President Speaking to Nation Tonight about Afghanistan War December 1, 2009 2:28 PM
In a speech scheduled for 8pm tonight, President Obama will outline his plans for the war in Afghanistan, including sending an additional 30,000 tropps to the conflict. The New York Times is reporting that "In bringing the total American force to nearly 100,000 troops by the end of May, the administration will move far faster than it had originally planned. Until recently, discussions focused on a deployment that would take a year, but Mr. Obama concluded that the situation required "more, sooner," as one official said, explaining some of the central conclusions Mr. Obama reached at the end of a nearly three-month review of American war strategy." According to the Washington Times, "A senior administration official tells the AP that President Barack Obama will tell the American people Tuesday night that U.S. troops will start leaving Afghanistan 'well before' the end of his first term."
Share you thoughts on the President's plan and the War in our Forums.
-- Association of Young Americans
Foreign policy, Military, Terrorism | Comments (0)
9-11-09 September 11, 2009 1:02 PM
Eight years ago today, terrorists hijacked 4 planes, crashing two of them into the World Trade Centers, and one into the Pentagon. On the fourth plane the passengers fought the hijackers and the plane crashed in western Pennsylvania, avoiding the planned target of either the White House or the Capitol. The New York Times recounted this morning's commemoration ceremony in New York City, noting "The day could not be more different than Sept. 11, 2001: It is rainy and gray, with whipping winds." As always we invite you to share your thoughts on the war in Afghanistan and memories and reflections on the events of September 11, 2001, in our Forums.
-- Association of Young Americans
Taliban in Afghanistan November 20, 2008 4:23 PM
The Taliban is growing in strength, particularly in southern Afghanistan where it has set up some institutions of government. "Senior American military officials said the Taliban run roughly two dozen law courts in southern Afghanistan, one of the armed Islamist group's main strongholds. Drawing on a fundamentalist interpretation of Islamic law, the courts work to resolve conflicts over property, grazing rights and inheritances, the officials said. The Taliban have also appointed unofficial governors and mayors to exercise day-to-day control over remote areas, amounting to a parallel government independent of Kabul, according to the U.S. officials," reports the Wall Street Journal. "The Taliban shadow governments now handle everything from land disputes to divorces, the officers said. In the south, Taliban militants are extorting money -- which they describe as a tax -- from truckers and other merchants who ferry products across provincial boundaries, according to U.S. officials."
Share your ideas in the Forums on the war in Afghanistan and your thoughts on what U.S. policy should be in the next few years.
-- Association of Young Americans
Foreign policy, Terrorism | Comments (0)
Oil Tanker Hijacked November 18, 2008 8:20 AM
It sounds like a plot line for a new James Bond movie - Pirates hijack a Saudi Arabian oil tanker at sea. AOL News reports that a "brand-new MV Sirius Star, with a crew of 25, was seized far off the coast of Kenya on Saturday and the bandits were taking the ship to a Somali port known as a hub of pirate activity." Piracy orginating from Somalia have been a growing problem. "A NATO flotilla of seven ships destroyers from the U.S. and Italy, frigates from Germany, Greece, Turkey and Britain and a Russian missile frigate are already fighting piracy around Somalia. NATO, however, says its priority is escorting World Food Program ships that deliver basic rations for 3 million hungry Somalis," reports Yahoo News.
Share news that you find of interest in our Forums.
-- Association of Young Americans
Energy, Foreign policy, Terrorism | Comments (0)
US Embassy Attacked in Yemen September 17, 2008 12:52 PM
A car bomb was detonated at the US embassy in Yemen, earlier today. "There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Yemen is the ancestral home of Osama bin Laden. Al-Qaeda has maintained a steady presence here, especially as fighters from the militant group return from Iraq. The first explosion, at 9:15 a.m., resounded for miles and sent a plume of black smoke over the city. " reported the Washington Post. In the waters off of Yemen, the USS Cole was attacked in 2000.
How do you think the War on Terror has progressed in the last few years? Do you think it has been successful or not? Share your ideas and concerns in our Forums.
