It is an unfortunate fact that American elections nowadays bring out a special sort of incoherence in foreign policy discussions. The on-going debate over whether talking to Iran represents some sort of “appeasement” would be amusing if it did not have such high stakes attached to it.
Let’s begin with the basics. The United […]

Following the 9/11 attacks, there was a broad international consensus on the legitimacy of an American military response against al Qaeda and the Taliban government of Afghanistan that harbored the terrorist movement.   Lost in the shock of the attacks was an appreciation of how extraordinary this consensus was.  In practical terms, the international community was […]

Defense Secretary Urges Military to Mold Itself to Fight Iraq-Style Wars
There has been some internal debate within the U.S. military about whether it should be restructured to be more effective in Iraq-style conflicts involving counter-insurgency operations and state-building. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates seems to have come down firmly in […]

From NPR.org:
“I would say that Gen. Petraeus’ promotion is an affirmation of the fact that the counterinsurgency doctrine he wrote and the counterinsurgency strategy that he implemented in Iraq was successful,” says Lt. Col. John Nagl, one of the Army’s top experts on counterinsurgency doctrine.
There is general consensus that conditions in Iraq have changed […]

This is a very disheartening story: Justice Elusive in USS Cole Bombing.
Ultimately, in many parts of the world, we simply cannot rely on local authorities to prosecute and punish terrorists.  We also face challenges in gathering information that might be used in American courts due to local sensitivities as well as limited capacity.  In a […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Iraqi Unit Flees Post, Despite American’s Plea
This is an interesting snapshot of the challenges we face in training the Iraqi army. An extensive quote to capture the mood of the story:
Abandoning the stronghold, however, would allow the militias to move in again and seed the road with roadside bombs. Other Iraqi units had […]

Over the past couple of weeks, we have learned a lot more about the decision to use torture by the Bush Administration. Some important news included:

The revelation that specific interrogation techniques where discussed at a Principals’ Committee meeting, which included Vice President Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, Secretary […]