The State Department issued its annual report on terror trends today. Country Reports on Terrorism is a Congressionally mandated document on the terror threat. There are numerous findings summarized in the report’s strategic assessment. Several follow, along with my additional comments and assessments.
“Al-Qa’ida (AQ) and associated networks remained the greatest terrorist [...]

Patricia Gossman on Justice and Stability in Afghanistan
Former Chief Guantanamo Prosecutor Now Critic
Analysis: The Bush Drilling Plan and Gas Prices

From April 29

Former Guantanamo Chief Prosecutor Speaks Out
Russia Claims Georgia is Planning Abkhazia Invasion

Warning Shots Fired at Speed Boats off Iranian Coast
Commentary: Trade Receives Undue Blame for Economic Woes
Defining Victory in Iraq
Commentary: Our History of Engaging Evildoers
Commentary: Appreciating the Importance of Pakistan

U.S. Readies Options Against Iran
You have to give it to them, the Bush Administration is certainly persistent.  After an NIE last year took the wind out of the administration’s momentum towards war with Iran, they are now using the unrest in Iraq as a new pretext.  Forget about the fact that it was the Maliki [...]

CRS Reports on Transitioning Security in Post-9/11 Presidential Hand-off
Sunni Bloc in Iraq Moves to Rejoin Cabinet
New Language Policy in the War on Terror
British Court Rules Against Freezing Assets of Terror Suspects

Internal Divides Strain Al Qaeda
Top Taliban Commander in Pakistan Orders Attacks to Stop
U.S. Responds with Concern over Pakistan Deal with Militants
Terror Suspects on Trial for Third Time
Claims of Secret U.S.-Israel Agreement Threaten Peace Process
Video Evidence Presented of North Koreans at Syrian Reactor

UK Think Tank Issues Stark Warning on Climate Change and Security
UN Reports More than 100 Million People Affected by Food Shortages, Rising Prices
CIA to Report to Congress Tomorrow on N. Korea Help for Syria’s Nuclear Reactor

Secretary Gates Dissatisfied with Pentagon Bureaucracy
A Look at How Libyans Become Voluntary Suicide Bombers in Iraq
Pakistan Moves to Conciliation with Pro-Taliban Militants
Data Shows Increase in Involuntary Extensions of Service Terms for Soldiers
More Felons Joining the Ranks of Soldiers and Marines
Al Qaeda Announces Intention to Strike at Western Countries Involved in Iraq

Surprisingly, one of the biggest foreign policy issues to arise during this presidential primary season has been the question of whether we ought to talk to our enemies. Proponents of this course argue that we have little to lose by doing so. Opponents, bolstered by the current conventional wisdom, argue that talking to [...]