President Donald Trump’s decision on December 19, 2018 to withdraw American forces from Syria unleashed a tsunami of piquant criticism. Much of that criticism is described below. At issue, how does the president’s decision inform us about his leadership in the area of counterterrorism? Criticism of Trump’s Withdrawal Decision…
Strident criticism is continually directed at The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). That criticism is often directed at the failure of the alliance to adjust to the Russian threat that continues to unfold in the wake of Vladimir’s Putin’s efforts to ensure that Russia is relevant again. Critics have…
The Arab Spring displaced several illegitimate regimes in Middle East and North Africa or MENA. In the mist of the shifting political current Islamic extremist organizations quickly seized control of vacant power vacuums. This post explores the Islamic States expansion into Libya. Then the post explores the counterterrorism strategies of…
Following the recapture of Mosul, the second largest city in the country, the government of Iraq issued a proclamation extolling the defeat of The Islamic State. Not long thereafter, the administration of President Donald Trump, following the collapse of the operational headquarters in Raqqa, Syria and in their strong-hold Deir…
The unfolding counterterrorism activities inside Africa’s most populist country remains both a fascinating story and one which continues to be grossly underreported. A wealthy state in many ways, Nigeria continues to struggle with its single greatest security challenge—the specter of subnational terrorism. The specific form of terrorism has confounded Nigeria’s…
In recent discussions with former students many have inquired about some of the signature issues or debates during the period of contemporary counterterrorism. This post addresses several issues. What accounts for why counterterrorism is conducted differently during the period of international terrorism than in the current era which…