Jacob Ware

‘Sleeper Cells’ and Lone Attackers: Security Experts Brace for More Violence at Home

"Violence has a way of breaking containment."

The Terrorism Warning Lights Are Blinking Red Again Echoes of the run-up to 9/11.

Two possible terrorist attacks in the United States today, at Old Dominion University in Virginia and Temple Israel in Michigan. It’s fair to say, as is so often the case, that “The Terrorism Warning Lights Are Blinking Red Again.” @foreignaffairs.com

On Lawfare Daily, @pwbeck.bsky.social sat down with @seamushughes.bsky.social and @jacobware.bsky.social to discuss the FBI’s new NVE classification, the online terror group 764, challenges counterterrorism professionals face with a younger set of aspiring terrorists, and more. youtu.be/RwPAsGEz7HA

Lawfare Daily: Nihilistic Violent Extremism with Seamus Hughes and Jacob Ware YouTube video by Lawfare

Great to join my friends @seamushughes.bsky.social and @pwbeck.bsky.social on the @lawfaremedia.org podcast, discussing counterterrorism challenges posed by 764, the True Crime Community, youth radicalization, and broader nihilistic violent extremism.

Analysis Suggests School Was Hit Amid U.S. Strikes on Iranian Naval Base

The 1968 My Lai massacre killed at least 347 civilians. It led to congressional hearings and criminal trials. The bombing of the #Minab school, if confirmed to be an American airstrike, is a comparable massacre and scandal. A dark day in American history.

My Name Is Lazarus: How the Church and Chesterton Rescued Me From Racial Hatred My photo had become the visual shorthand for white supremacy in contemporary America. The writings of G.K. Chesterton, however, helped lead me to Christ and His Church.

“[T]hat absence of direction became the soil in which my radicalization took root.”

A really interesting read on pathways into and out of white supremacy, almost nine years after Charlottesville. Highly recommend.

Losing the Long Game One of Foreign Affairs' Best of Books of 2021 and "Books For The Century"!"Book of the Week" on Fareed Zakaria GPSFinancial Times Best Books of 2020 The defi...

A terrific resource for this perilous moment in #Iran: Losing the Long Game: The False Promise of Regime Change in the Middle East, by @philgordondc.bsky.social (@stmartinspress.bsky.social, 2020).

Any attempt at regime change is likely to repeat past mistakes Air power, full-on invasion, arming the opposition: the result is usually the same, writes Philip Gordon

Good piece by my former @cfr.org colleague @philgordondc.bsky.social in the @economist.com, warning that “Mr Trump is taking a massive and unnecessary gamble—not just with his presidency but with the lives of countless Americans, Iranians and others.”

What the Strikes on Iran Could Mean for U.S. Homeland Security | Council on Foreign Relations The longer the war in Iran goes on, the greater the incentive for the Islamic Republic to apply all forms of asymmetric warfare, including retaliation that could affect the U.S. homeland, in hopes of ...

Unparalleled insights from @hoffmanbruce.bsky.social for @cfr.org, as always!

This might seem overly clinical to those in the mood for "fuck this dumb evil shit," (which often includes me!), but this gets right at the incoherence of the whole operation:

Three Dangerous Men How three key figures in Moscow, Beijing, and Tehran built ruthless irregular warfare campaigns that are eroding American power., Three Dangerous Men, Russia, China, Iran and the Rise of Irregular War...

For more on #Iran’s irregular warfare strategy, I would highly recommend Seth G. Jones’s brilliant Three Dangerous Men (@wwnorton.com, 2021). Includes a deep dive into Qassem Soleimani and the role he played in crafting the Islamic Republic's regional approach.

Iran’s Asymmetric Escalation After Khamenei - The Soufan Center A day after the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Tehran appears to have substantially escalated its response, demonstrating the continued ability to maintain operational command...

Relatedly: “Iran appears to be pursuing an asymmetric war of attrition focused on exhausting U.S., Israeli, and allied defensive resources.”

We Bombed the Wrong Target After Epic Fury destroyed Iran’s nuclear sites, its proxy network endures—revealing the real center of gravity America failed to strike.

Probably the most interesting and thought-provoking piece I’ve read on the war in #Iran. Joe Funderburke argues in Small Wars Journal that we’ve misunderstood Iran's center of gravity. “The nuclear program was the headline. The proxy network was always the story.”

For Trump, the Iran Attack Is the Ultimate War of Choice

“The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events.”
@sangernyt.bsky.social

The Islamic Republic in ruins President Trump's strike on the Islamic Republic, Operation ‘Epic Fury’, seeks to remove the Iranian regime's monopoly of violence.

A thought-provoking primer on war in #Iran by Ali Ansari in @engelsbergideas.bsky.social. Operation Epic Fury is challenging the Islamic Republic’s monopoly on violence. @standrewshist.bsky.social

When Chatbots Are Used to Plan Violence, Is There a Duty to Warn?

Yes.

OpenAI Tightens Protocol for Referring Accounts to Law Enforcement The AI company said it would alert authorities to the Canadian shooting suspect’s account if it were discovered today.

