In a commentary that appeared in USA Today, RAND Corporation senior adviser Brian Michael Jenkins praises President Obama's increased reliance on Joint Special Operations Command raids in place of drone strikes. "The two U.S. commando raids in Libya and Somalia this...
This well-reported article by Will Crisp at the Christian Science Monitor has two important findings. First, disparate armed militias are really who rules Libya, not the government. Second, these militias are motivated to wrest even more control over the government by...
Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut. The incursion into Lebanon was one of the biggest debacles of the Reagan administration. Unfortunately, though Reagan eventually recognized his folly and pulled troops out, other...
The list of former U.S. officials who believe drone strikes create more enemies than they eliminate juts got a little bit longer. "Drone strikes take out a few bad guys to be sure, but they also kill a large number of innocent civilians," writes Nabeel Khoury, the...
Sen. Rand Paul has introduced a proposed constitutional amendment which specifies that our elected officials are subject to the same laws that rule us plebeians. How could a libertarian -- or, really, anybody -- possibly object to that? John Glaser has managed to do...
The warm waters of the Gulf look quiet from where I am sitting, but such tranquility hardly reflects the conflicts this region continues to generate. The euphoria of the so-called Arab Spring is long gone, but what remains is a region that is rich with resources and...
Recent reports on US drone strikes by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the UN have heightened international awareness about civilian casualties and have resulted in new calls for redress. The Amnesty International drone report “Will I be next?” says the...
When the State Department revoked Edward Snowden’s passport four months ago, the move was a reprisal from a surveillance-and-warfare state that operates largely in the shadows. Top officials in Washington were furious. Snowden had suddenly exposed what couldn’t stand...
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced an interesting Constitutional amendment this week: 'Section 1. Congress shall make no law applicable to a citizen of the United States that is not equally applicable to Congress. 'Section 2. Congress shall make no law applicable to...
