• The New Syrian Government’s Fight Against the Islamic State, Hezbollah, and Captagon

    Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s background as a former branch of ISIS and al-Qa`ida has raised concerns about its trustworthiness regarding the interests of the U.S. and its allies. But the group’s record is reassuring: The largest threats to outside countries in Syria remain the Islamic State, remnant Hezbollah networks, and the criminal captagon trade. When Hayat Tahrir al-Sham was controlling territory in northwest Syria for seven years prior to the fall of the regime, it actually took those challenges on, and has continued to do so since it took over most of Syria on 8 December 2024.

  • ISIS in 2025: The Resurging Threat

    The threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) continues to grow as the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2025 has reported that the terror conglomerate has expanded its operations now to 22 countries.

  • The Trump Administration Says Tren de Aragua Is a Terrorist Group – but It’s Really a Transnational Criminal Organization. Here’s Why the Label Matters.

    The U.S. declared the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, as well as some Mexican drug cartels, as foreign terrorist organizations. But classifying Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization has sparked debate among observers: Tren de Aragua is primarily a profit-driven group, not an ideological one –placing the organization more firmly in the transnational organized crime category rather than a political terrorist group.

  • U.K. Counter Terrorism Officers Call on Parents to Be Aware

    Counter Terrorism officers from the Met Police are urging parents across London to be aware of the signs that might indicate that their child could be vulnerable to radicalization or being drawn into dangerous forms of violent extremism.

  • A “Goofy” DJ’s Secret Life at the Center of an Online Terrorism Network

    To friends, Matthew Allison was a likeable part of Boise, Idaho’s electronic music scene. But behind his computer screen, authorities say, he helped lead the Terrorgram Collective, an online network that inspired white supremacist violence.

  • White Supremacist Propaganda Focused on Jews and Immigrants in 2024

    The majority of white supremacist propaganda distributed in 2024 included antisemitic or anti-immigrant language and themes. Some leaned into both narratives –blaming Jews for the existence of America’s non-white immigrant and refugee populations.

  • Forging the Biological Weapon Convention: A Brief History of the Creation of the BWC

    The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) stands as a monument to international ambition: the first multilateral treaty to comprehensively ban an entire category of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The treaty’s origins are deeply rooted in the horrors of 20th-century warfare, advancements in biotechnology, and the geopolitical tensions of the Cold War.

  • The Siege of the Red Sea

    With the degradation of Hamas and Hezbollah, the Houthis stand out as one of Iran’s proxies that continues to pose a serious threat to U.S. interests in the region. But with Iran on its back foot and Trump’s determination to bring the full capabilities of the U.S. military to bear against the Houthis, the group’s days running roughshod in the Red Sea may be numbered.

  • Islamic State Is Evolving, but Has the World Taken Its Eyes Off the Ball?

    US-backed forces declared in 2019 that the Islamic State (IS) group had been destroyed. But as the past few years have shown, that only marked the end of its quasi-state that controlled territory in Iraq and Syria — not the threat it continues to present.

  • Killing Grants That Have Saved Lives: Trump’s Cuts Signal End to Government Work on Terrorism Prevention

    Tens of millions of dollars slated for violence prevention have been cut or are frozen as DOGE steamrolls the national security sector. “This is the government getting out of the terrorism business,” said one grant recipient.

  • The Far-Reaching Impacts of Agricultural Biorisk Research

    There is a deep interconnection between agricultural biorisks and human health. It is critical that this perspective is brought to the forefront of policy and research discussions so that agricultural biorisks are prioritized as a threat to national security and receive the necessary research funding: .A summary of the USDA ARS 8th International Biosafety & Biocontainment Symposium.

  • The Rise and Fall of Terrorgram: Inside a Global Online Hate Network

    White supremacists from around the world used Telegram to spread hateful content promoting murder and destruction in a community they called Terrorgram. ProPublica and FRONTLINE identified 35 crimes linked to Terrorgram, including bomb plots, stabbings, and shootings. After several arrests of alleged Terrorgram members and reforms by Telegram, experts expect that extremists will find a new platform for their hate.

  • Is “Fake” Terrorism Still Terrorism? Here’s What the Sydney Caravan Incident Tells Us

    The recent discovery of a caravan full of explosives in Dural, in Sydney’s northwest, caused significant fear about the possibility of a mass casualty attack. The Australian Federal Police declared it and 14 antisemitic attacks a “con job” by organized criminals who were trying to distract police or use it as a bargaining chip to influence prosecutions. Can “fake” terrorism still be terrorism, especially if it causes significant fear?

  • From Home to Horror: The Association Between Domestic Violence and Terrorism

    Domestic violence is an under-recognized early indicator of terrorism. It is not a reliable solitary indicator, but when observed alongside risk factors, it can prompt authorities to take a closer look at a potential terrorist.

  • Teenage Terrorists and the Digital Ecosystem of the Islamic State

    As an older generation of Islamic State ideologues, fighters, and propagandists dies out or is arrested, and the center of gravity for the Islamic State as a group shifts to Central Asia and Africa, a younger cadre of supporters is taking up the mantle of support for the group. They are forming the backbone of an unofficial ecosystem of Islamic State support spread across platforms, while evading takedowns and producing unsanctioned content in the name of the group.