Massa's Satanic Insult References Milton's Paradise Lost
Sin, Death, and Rahm Emanuel… More »
Max Fisher is an associate editor at The Atlantic, where he edits the International channel.
Just like government-run health insurance, liberal-backed civilian trials might get dropped… More »
In 2005, Sunni Arab groups boycotted Iraq's first national elections, citing fears of violence and concerns that Shia candidates would unfairly dominate. With turnout as low as 2 percent causing Sunni politicians to fare poorly, the boycott deeply discredited the resulting government and were a direct precursor to some of the worst sectarian violence of the Iraq War. The 2005 Sunni boycott was a disaster for Iraq's democracy and for the country as a whole.… More »
South Korea today boasts one of the world's largest economies, a well-educated population, and a robust democracy. Home-grown brands like Samsung and Hyundai command special respect in high-tech fields from telecommunications to robotics. The country's liberal society, remarkably open for East Asia, attracts top Chinese talent like a magnet. So it's easy to understand why much of the world, even within South Korea, forget the nation's history before it entered the…… More »
After standing alone in Europe for nearly a century, Russia seems to be developing its first real European partnership in generations. France may seem an unusual choice, but the interests of the two nations could intertwine with surprising elegance, and there is a long history of French-Russian involvement. Russian President Dmitri Medvedev is in Paris this week meeting with French Paris Nicolas Sarkozy. The pair's much-publicized jaunts about Paris seem designed…… More »
It's a debate they can win, but they're not having it… More »
News this week that a joint U.S.-Pakistani raid in Pakistan captured Mullah Baradar, the de facto military commander of the Afghan Taliban, is a tremendous accomplishment for the U.S. war in Afghanistan. But the greater significance may be Pakistan's role. Long seen as tolerant or worse towards the Taliban, the Pakistani military led the operation. In the days since, it has helped orchestrate the seizure of two more high-ranking Taliban leaders and up to…… More »
I recently wrote about the controversial White House policy of approving Americans for targeted killing by the CIA and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). However, the Washington Post has amended the January 27 article that first reported the "kill lists" of approved American and non-American targets. The correction states that the CIA's list does not include any Americans. They leave standing, however, the report that JSOC's parallel kill list still…… More »
Administration can target citizens for killing if it thinks they're terrorists… More »
America must choose its allies careful as it prepares to leave Afghanistan… More »
There's been much scratching of heads over how U.S. oil companies managed to win exactly 0% of the Iraqi field contracts recently up for bid. The contracts, based in Iraq's oil-heavy south, are extremely lucrative. The great American liberators were beat out primarily by China and Russia for the contracts. How did we lose the bids? Quite simply, we mistook the Iraqi oil fields as Iraqi. If we wanted them, we should have talked to Iran instead. The southern Iraqi…… More »
What to do with detainees that can't be transferred, can't be released?… More »
In January 2008, five months after he was convicted for conspiring to commit terrorism, Jose Padilla filed a lawsuit claiming he had been tortured. His suit named former Department of Justice lawyer John Yoo, whose memos authorized the methods used. As President Bush left office and President Obama entered, the case worked its way toward the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and by this summer it looked like Yoo could face trial. Now, the Department of Justice is…… More »
Earlier this week I wrote about Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), the military special forces command once run directly out of the Bush White House that is now displacing some of the CIA's more shadowy work in national security and counterterrorism. Vanity Fair's profile of Blackwater CEO Erik Prince may now reveal even more authority under JSOC's belt.… More »
That's one criticism of President Obama's strategy… More »
The Joint Special Operations Command: black sites, drones, and more power… More »
Should Obama pay anti-Taliban militias instead of sending more U.S. troops?… More »
Karzai is now more partner than nuisance… More »
Your Friday News Dump: The Romneys Are Really Rich
Rielle Hunter to Testify in Print
Here's How the Stuxnet Virus Could Be Used Against the U.S.
