National Security

Congress Should Support Pentagon Energy Security Efforts

Phyllis Cuttino | Posted 05.30.2012

Read More: Pentagon, Congress, Department of Defense, Biofuels, National Security, Energy Security, Senate Armed Services Committee, Clean Energy, Pew Charitable Trusts, Video, Green News
Phyllis Cuttino

Congress should support policies that will reduce our reliance on foreign oil, not undermine them. There is too much at stake for the nation's energy future to do anything less.

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Standing Up for All the Fallen

Christopher Holshek | Posted 05.25.2012

Read More: Iraq War, Usaid, Civil War, Firefighters, Memorial Day, Police, National Security, War Casualties, Veterans Day, National Service, 9/11, Civilian Casualties, Memorial Day Weekend, World War II, State Department, Peace Corps, Afghanistan War, Veterans, US Military, Armed Forces, Impact News
Christopher Holshek

We should respect each other's commitment to community and country. There is no reason why we cannot stand up for all the fallen, so that Memorial Day will honor all those who gave their lives in the service of their neighbors as well as their nation.

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Economic Security Is National Security

Dr. Rachel Kleinfeld | Posted 05.21.2012

Read More: National Security, Economic Security, Buck Mckeon, Camp David, G8 Summit, Paul Ryan, G8, Politics News
Dr. Rachel Kleinfeld

It sounds easy to throw money at the Pentagon and buy more security. But we all know that's not how security works -- it's like investing tens of thousands in a terrific alarm system for your house, then leaving your windows open.

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How to Prevent Indefinite Military Detention in the United States. Really.

Daphne Eviatar | Posted 05.17.2012

Read More: Adam Smith, Bill of Rights, National Security, Ndaa, Louis Gohmert, Congress, U.S. Constitution, Justin Amash, Indefinite Detention, Habeas Corpus, Smith-Amash Bill, Politics News
Daphne Eviatar

The National Defense Authorization Act rightly outraged many on both the left and the right last year, and legislators from all over the political map are now responding. But while one of those responses is real -- i.e., it would actually fix the problem -- one is not, and by pretending to fix it would only make things worse.

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Requiem for Reform?

Christopher Holshek | Posted 05.16.2012

Read More: Department of Homeland Security, Rachel Maddow Drift, Project on National Security Reform, Politics, Congress, Military, Military Industrial Complex, Department of Defense, Rachel Maddow, National Security, Homeland Security, Rachel Maddow Show, Fareed Zakaria, Defense Budget, Government Reform, Books News
Christopher Holshek

Maddow succeeds in explaining, in a charmingly non-wonkish way, how we got ourselves to our current state of affairs -- the unhealthy distortion of our time-honored yet taken-for-granted civil-military relationship.

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The National Security State Wins (Again)

William J. Astore | Posted 05.15.2012

Read More: Patriot Act, Romney National Security, Obama Patriot Act, National Security, National Security Obama, World News
William J. Astore

Despite his record as a "warrior-president," despite the breathless "Obama got Osama" campaign boosterism, common inside-the-Beltway wisdom has it that the president has backed himself into a national security corner.

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NSA Analyst: "We Could Have Prevented 9/11"

Washington Spectator | Posted 05.14.2012

Read More: Barbara Koeppel, Cia, National Security, Department of Defense, 9/11, National Security Agency, September 11th, Thomas Drake, Al Qaeda, Politics News
Washington Spectator

The idea is, NSA only tells Congress what it wants them to hear, and Congress will just have to figure out what it really knows. The problem is, how will Congress find something unless it knows what it's looking for and where to find it?

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It is Wrong to Ransom College Affordability with Preventive Health Funds

Leslie Gerwin | Posted 05.10.2012

Read More: Preventive Health, John Boehner, National Security, Public Health, Institute of Medicine, Minority Health, Planned Parenthood, College Affordability, Politics News
Leslie Gerwin

Failing to support public health weakens our nation's security. It is ironic that given limited funds and competing needs, Republican budget proposals cut human services and increase defense spending.

