Report
25 August 2009
Yesterday brought more clarity on the failed interrogation and detention policies of the Bush administration—including new insight into the torture and abuse that permeated their prosecution of the “War on Terror.” But it also brought forward important reforms from the Obama administration: looking at best practices from professional interrogators in the FBI, CIA and elsewhere to create policies that will make America more secure and prevent abuses.
Report
27 July 2009
On Friday, one of the GOP’s top national security voices in the House of Representatives, Peter Hoekstra (R-MI), contradicted the leadership of his own party by acknowledging the reality that U.S. prisons are capable of holding Guantanamo detainees. Leading conservatives have launched numerous political attacks over the last few months arguing that closing Guantanamo would bring terrorists into our backyards. These arguments, as President Obama said in May, are not “rational.”
Report
19 March 2009
Six years ago President Bush launched the invasion of Iraq. Thankfully, we finally have a clear exit strategy that will redeploy all American forces out of Iraq by the end of 2011. Today, the National Security Network is releasing a comprehensive analysis of the legacy of the Iraq war and tomorrow we will be analyzing the changes that Barack Obama and progressives have managed to push through in the last year.
News
Tallahassee Democrat 19 February 2009
Report
21 January 2009
In the words of his inaugural address and his first actions in office, President Barack Obama made clear that he would pursue foreign policy in line with progressive values and American ideals
Report
15 December 2008
Almost six years after an invasion that was supposed to spread democracy throughout the Middle East, more than 4,000 American troops and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been killed, the American economy has absorbed approximately $1 trillion in costs, the Middle East has been destabilized and America’s image around the world has been sullied.
Report
4 December 2008
A new report from the bi-partisan Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism finds that not enough has been done, and without strong US action, a terrorist attack using WMD is “more likely than not” to occur within the next five years. The report points to Pakistan, with its possession of nuclear weapons, political instability, and the presence of Al Qaeda and other international terrorist groups, as a possible “unwitting source of a terrorist attack in the United States.”
Report
20 November 2008
Experts agree that the release of a new tape by Al Qaeda’s second in command Ayman al-Zawahri indicates that Al Qaeda feels threatened and is on its heels after Obama’s resounding victory. President-elect Obama’s diverse background, along with his pledge to reverse many of the policies and approaches of the Bush administration, has served to dramatically improve America’s image, especially in the Muslim world.
Report
18 November 2008
The Center for American Progress has released a report highlighting the need for a strategic overhaul in the US relationship with Pakistan. It points toward a policy which recognizes the linked challenges presented by Pakistan, Afghanistan and India; broadens the US relationship with Pakistan beyond military and intelligence coordination; and supports good governance and the forces of democracy within Pakistan.
Report
22 September 2008
This weekend saw a major attack in Pakistan that killed at least 60 people including a number of Americans. Combined with last week’s attack against the American embassy in Yemen and earlier strikes this summer in Algeria, it is clear that seven years after 9/11 Al Qaeda’s networks are increasingly active. These events represent a failure of the Bush administration’s counter-terrorism policies.