Good. Too late, but hopefully not too little.

"The consequences are profound and tragic and unfixable. When you're talking about dead children, there's just no going back." @davidebybc.bsky.social

What Happens to a School Shooter’s Sister? Jennifer Gonnerman speaks to Kristin Kinkel, whose brother, Kip, killed their parents and opened fire at their high school. Today, Kristin is close with Kip—and still reckoning with his crimes.

Reflections on our long national nightmare:

“It was before this became an American epidemic.”

“That was our community’s 9/11.”

"Everybody ... knows that this is a good community that they’d be proud to live in, and, therefore, it could happen anywhere.”

What Happens to a School Shooter’s Sister? Jennifer Gonnerman speaks to Kristin Kinkel, whose brother, Kip, killed their parents and opened fire at their high school. Today, Kristin is close with Kip—and still reckoning with his crimes.

Reminds me of Jennifer Gonnerman's terrific Nov. 2023 @newyorker.com profile of a school shooter's sister. "I've never reached a moment where I was just mad at him and needed to forgive him. There's no way his behavior was a choice."

Her Brother Pleaded Guilty to the Idaho Murders. Now She’s Ready to Talk.

"It's confusing. It's painful. It's like being victimized but not really being a victim."

So grateful to @mikebaker.bsky.social for telling the heartbreaking story of Bryan Kohberger's family — and what happens to a mass murderer's loved ones.

From SNAFU to FUBAR in Northeast Syria Some 20,000 Islamic State-affiliated individuals are now unaccounted for, and no one has a plan for what to do about this mix of committed radicals, at-risk victims, and other escapees.

Easily the greatest article title I have ever seen. The article itself, in which @devorahmargolin.bsky.social and @joanacook.bsky.social assess #ISIS detainee breakouts in northeast Syria, is well worth reading. @washinstitute.bsky.social

How miracle Army evacuation came within inches of disaster KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — As Chief Warrant Officer 3 James Woolley eased the giant Chinook down into the mud-walled compound, Special Forces troops on the ground dashed to form a perimeter to protect th...

The #SOTU2026 highlight was undoubtedly the Medal of Honor awarded to CW5 Eric Slover. I fortunately came across a remarkable earlier story of Slover's heroism and courage under fire, reported over a decade ago by Jay Price. A real American hero.

A Conversation with Jordie Hannum on Ukraine’s Resilience and Why U.S. Support Matters as War Enters 5th Year Four years into the war, BWC’s Jordie Hannum says Ukrainian resilience endures and sustained U.S. support remains critical.

"In #Ukraine, I’ve just had more opportunity to travel throughout the country and witness how they respond to atrocity and oppression. They have – in spades – the 'courage to continue.'" @betterworldorg.bsky.social

Hearts Not Minds: Morale and Inspiration in Insurgency and Territorial Defense - Modern War Institute Kharkiv, a largely Russian-speaking city of over one million people, is known for poetry and the arts. But over the past few weeks, as the northeastern Ukrainian city has faced the brunt of the Russia...

“Hearts Not Minds”

On resistance and territorial defense in Ukraine 🇺🇦

The Jihadist Movement’s Leadership Deficit Where did the unifying leaders of the transnational extremist movement go?

"[N]one of the current lineup of organizational leaders enjoys influence beyond their specific organization or area of operations."

Always great to hear @triciabacon.bsky.social and Elizabeth Grimm weighing in on leadership of the global jihadist movement. @lawfaremedia.org

"... Half the people that come before us for trial are going to be unhappy with the result. But it had never before reached the level where the president & the attorney general & the president's staff were making hypercritical comments and calling judges monsters and referring to a judicial coup."

The price of public life: Judges and other officials doxed, swatted, threatened with death A CBS News analysis found 126 cases that were brought by federal prosecutors last year arising out of threats to public officials.

"If there's no sanction from within either party, within community members, to say, 'This is unacceptable in our politics,' then that behavior will continue." 🎯 @shannonhiller.bsky.social

The price of public life: Judges and other officials doxed, swatted, threatened with death A CBS News analysis found 126 cases that were brought by federal prosecutors last year arising out of threats to public officials.

"There has been a very marked decline in civility."

Vital reporting on the leading threat to American democracy, by Melissa Quinn and Jacob Rosen in @cbsnews.com. Especially relevant after Trump's comments on the Supreme Court tariff ruling.

Exclusive | OpenAI Employees Raised Alarms About Canada Shooting Suspect Months Ago The ChatGPT maker opted against informing Canadian authorities about Jesse Van Rootselaar’s descriptions of violence last June.

One of the most outrageous and infuriating stories I have read in a long time. An unforgivable dereliction of duty.

“ChatGPT maker opted against informing authorities about Jesse Van Rootselaar’s descriptions of violence last June.” @georgiawells.bsky.social

"A NJOHSP review of open-source NVE incidents in 2025 revealed that a majority of NVE suspects were between the ages of 18 and 29. These subjects primarily target their victims on mainstream and gaming platforms to discuss ideology or post threats and solicit/share CSAM."