The Counterterrorism Dossier

USER GUIDE: Navigating the Terrorism Resources

In a moment where public anxiety about terrorism is reaching unprecedented levels, Democrats face a trust gap with voters on national security issues not seen since the Vietnam War. The Counterterrorism Dossier is meant to begin to close that gap by providing policymakers and candidates with tough and smart policies to counter terrorism abroad and to keep Americans safe at home. It also provides guidance on how policymakers and candidates should communicate with the public about terrorism.

SECTIONS

The Counterterrorism Dossier is divided into three sections: policy reports, memos, and articles written by Third Way’s National Security team; the politics of national security; and a library of counterterrorism resources recommend by our national security experts.

Policy Reports, Memos, and Articles

All of the items in this section are produced by Third Way’s National Security team. These policy reports, memos, and articles explain what policymakers must do to protect America and combat terrorism. Each of these items provides tough and smart policies that are meant to provide pragmatic solutions to the increasingly complex terrorist threats America faces.

The Politics of National Security

This section provides Third Way resources for understanding public opinion about national security and messaging guidance for policymakers and candidates. This is intended to provide policymakers and candidates with the resources they need to understand public concerns about national security and what they’re hoping their government can do to keep them safe. It also provides Third Way’s original analysis of the best ways to discuss national security with the public to ameliorate fears and instill confidence that the U.S. maintains the strongest counterterrorism system in the world.

Library of Counterterrorism Resources

This section is a one-stop shop for all the background information policymakers and candidates need to better understand counterterrorism. Each of these non-Third Way sources has been recommended by Third Way’s national security experts because they provide critical information needed to make the most prudent counterterrorism decisions. This includes a plethora of resources on: terrorism data, foreign terrorism, domestic terrorism, and understanding the phenomenon of terrorism.

THE PLAN

Third Way’s National Security team is committed to continuously updating the Counterterrorism Dossier to add new policy ideas, revise existing proposals, and in response to international crises. Counterterrorism is an inherently tumultuous policy area, in terms of the threats we face, the policy options available to counter them, and the public’s opinion on the issue. By regularly updating this e-binder, our National Security team aims to provide a consistent, and all-inclusive, counterterrorism policy resource for policymakers to rely on.

We invite readers to provide us suggestions to build upon the resources available in the Counterterrorism Dossier. Please send us your comments via the contact page.

THE EXPERTS: Meet Third Way's National Security Team

Mieke Eoyang is the Vice President for National Security at Third Way. She had a long career on Capitol Hill, most recently serving as Chief of Staff to Representative Anna Eshoo (D-CA). Prior to that, she was the Defense Policy Advisor to Senator Edward Kennedy, the Subcommittee Staff Director on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and a Professional Staff Member on the House Armed Services Committee. Mieke earned her J.D. at The University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and graduated from Wellesley College. Her analysis is often solicited by The Wall Street Journal, POLITICO, Associated Press, and other media outlets. Her writing has appeared in numerous media outlets including The Washington Post, Roll Call, and Forbes.

Prior to joining Third Way as a Policy Advisor for National Security, Sanaa Khan served three Democratic chairmen and ranking members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for more than four years. She worked on a variety of foreign policy issues, primarily on U.S. efforts against ISIS, counterterrorism and providing oversight of the nuclear agreement with Iran. Contrary to what appears to be her preference for a hard power portfolio, Sanaa is also passionate about promoting global women's rights, religious liberty and international justice.

From major weapon systems to the smallest service contracts to the costs of fighting wars, there are few areas where the Department of Defense spends money that Ben Freeman doesn’t know intimately. At Third Way, he uses this expertise to inform policymakers by providing cutting-edge analyses of the budget, including identifying wasteful spending at the Pentagon and illustrating how we can better manage the challenges of declining defense budgets. Ben earned his Ph.D. in Political Science at Texas A&M and investigated waste, fraud, and abuse at the Pentagon at the Project on Government Oversight before joining the Third Way National Security Team.

David relishes the role of devil’s advocate in debates over national security. At Third Way, David is leading the charge on reforming our U.S. national security law, steering the debate away from alarmism toward a tough, smart approach to counter-terrorism, intelligence, and foreign policy. David earned his J.D. at Georgetown Law, and worked for the National Security Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, the Senate Judiciary Committee, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the European Chemicals Agency in Helsinki, Finland as a law student.