Our picksBoko Haram myths; surviving a nuclear attack; pricey immunotherapy drugs, and more

Five Myths about Boko Haram (Alex Thurston, Lawfare)
Recent years have brought a spate of publications about the Nigerian-born jihadist movement Boko Haram. Many of these publications are works of serious scholarship and journalism, and there are innovative new works in the pipeline. Nevertheless, key misconceptions about Boko Haram persist, particularly in non-scholarly publications, journalistic treatments of the group, and policymaking. With my own book on the group recently released, I want to dispel some of these myths.

The U.S. military is fighting terrorism in 76 countries around the world — here’s where (Daniel Brown, Business Insider)
Between October 2015 and October 2017, the U.S. fought terror in 76 countries, or 39 percent of the total number of countries in the world, according to recently published data.

New ways to detect nuclear misbehavior (Katlyn Turner, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists)
If we had the technology to detect nuclear materials remotely it could help deter smuggling and make it easier to monitor international nuclear agreements. Several recent breakthroughs, if followed up with continued research and funding, could deliver on this promise. They include technological advances in x-ray and neutron radiography; a method that measures how plasma breaks down when exposed to a radioactive source; and developments in antineutrino detection. While all require more development and testing, they are important steps as the global need for ways to detect nuclear materials grows.

How terrorists and provocateurs are using social media against western democracies (Peter Pomerantsev, New Statesman)
On the digital front line are guilt-ridden Russian trolls, young women lured by Isis and Facebook Sherlocks in suburbia.

Germany doesn’t have a playbook for a Nazi-sympathizing opposition (Paul Hockenos, Foreign Policy)
A far-right party has entered German parliament, with uncertain consequences for the country’s democracy.

What to do in case of a nuclear attack (Todd C. Frankel, Washington Post)
The U.S. government has a wealth of suggestions for staying safe — or at least safer — in a nuclear attack.

Hawaii false alarm: How would U.K. handle missile threat? (Ed Davey, BBC)
Residents of Hawaii are reeling from the shock of a false ballistic missile alarm, after a government employee “pushed the wrong button”. But how would UK citizens be made aware of an incoming strike?

China’s total information awareness: Second-order challenges (Ashley Deeks, Lawfare)
The U.S. needs to start thinking about how to respond to domestic surveillance in other countries.

Can pricey immunotherapy drugs help fight infectious disease in developing countries? (Brendan P. Foht, Weekly Standard)
Bill Gates is trying to find out.

The KKK’s attempt to define America (Eric Herschthal, New Republic)
Two new books explain how the Klan gained so much power in the 1920s.

Here’s how immigrants from countries Trump slammed really do in the U.S. (Lyman Stone, Vox)
The United States today, as it always has, receives a lot of immigrants from some very poor and destitute places. And yet today, as always, we succeed in integrating the vast majority of them; they become productive members of society. There are always hiccups of course, and some groups perform better than others, but on the whole, the immigrants we get from the very worst of places often end up being some of our best. African countries, and even disaster-struck countries benefiting from TPS, are no exception.