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Tragedy and Farce

Richard Klass | Posted 05.09.2012

Read More: Obama, Karl Rove, National Security, Veterans, Defense, Obama Defense, Osama Bin Laden, Politics News
Richard Klass

President Obama has dispelled the myth that Democrats are weak on national defense. Karl Rove understands this. That is why he is attacking the president. This farce won't work. Truth will.

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Let's Finally Bury Bin Laden and Al Qaeda Through Our Engagement

Haris Tarin | Posted 05.09.2012

Read More: Government, Islam, Civic Engagement, National Security, American Muslims, Muslims, Community Organizing, Obama National Security, Western Muslims, Civil Rights, Osama Bin Laden, Politics News
Haris Tarin

It is time to address the proverbial elephant in the room. For the past decade, the relationship between Western Muslims -- especially American Muslims -- and their governments have been unable to move past the events of 9/11.

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Fewer Swords, Smaller Shields: Defining a New National Security Ethos

William Astore | Posted 05.09.2012

Read More: National Security, 9/11, Laissez-Faire, Obama National Security, Romney National Security, U.S. Military, Monroe Doctrine, Decade After 9/11, Politics News
William Astore

Given all these swords and all these shields (and all of our frustrating wars and all of the lives spent), the key question of the 2012 presidential election should be: Are we truly more secure now than we were twelve years ago?

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Friday Talking Points -- Anniversary Week

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.04.2012

Read More: Tea Party, War on Women, Osama Bin Laden, Medical Marijuana, Obama, Bin Laden Ad, 2012, Unemployment, National Security, Nancy Pelosi, Christine Odonnell, Bin Laden Is Dead, Mitt Romney, Congress, Democrats, Barack Obama, Brian Williams, Senate, Abstinence Only, Republicans, Politics News
Chris Weigant

While a lot was happening around the edges this past week, we're going to concentrate on Obama's campaign messaging. The general election is underway, and the Obama folks are busy crafting the language he's going to use to run on.

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The Assault on Civil Liberties Continues

Allan Brawley | Posted 05.03.2012

Read More: Barak Obama, Civil Liberties, Bill of Rights, Lusk Committee, Joseph McCarthy, Palmer-Raids, National Security, Franklin Roosevelt, Japanese Internment, Nypd Antiterror, Woodrow Wilson, War on Terrorism, Politics News
Allan Brawley

Assaults on our constitutional protections are not new. They have been a recurring phenomenon for at least the last hundred years.

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Obama's Dangerous Approach to Missile Defense

Ken Blackwell | Posted 05.16.2012

Read More: Obama Administration, Obama, Defense Spending, Department of Defense, Defense, Barack Obama, Missile Defense, National Defense, National Security, Missile Defense Shield, Nato Summit 2012, Politics News
Ken Blackwell

By rejecting Obama's position on homeland missile defense, Congress would both ensure taxpayer dollars are used more effectively and our country is well-protected. That approach would be a new way of doing business at the Department of Defense and real change that Americans can embrace.

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The Israeli Generals Revolt

Joel Rubin | Posted 04.27.2012

Read More: Donald Rumsfeld, Iraq War, Benjamin Netanyahu, Iran, Nuclear Weapons, Cia, Israel, Holocaust, National Security, United States, War, World News
Joel Rubin

Israeli generals have had enough of the fear-inducing rhetoric from their prime minister. They want a rational debate in Israel about how best to handle the challenge posed by Iran.

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Citizen's Watch

Christopher Holshek | Posted 04.19.2012

Read More: Citizenship, Education, National Security, 2012 Election, Super PACs, Propaganda, Elections 2012, Mitt Romney, Political Ads, Media, Journalism, Barack Obama, Thomas Jefferson, Media News
Christopher Holshek

For all practical purposes, it's game on between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Get ready for an unprecedented deluge of TV ads and other media storms. So are we helpless in the face of this onslaught? Not necessarily.

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Remember Libya?

