As America prepares to welcome its 45th president, he or she will face a multitude of challenges, including the security of the nation and its people. Terrorism, specifically violent Islamist extremism, is ravaging the Middle East while having repercussions here in the United States and the world. This volume of The ANNALS delves into the issue of terrorism and offers direction and guidance to the next president and administration for countering violent extremism (CVE). The volume explores the failing states of the Middle East, including the collapse of the socioeconomic and political systems there, as well as the alienation of Muslims in Western Europe and elsewhere, and offers courses of action for the next president to take against terrorism. The final section delves into the practice of CVE as a growing and promising discipline and practice.