-- Association of Young Americans
Middle East, Terrorism | Comments (0)
7th Anniversary of Terrorist Attacks September 11, 2008 7:11 AM
Seven years ago today, terrorists hijacked 4 planes, crashing two of them into the World Trade Centers, and one of them into the Pentagon. On the fourth plane the passengers fight the hijackers and the plane crashed in western Pennsylvania, avoiding the planned target of either the White House or the Capitol. Describing some of the mixed emotions seven years later an article in the New York Times noted, "Conversations with dozens of New Yorkers this week, when the end-of-summer light is just so and passing planes induce a wince, found them poised somewhere between Never Forget and Enough Already. Some confessed to occasional pangs of survivor guilt when they catch themselves enjoying the cityscape, diminished but still quite impressive, that gleams in their windows and draws them to park benches."
It has been widely reported that the U.S. has increased the level of attacks in the area of the Afghan - Pakistan border. "On the heels of allegations last week that US ground forces conducted their first-ever operation in Pakistan, officials there said the US killed four foreign militants in Pakistan in a missile strike Monday. And President Bush announced Tuesday that US forces in Iraq would be reduced by 8,000 troops by February - and 4,500 additional troops sent to Afghanistan," reports the Christian Science Monitor.
As always we invite you to share your thoughts on the war in Afghanistan and memories and reflections on the events of September 11, 2001, in our Forums.
-- Association of Young Americans
Pakistan Coalition Gov't Breaks August 25, 2008 12:55 PM
Following the resignation of President Musharrah last week, come reports today that the breakup of the coalition government. "The breakdown of the fragile 5-month-old civilian government clears the way for the party of slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto to tighten its hold on the government; the West hopes it will make good on pledges to combat terrorism. Nawaz Sharif, another former premier, announced Monday that he was pulling out of the coalition because it failed to restore judges fired by Musharraf or agree to a neutral replacement for the ousted president," reports Yahoo News. This latest development comes amid continued internal violence. Learn more in the Yahoo article above and on the BBC. Share your questions and concerns in the Association of Young Americans Open Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
New Intellegence Rules July 31, 2008 8:57 AM
In a new executive order, disclosed today, President Bush revised and reordered some of the relationships between the various intellegence agencies. The New York Times reports that "The new order gives the national intelligence director, a position created in 2005, new authority over any intelligence information collected that pertains to more than one agency -- an attempt to force greater information exchange among agencies traditionally reluctant to share their most prized intelligence. The order directs the attorney general to develop guidelines to allow agencies access to information held by other agencies. That could potentially include the sharing of sensitive information about Americans."
The revised order is not yet on the White House website, but you can check back on the section of website with executive orders.
Share your thoughts and questions about intellegence gathering, privacy and security in our Open Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Foreign policy, Privacy, Terrorism
Al Qaeda's Growth in Pakistan June 30, 2008 12:35 PM
Almost 7 years since the terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C., and western Pennsylvania, Osama Bin Laden remains at large and Al Qaeda has apparently reconstituted itself in Pakistan. A detailed article on the front page of today's New York Times states the following:
- Just as it had on the day before 9/11, Al Qaeda now has a band of terrorist camps from which to plan and train for attacks against Western targets, including the United States. Officials say the new camps are smaller than the ones the group used prior to 2001. However, despite dozens of American missile strikes in Pakistan since 2002, one retired C.I.A. officer estimated that the makeshift training compounds now have as many as 2,000 local and foreign militants, up from several hundred three years ago.
- Current and former military and intelligence officials said that the war in Iraq consistently diverted resources and high-level attention from the tribal areas. When American military and intelligence officials requested additional Predator drones to survey the tribal areas, they were told no drones were available because they had been sent to Iraq.
- Even critics of the White House agree that there was no foolproof solution to gaining control of the tribal areas. But by most accounts the administration failed to develop a comprehensive plan to address the militant problem there, and never resolved the disagreements between warring agencies that undermined efforts to fashion any coherent strategy.
The full article is available here, on the NYTimes website, and is worth reading for those concerned about the threat Al Qaeda poses to the US. Are you concerned that a terrorist group will launch another attack on the U.S.? What do you think we should be doing as a nation to prevent such an attack? Share your thoughts and concerns in the Terrorism Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Foreign policy, Middle East, Terrorism
Supreme Court Ruling on Detainees June 13, 2008 12:38 PM
Yesterday the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that detainees had the right under the constitution to file Habeas Corpus petitions. The New York Times reported that "The court declared unconstitutional a provision of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 that, at the administration's behest, stripped the federal courts of jurisdiction to hear habeas corpus petitions from the detainees seeking to challenge their designation as enemy combatants. Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy said the truncated review procedure provided by a previous law, the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005, 'falls short of being a constitutionally adequate substitute" because it failed to offer "the fundamental procedural protections of habeas corpus.'" Justice Scalia, in his dissent, states: "The game of bait-and-switch that today's opinion plays upon the Nation's Commander in Chief will make the warharder on us. It will almost certainly cause more Americans to be killed. That consequence would be tolerable if necessary to preserve a time-honored legal principle vital to our constitutional Republic. But it is this Court's blatant abandonment of such a principle that produces thedecision today."