Sarah Margon | Posted 04.19.2012

Read More: Libya, Civilian Protection, Arab Spring, National Security, Nato, Africa, Diplomacy, Syria, Syria Revolution, Libya Conflict, Muammar El-Qaddafi, Libya Revolution, Syria Conflict, World News
Sarah Margon

The challenges Libya faces are not just about uniting a fractured society. They are also about building responsive and accountable governance institutions out of the ashes of the skeletal ministries left behind.

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In Defense of Jihadist Internet Forums

Aki Peritz | Posted 04.16.2012

Read More: Jihadists, Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency, Counterterrorism, National Security, Terrorism, Cybersecurity, Islamic Extremists, Al Qaeda, Politics News
Aki Peritz

Defacing and darkening extremist websites is immensely satisfying. However, the U.S. and others should not keep reminding terrorists and their followers that they are being monitored online.

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The Golden Rule, for Each and All

Christopher Holshek | Posted 04.09.2012

Read More: Islamophobia, Islam, Religion, Fearmongering, National Security, Iraq War, Civil-Military Operations, Christianity, Christians, Tolerance, Iraq, Golden Rule, Religious Tolerance, Foreign Policy, Impact News
Christopher Holshek

Sitting at his right hand in front of thousands of worshipers, hearing him refer to me as "his brother in faith," it was as exhilarating as my first firefight in combat -- except much more pleasant and uplifting.

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America's Bloated Intelligence Bureaucracy

William Astore | Posted 04.04.2012

Read More: National Security Agency, National Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency, Nsa, Intelligence Community, National Security, Senate Intelligence Committee, 9/11, Malcolm Gladwell, Politics News
William Astore

Lost is the lesson of 9/11: We didn't have a collection problem but a connection one. Yet our response has largely been not to find better ways of connecting the dots, but rather simply to collect more dots.

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Two Views of Ronald Reagan

Dorian de Wind | Posted 06.02.2012

Read More: Inf Treaty, President Ronald Reagan, Nuclear Weapons, National Security, President Barack Obama, Michael Reagan, Start Treaty, Vladimir Putin, President George W. Bush, Politics News
Dorian de Wind

It has been interesting to hear just about every Republican presidential contender claim that he or she is the true Reagan heir.

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Failing States

Christopher Holshek | Posted 06.02.2012

Read More: Wealth Inequality, Governance, National Security, Economy, Wealth Disparity, Failed State, Liberia, Civil Society, Corruption, International Development, Globalization, Human Security, Fragile States, United Nations, United States, Racism, Nation Building, International Relations, World News
Christopher Holshek

Failing states are failing states. The difference between over there and over here, however, is that we have been stacking the deck against ourselves.

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Gambling on National Security

John H. Jackson | Posted 05.29.2012

Read More: Education, Council on Foreign Relations, Education Reform, National Defense, Public Education, Equal Opportunity, National Security, Education News
John H. Jackson

In confronting any other national security threat, the U.S. wouldn't trust unreliable and unproven solutions. Why, then, do some in the education sector insist we gamble on the privatization of our public schools?

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National Security Leadership: A Litmus Test

Dr. Rachel Kleinfeld | Posted 05.23.2012

Read More: Iraq War Anniversary, Obama Iraq War, Natural Security Leadership, War-in-Iraq-Annivesary, Iraq, National Security, Iraq War, War in Iraq, Obama National Security, Obama Foreign Policy, Politics News
Dr. Rachel Kleinfeld

March 19th would mark nine years in Iraq -- had the president not drawn down our forces last year. This non-anniversary deserves a moment to recognize the importance of electing tough and smart civilian leaders.

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Martial Law by Executive Order

Jim Garrison | Posted 05.21.2012

Read More: Politics, National Security, Obama Executive Order, National Defense Resources Preparedness Executive Order, Politics News
Jim Garrison

At one level, the prospect for war with Iran is probably an immediate justification. But the comprehensiveness of the Executive Order, like that of the 2012 NDAA, speaks to something much deeper.

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