Confronted with a President who has killed Osama bin Laden and an almost comically long list of his deputies and associates–being al Qaeda’s military commander is like being the Spinal Tap drummer–the Republican presidential …
National Security
Iran’s Alleged Assassination Plot and Its Political Fallout
The Justice Department on Tuesday unsealed a complaint against two Iranians alleging a state-sponsored terrorist plot by members of Iran’s Quds Force against the Saudi Ambassador to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir. The complaint alleges that Manssor Arbabsiar, a U.S.-Iranian dual citizen, and his al Quds handler, Gholam Shakuri, …
Was Killing American al Qaeda Cleric Anwar al-Awlaki Legal?
The killing of al Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki is another big counter-terrorism triumph for a President once derided for “palling around with terrorists.” Even by the time SEAL Team Six dispatched Osama bin Laden, the notion …
al Qaeda’s al-Awlaki Reportedly Killed in Yemen
The top English-speaking member of al Qaeda — New Mexican-born Anwar al-Awlaki — was killed Friday, the Yemen government announced, a death quickly confirmed by U.S. officials. It’s yet another key indication that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s recent claim that the defeat of al Qaeda is “within reach” may be getting closer.
Ten Years After 9/11, the Politics of Terrorism Have Quieted
Residents of New York and Washington are fretting over reports that al-Qaeda may want to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, in its own deranged fashion. But our political system remains calm. And it’s worth …
Obama’s (Counterproductive) War on Leaks
Harvard’s Jack Goldsmith has an interesting take on the Obama administration’s crackdown on government leaks at Lawfare.
Some have argued that George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and David Addington, by claiming near-limitless executive branch authority, produced an ironic backlash from the courts, which for example in the case of Osama …
The U.S. Committed Torture. Was It Worth It?
Eight years after the last U.S. detainee was waterboarded, America is still debating whether it crossed the line of torture — and whether it was worth it. At the Aspen Institute’s annual Security Forum on July 30, the debate …
Are Control Rooms the New Cockpits?
Speaking of ABC News’ Brian Ross (whom I don’t know personally), he had a chilling report last night on a new terrorist threat identified from the cache of documents and data found in Osama bin Laden’s compound. That prompted the feds to issue a pretty disturbing advisory that I’m surprised hasn’t gotten more attention:
Obama (Finally) Wins One For Domestic Terrorism Trials
After two-and-a-half years of steady defeats in his battle with Congress over how to handle terrorist suspects, President Barack Obama has finally notched a win. Tuesday afternoon, Obama’s administration announced that it had transferred an alleged Somali terrorist, Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame, to New York City for trial after months of …
Harold Koh, ‘Hypocrite’?
Shortly after Yale Law professor Harold Koh was named the State Department’s top lawyer, a source sent me a snickering note noting that Koh had deemed the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq illegal, and that therefore by Koh’s definition his new boss, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, had potentially supported a massive war crime. Koh had also …
The FBI, the Patriot Act and Your Cell Phone
Mark Benjamin has an unsettling story on Time.com today that investigates whether federal authorities, under the auspices of a Patriot Act provision, are scooping up personal data like the location of citizens’ cellular phones. Read it here.
Marco Rubio Walks A Lonely Road (With McCain)
With the Republican Party swinging back towards its isolationist roots, a man in Florida takes the stage, insisting that the U.S. must be “the watchman on the wall of world freedom.” But as Tim Padgett writes over at Global Spin, Rubio’s vision of idealistic intervention may have local roots.
At AIPAC, President Obama Distinguishes Between Israel And Its Leadership
For the better part of half a century, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee has fought for a singular goal: To rally United States government support for the policy goals of the Israeli government. On Sunday, President Obama appeared before AIPAC’s annual conference to argue that the interests of Israel and its government, led by …