Coming on the heals of the imposition of Sharia rule in the Swat Valley in Pakistan comes news that the Pakistani Taliban has seized a foothold in the Buner district, a mere 70 miles from the capital Islamabad. Worse, the Pakistani military seems largely unwilling to confront this rising Islamist tide.
From the New York [...]

American Security Project Senior Fellow Bernard Finel recently took part in an online discussion hosted by the Cato Institute.  The discussion, entitled “Keep Calm and Carry On: How to Talk about Terrorism,” focused on how to talk about terrorism, how to evaluate risks, and how craft sensible public policy even under the intense pressure of [...]

The Associated Press ran this article about possible places to move detainees from Guantanamo Bay after the detention center closes.  The AP suggested moving detainees to U.S. prisons, which are already severely overcrowded. 
Recently, ASP highlighted the many challenges with closing Guantanamo and how to handle terrorist suspects.  Read ASP’s white papers here.

From today’s Congressional Quarterly: while the Obama Administration has set the limit at $527 billion excluding war costs, some congressional conservatives are “already trying to portray the OMB (Office of Management and Budget) number as a cut by comparing it to a $584 billion draft fiscal 2010 budget request compiled last fall by the Joint [...]

Commentary: Troubled War Powers
Maliki Suggests Timetable for Withdrawal of US Troops
Iran Warns US and Israel Against Attack
Study Finds Gays in the Military Don’t Hurt Ability to Fight
G-8 Proposal to Cut Emissions by 50% by 2050

Arab Neighbors Refuse to Send Ambassadors to Iraq, No Debt Forgiveness
Supposed Bin Laden Tape Calls for Continued Fight Against Israel
Venezuela Officials Offered Surface-to-Air Missiles to FARC
13 Paramilitary Warlords Extradited to the US from Colombia
Internal Message in V.A. Suggests Cutting Costs by Limiting PTSD Diagnoses
Desperation Rises in Afghanistan as Hunger Spreads
UN Investigator Reports Foreign Intelligence Agencies [...]

The New York Times today published a remarkable story on the orchestrated use of retired military officers to push the administration’s rationale for war and, more recently, progress in Iraq.
Read “Behind Military Analysts, the Pentagon’s Hidden Hand.”
It’s a lengthy but important read that raises questions about the shaping of news by the Pentagon and the Bush [...]

Highlights from the Iraq hearings, updated live

Petraeus says, “The champagne bottle has been pushed to the back of the refrigerator.”

Ahmadinejad introduces new and improved centrifuges with old anti-American rhetoric

Mugabe is accused of using violence to intimidate the opposition

Commentary: Administration is suppressing concerned voices of the military

[...]

With General Petraeus’s imminent testimony, it is a good time to ponder the issue of military advice to civilians leaders. President Bush has often trumpeted that he makes decisions on Iraq following close consultation with his military commanders. Indeed, the president has sometimes seemed to go to extremes, suggesting General Petraeus is the [...]