… give or take
// The primary reason the United States invaded Afghanistan in the first place was to fight Al Qaeda and its Islamist allies, particularly the Taliban. Ten years later, now that Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan has been dramatically weakened, America ostensibly has the luxury of considering significant troop reductions in the region. Needless to [...]
// The death of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden is one of the most important accomplishments in recent American history. It is certainly significant in its own right as a testament to the superior military and intelligence work the US is capable of. Yet when one recalls the fact that Osama bin Laden was trained and [...]
// The recent resurgence of Chechen- and North Caucasus-related terrorism on Monday and Wednesday of this week points to the deep unresolved issues between Russia and its tiny region. Like in any situation of rebellion and civil strife, the short term details of the violence are sure to be complex. But the essential dynamics remain [...]
// As the body scanners are rolled out in US airports in the coming days, it’s worth asking the same question I asked about racial profiling: will it work? A simple, yet extremely important and profound question. Similar to racial profiling, the public debate has largely focused on such issues as privacy or cost. But, [...]
// Being the biggest incident of Islamist violence under Obama’s tenure thus far (and the biggest incident in the US in a while), Fort Hood will likely continue to spark debate and controversy for some time about issues ranging from antiterrorism strategy to the nature of Islam. Case in point: a recent piece in the [...]