Yahoo News noted that "President Bush said Thursday he would abide by the decision, but also said his administration was evaluating whether to respond to the court's ruling with new legislation." A complete copy of the Ruling can be found here.
Share your views in our forums on what legal procedures and protections you think are appropriate in the context of the "War on Terror".
-- Association of Young Americans
Dept of Justice review of Detainee Interrogations May 20, 2008 2:02 PM
This month the Department of Justice issued a report on the FBI involvement in the interrogation of Detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, in Afghanistan and Iraq. A copy (redacted) of the 438 page report is available on the DOJ website. The summary of conclusions of the report states: "Our report found that after FBI agents in GTMO and other military zones were confronted with interrogators from other agencies who used more aggressive interrogation techniques than the techniques that the FBI had successfully employed for many years, the FBI decided that it would not participate in joint interrogations of detainees with other agencies in which techniques not allowed by the FBI were used."
The report notes "allegations related to misconduct" at an location, the name of which is redacted. The alleged reports of misconduct are related to interrogation involving the FBI and also other U.S. government entities and the military. The report does not purport to speak to the accuracy of the alleged misconduct but at some point recommends the military conduct their own investigations of the allegations.
Share your ideas, thought and questions in the Terrorism Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Domestic Spying March 10, 2008 10:49 AM
A fascinating, and insightful, article in today's Wall Street Journal discusses the scope and nature of domestic spying being done over the last 6+ years by the the National Security Agency. "The central role the NSA has come to occupy in domestic intelligence gathering has never been publicly disclosed. But an inquiry reveals that its efforts have evolved to reach more broadly into data about people's communications, travel and finances in the U.S. than the domestic surveillance programs brought to light since the 2001 terrorist attacks. Congress now is hotly debating domestic spying powers under the main law governing U.S. surveillance aimed at foreign threats [the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act]." The article goes on to note "According to current and former intelligence officials, the spy agency now monitors huge volumes of records of domestic emails and Internet searches as well as bank transfers, credit-card transactions, travel and telephone records. The NSA receives this so-called 'transactional' data from other agencies or private companies, and its sophisticated software programs analyze the various transactions for suspicious patterns. Then they spit out leads to be explored by counterterrorism programs across the U.S. government, such as the NSA's own Terrorist Surveillance Program, formed to intercept phone calls and emails between the U.S. and overseas without a judge's approval when a link to al Qaeda is suspected."
You can lern more about domestic spying by readingthe whole article at the link above, and by reading our Privacy Issue paper. What are your thoughts on what level of data collection and domestic surveillance is permissible? Share your ideas, concerns and questions in our Privacy Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
National Strategy for Homeland Security October 10, 2007 4:24 PM
This week the White House released the "National Strategy for Homeland Security". "The purpose of our Strategy is to guide, organize, and unify our Nation's homeland security efforts. It provides a common framework by which our entire Nation should focus its efforts on the following four goals:
Prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks;
Protect the American people, our critical infrastructure, and key resources;
Respond to and recover from incidents that do occur; and
Continue to strengthen the foundation to ensure our long-term success.
While the first three goals help to organize our national efforts, the last goal entails creating and transforming our homeland security principles, systems, structures, and institutions."
The Strategy goes on to state that "We are a Nation blessed with unprecedented liberty, opportunity, and openness foundations of the American way of life. Our principal terrorist enemies al-Qaida, its affiliates, and those inspired by them seek to destroy this way of life. Al-Qaida's plotting against our Homeland, for instance, focuses on prominent political, economic, and infrastructure targets designed to produce mass casualties, visually dramatic destruction, significant economic damage, fear, and loss of confidence in government among our population. Catastrophic events, including natural disasters and man-made accidents, also can produce similar devastating consequences that require an effective and coordinated national effort."
