Ideas
And the War Came: A Call for Unity—Not to Arms—in My Hometown Orlando
A Pentagon reporter raised in Orlando returned to measure the distance from the battlefield to the homefront, and found something unexpected.
Science & Tech
The Pentagon is Developing A New Suite of Tools to Fight the Lone Wolf Problem
As the counter-terrorism battle moves online, DARPA seeks to track how ISIS spreads its ideas — and how well US ripostes are working.
Science & Tech
How US Counterterrorism Funds Ended Up in the Orlando Terrorist's Pocket
The U.S. spends billions a year on counterterrorism, with generally poor oversight.
Threats
The Orlando Shooting Is the Deadliest In US History
Around 50 people were killed and at least 53 wounded Sunday when a gunman opened fire in a popular gay nightclub in downtown Orlando.
Science & Tech
France Launches New Terror Alert App Ahead of Euro 2016 Tournament
With millions of sports fans expected to fill multiple venues in western Europe, the French are beefing up security.
Threats
Don’t Give Up on the African Union Mission Yet
Somalia's most effective institution and its biggest driver of stability, AMISOM is the only force that can counter al-Shabab and hold territory.
Threats
America’s New Special Operations Commander Wants to Predict the Future
With so many elite troops fighting ‘an extremist phenomenon that’s gone rabid’ in failed states, Gen. Tony Thomas wants to get his operators ahead of the curve.
Threats
Pentagon To Harden US Military Bases Against ISIS Attacks
Defense Secretary promises three-year, $180 million force-protection effort, following threats in Chattanooga and elsewhere.
Policy
The Detainee With No Country—And the 79 Others Still at Guantanamo
All are men, and most have not been charged with any crimes.
Ideas
Here’s the Latest Evidence Torture Doesn’t Keep Us Safe
It all comes down to the neurological consequences of stressors.
Threats
Boko Haram Has Stepped Up Its Use of Children as Suicide Bombers—and Most Are Girls
The group's suicide bombings involving children have jumped eleven fold within in the last two years, according to UNICEF.
Ideas
How Should the World Respond to Terrorism?
We invert the classic Q&A to explore the complexities influencing global responses to terrorism today.
Threats
How Bad Would A Radiological Terror Attack Be?
An interactive map shows a wide variation of outcomes for “nuclear terrorism.”
Ideas
Obama's Record as Commander-in-Chief, By the Numbers
He vowed to end America's wars, but has mostly just changed who’s doing the fighting.
Ideas
Let’s Not Give Suicide Bombers So Much Credit—Sometimes They Have No Strategy
The Brussels attackers may have been responding to territorial losses in Iraq and Syria, but that's not the only possible scenario.
Science & Tech
The Dark Web Is Too Slow and Annoying for Terrorists
For starters, a site on the dark web doesn’t do what jihadis need it to do: get their message out.
Ideas
The Changing Logic Behind Suicide Bombings
What was once purely a strategic action has become a tactical move meant to help hold territory.
Ideas
ISIS Is Using the Media Against Itself
It doesn’t matter if the coverage that follows an attack is negative. For ISIS, any coverage is good coverage.
Threats
What Trump Got Right About Brussels
Trump’s diagnosis of the attack makes sense. But the proposals he and Ted Cruz offered in response do not.
Threats