Violence and Security

Libya Is at Epicenter of Expanding Islamist Threat in Africa

February 23, 2016

The expansion of jihadi groups, institutional structures, and illegal financial extortion and human smuggling activities spreading across Africa are throwing into sharp relief the global nature of the threat of violent Islamism, with the Islamic State's Libya franchise at the epicenter of the continent's Islamist networks.
Boko Haram Continues Islamist Terror with Female Suicide Bombers

February 11, 2016

Boko Haram continued its jihadi assault to impose sharia law throughout Nigeria with a lethal attack on a refugee camp in the northeastern part of the country by female suicide bombers, a cadre increasingly deployed by the extremist group.
Cutting Off IS Access to Finance Is Urgent Security Priority

February 05, 2016

Iraq's Central Bank has taken the lead in a significant security move likely to be followed by Foreign Ministers of the Small Group of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL/Da'esh ("IS") by imposing aggressive regulatory measures to cut off IS from access to the international banking system and regional foreign exchange houses in order to degrade the jihadists' capabilities.
Pakistan Suffers Domestic Blowback from Supporting Violent Islamists

February 05, 2016

The recent Taliban assault on a university in the northwest part of the country points to the entrenchment of extremist Islamist groups inside Pakistan, homegrown blowback resulting from the military's willingness to collaborate with radical Islamists as a foreign policy tool against India and Afghanistan.
Iraq Battle with IS Extends to Cyberspace

February 05, 2016

The Iraq government is intensifying its war against the Islamic State ("IS") in cyberspace, as Baghdad is trying to persuade satellite companies to terminate service in IS territories to eliminate a source of caliphate propaganda and jihadi recruitment.
Iran, UNESCO Promote Cultural Site Preservation

February 05, 2016

Iran's President pledged to cooperate with the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization ("UNESCO") on initiatives to prevent radical Islamists from destroying cultural sites, arguing that site preservation of cultural patrimony is an important component of broader educational efforts to counter violent extremism.
Witness Raises Terrorism Concerns in France

February 05, 2016

According to an interview with a woman who tipped off French police regarding the location of Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the leader of the Paris attacks in November that killed 130 people, Abaaoud told her that he had traveled to France with approximately 90 extremists without documents who are now spread throughout the Paris region.
Weak and Failed States Are Keys to International Jihadist Successes

February 05, 2016

The successful organizational and strategic adaptations of the world's two premier violent Islamist groups, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State ("IS"), have been based on their use of failed and weak states as platforms for the growth of jihadi ideologies and operations.
US Seeks to Waive Visa Restrictions for Iran Visitors

February 05, 2016

In an update on US legislation restricting the visa-waiver program for nationals of and visitors to certain countries, attorneys from Faegre Baker Daniels describe how EU countries might retaliate against visa restrictions and report that US administration officials have assured Iran that they have the authority to waive these restrictions for certain visitors to that country.
US Defense Budget Prioritizes Russia, China Threats

February 02, 2016

US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter makes a case through the Pentagon's budget proposal for why China’s rapid military buildup and Russia’s intervention beyond its borders pose a larger threat to US security than do extremist groups like the Islamic State.