As anyone in the security field will tell you, with holiday cheer comes a higher risk of terrorist attack. Holidays in general are always a cause for concern for law enforcement and government agencies, as alert levels are raised, and calls for the public to remain vigilant are...

On October 20, 2011, the former strongman of Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, was captured and killed in his hometown of Sirte. The "King of Kings" of Africa, who had ruled the oil-rich North African country with an iron fist for over four decades and had an ego that made...

The world has just witnessed yet another historic, lopsided prisoner exchange between Israel and a terrorist organization. When Hamas abducted Gilad Shalit back in June of 2006, it followed in the footsteps of Hezbollah and numerous Palestinian groups that had successfully kidnapped and traded Israelis, dead or alive, in return...

Pressure is growing for the United States to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan. The assassination of Osama bin Laden gave President Obama a passing but welcome reprieve from criticism and low poll ratings, yet it also led to a growing chorus of Americans who are urging the administration to pull...

You have offered us independence; we never asked for it, nor dreamed of such a thing 'til you put the idea into our heads. For hundreds of years, we have lived in a state as far removed from independence as it is possible to conceive; now [that] we have asked...

Across the Middle East today the "Arab Spring" appears to be in full bloom. Preoccupied with the disintegration of the formerly pro-American government in Yemen, the threat to its naval base in Bahrain, growing difficulties in Iraq, disorder in Egypt and

The world is witnessing an unprecedented series of catastrophes taking place in Japan. A massive earthquake and powerful aftershocks, followed by waves of tsunamis and subsequent nuclear calamities have left the entire world in a state of shock. Japan was arguably the best prepared country in the world for such...

American power is on the decline and nowhere is this more evident than in the Middle East today. The paradox is out there for all the world to see: as revolutions in the name of democracy flourish across the world, the globe's traditional beacon of hope and freedom...

A new war in the Middle East is looming on the horizon--one that could create a fundamental shift in the region, and whose repercussions would be felt around the world. Israel, Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran are all feverishly preparing for war, even while declaring an interest in maintaining the status...

Deep fissures are showing as never before on a clerical style of government that has struggled for so long to paint itself as one united, single voice for Iran. A group of Iranian religious leaders, known as the Association of Researchers and Teachers of Qom, released a statement last week...

With all the talk of the "twitter revolution" and the role that technology is playing in the recent uprisings, one would think that technology is being used in revolutions for the first time. The truth is that it was the Islamists themselves who were the first to use technology for...

On Saturday morning the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a massive military attack on Hamas personnel and infrastructure in its equivalent to America's "shock and awe" (PDF) campaign. After weeks of warnings for Hamas to stop its incessant rocket fire, which included a plea from Prime Minister Ehud...

American projection of power and its ability to deter its enemies -- be they states or non-state armed groups such as Al Qaeda or Hezbollah -- are critical components of American defense policy. President-elect Obama will face a number of national security issues when he takes office in January: relations...