Earlier this week President Obama defended his controversial releasing of top-secret memos detailing the CIA’s use of harsh interrogations under the Bush administration. Despite vocal opposition from four former CIA directors and several senior agency officials, Obama defended his decision saying “[he] acted primarily because of the exceptional circumstances that surrounded these memos, particularly the [...]
Posts under ‘National Security and Defense’
A Reaction to the Report Row
Both sides miss the point in the row over the recently-leaked DHS memo (available via a link here) regarding potential domestic security threats. The administration, in its sense of self-righteousness and view of American history, misses the faults in its assumptions about such threats. Conservatives meanwhile, in their own self-righteousness and certitude, miss key lessons from the history [...]
President Obama Should Invoke the Monroe Doctrine.
While not as popular with the Democratic Party as it once may have been, the Monroe Doctrine has been a pillar of American foreign policy since the Era of Good Feeling following James Madison’s departure from the presidency. Devised by then-Secretary of State John Quincy Adams during the presidency of James Monroe, this doctrine of U.S. [...]
Joe Biden: Ugly American
The Vice President of the United States was in Munich, Germany over the weekend where he outlined the foreign policy objectives of the Obama administration. To attentive ears across the continent, and politicians assembled in that Bavarian city, Joe Biden offered only one thing: more of the same. Biden told U.S. partners in Europe that [...]
Is National Security a Dead Issue?
In 2002 and 2004, Republicans saw enormous electoral success, in large part due to the GOP’s dominance of the national security issue and the high importance of homeland security to voters. Fortunately, there has not been another terrorist attack on American soil for over seven years — but due to this incredible fact, the importance [...]
Ethics concerns surrounding Obama cabinet choices should be scrutinized
Confirmation hearings are already underway for Obama’s cabinet and other nominees. Presently, Senator Clinton has been the focus of Senate proceedings. Obama is seeking to appoint New York senator and former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State. Despite little opposition to the appointment thus far from the U.S. Senate, lingering questions cloud her potential conduct [...]
The Ten Defining Events of 2008
With the new year upon us, a look back at the year which just concluded is a valuable endeavor. This past year, 2008, involved political upheavals across the globe, from Canada to Thailand, and a vast array of locales in between, from the start of the year to its closing days. Though noteworthy, the series [...]