Calls for Attacks on Arab "Apostates"

April 23, 2018

The Islamic State's (IS) official spokesman released a directive to the group's followers to attack Sunni and Shiite leaders of Mideast Arab nations, whom he described as "apostates" because of their failure to uphold an extreme interpretation of Islam, thereby green-lighting an internal Islamist jihad.
Paper Examines Japanese Hate Speech Law

April 20, 2018

The U.S.-Asia Law Institute recently presented a paper by Ayako Hatano of the University of Tokyo examining the Japanese government's implementation of UN human rights body recommendations in the form of its Hate Speech Dissolution Act and the process of "internalization" of human rights norms developed in international fora.