Terrorism and Homeland Security
Beyond Bluster
May 9, 2012
The cliché of progressives’ disadvantage on the politics of national security was a staple American political discourse for decades. Since the mid-2000s, however, the American public has embraced a non-ideological and results-oriented approach to foreign policy. Yet another poll this week confirmed that President Obama and his administration’s policies are reaping political as well as [...]
No Drama Counterterrorism
May 8, 2012
Yesterday U.S. officials announced that a plot by al Qaeda’s offshoot in Yemen to use an explosive device on an airliner had been disrupted by the CIA and overseas intelligence partners. The event highlights al Qaeda’s continued desire to strike U.S. targets – but also points out, with its early failure and re-use of unsuccessful [...]
Myth vs. Fact on bin Laden Raid
May 3, 2012
As the nation marks the one-year anniversary of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, a surprising debate has broken out about who deserves credit for the raid’s success. First and foremost credit goes to the men and women of the military and intelligence services whose tireless and dangerous work brought bin Laden to justice. [...]
The Bin Laden Raid, One Year Later
April 30, 2012
This week marks the one-year anniversary of the raid on the Abbottabad compound where Osama bin Laden spent his final days. The raid remains one of the Obama administration’s most significant national security accomplishments and was the result of years of difficult and dedicated work by America’s intelligence and military professionals. Leadership and decision making [...]
The Cyber Security Debate
April 26, 2012
This afternoon, in the wake of yesterday’s veto threat from the White House, the House of Representatives is set to open debate on controversial cyber security legislation. Cyber security is a serious challenge and threat to America’s economy and national security, and a comprehensive approach is needed. A successful approach will balance the commercial needs [...]
Preventing Atrocities
April 23, 2012
Today at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., President Barack Obama announced the creation of a new Atrocities Prevention Board, a high-level interagency group that will draw upon varied and specialized tools of the United States Government to prevent mass atrocities and genocide. Pulling these technical tools together matters — recent years have [...]
Event: State of Security: Rethinking Safety and Danger in the 21st Century
April 5, 2012
Michael Cohen and Mackenzie Eaglen Debate the Status of the U.S. Conventional wisdom says the world is a dangerous place for Americans – full of uncertainty and lurking threats. In the most recent Foreign Affairs, the Century Foundation’s Michael Cohen and CFR’s Micah Zenko argue the opposite. In “Clear and Present Safety,” they suggest that the world [...]
Who’s Really Politicizing National Security?
April 3, 2012
Last week, the Romney campaign made a curious charge, saying, “The Obama campaign is playing politics, just as he’s doing in his conduct of foreign policy.” That charge is curious because the number of national security statements by Romney that run counter to what bipartisan experts, both civilian and military, advocate — and sometimes counter to [...]
Let’s Get Geopolitical
March 27, 2012
For decades conservatives dominated the national security debate in U.S. politics. That era is over. Poll after poll shows public support for President Obama’s handling of national security – and public desire for pragmatic national security policies that use all sources of national power and build our economic, diplomatic and moral as well as military [...]
Is Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism? Let’s get real, State Department
March 21, 2012
By Brigadier Gen. John Adams, US Army retired, and David W. Jones March 21, 2012 | The Hill In 1979, the U.S. State Department began designating countries that “have repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism” as State Sponsors of Terrorism. Today, four countries are on the list: Iran, Syria, Sudan and … Cuba. [...]