A complete copy of the Strategy is available on the White House website. Share your thoughts on Homeland security and Terrorism in our Terrorism forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Interrogation Techniques October 5, 2007 12:53 AM
Sercret memos from the Justice Department authorizing certain types of treatment of prisoners were unconvered this week. "One opinion issued by the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel in May 2005 authorized a combination of painful physical and psychological interrogation tactics, including head slapping, frigid temperatures and simulated drowning, according to current and former officials familiar with the issue," as reported by the Washington Post. "After the Supreme Court ruled in 2006 that U.S. prisoners are covered by Geneva Conventions prohibitions against degrading treatment, Bush publicly confirmed the existence of the secret CIA prisons and announced the transfer of 14 CIA prisoners to military custody at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. That same year, Congress approved changes in the interrogation and prosecution of terrorism suspects. Bush followed up several months ago with an executive order, required by the legislation, making it clear that the CIA would comply with Geneva Conventions prohibitions. The administration did not spell out exactly what techniques are now approved or prohibited, but officials suggested that the CIA's program had been changed."
Do you think of restrictions preventing torture of prisoners, or enemy combatants? How do you think we should reconcile the need to confront evils in the world, while remaining true to our traditional notions of appropriate conduct? Share your thoughts in the Terrorism forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Sixth Anniversary September 11, 2007 1:25 PM
Six years ago today, three commercial passenger plans were used as weapons and flown into buildings, while a fourth was retaken by the passengers and crashed into the ground. The thoughts and prayers of the Association of Young Americans go out to the families and friends of those who lost their lives 6 years ago today.
Memorial services are being held around the nation, including in New York City, Shanksville, PA and Washington, D.C at the Pentagon. We invite you to share your remembrances of that day, and thoughts on our country 6 years later in our Terrorism Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Moving Gitmo Prisoners August 20, 2007 5:18 PM
There are significant discussions in congress among members of both parties about closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay Cuba and moving those held there to Fort Leveanworth, Kansas. "The move, supporters say, could quell criticism that the United States is using the isolated Guantanamo prison to hold detainees in substandard conditions and to use torture to obtain information. And although experts caution the transfer of these prisoners may do little to change the legal rights they are currently afforded, the proposal is reviving debate about how much -- if any -- constitutional protection these prisoners should have while in U.S. custody," reports the Chicago Tribune. "Guantanamo detainees have been brought before military hearings known as combat status review tribunals, but their attorneys complain the suspects have not been permitted to see much of the evidence against them or to have lawyers present during the hearings." What do you think about the US policy with regard to enemy combatants being held at Gitmo over the last 5 years? What do you think of the idea of closing that facility and moving those held there to Ft. Leveanworth? Share your thoughts in the Terrorism forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Interrogation Tactics July 22, 2007 11:16 AM
After calls from Congress and a Supreme Court ruling to better explain interrogation tactics being used, "President Bush yesterday signed an executive order requiring the CIA to follow international conventions banning torture when it questions detainees in its secret interrogation program for top captured terrorists. The order, which appears to set the stage for the CIA to resume the program, bans techniques that denigrate a religion or religious object, sexually indecent acts and anything outside 'the bounds of human decency,'" reports the Washington Times. "Senate intelligence committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV, West Virginia Democrat, said he was told about the order yesterday morning by the CIA. He said he will have to see how the CIA implements the new order, and he promised to hold hearings to see what happens."Share your thoughts in the Open Forum as to what types of conduct should not be used when interrogating such interrogations.
-- Association of Young Americans
Ideas on the Causes of Terrorism July 5, 2007 4:59 PM
Many have cited poverty as one of the root causes of terrorism, but some experts are challenging this idea. As reported in the Wall Street Journal Princeton Economist Alan Krueger asserts that "'As a group, terrorists are better educated and from wealthier families than the typical person in the same age group in the societies from which they originate[.]'" Rather, he attributes terrorism to "supression of civil liberties and political rights."
Do you find the search for the cause(s) of terrorism to be an important inquiry? Some would argue that if the cause or causes can be identified, we can better plan and set policy to address and reduce terrorist activity. Others would likely assert that our focus should be on detecting and stopping such activity because the search for reasons why individuals blow-up themselves and others will be fruitless. Where do you stand on this issue? Share your thoughts in the Terrorism forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
British Car Bombs July 2, 2007 2:30 PM
Within the last week there have been three attempted car bombs, two in London and one in Glasgow, with seven people have been arrested. "The arrests came as security measures were increased across the country, which is under its highest or critical terror alert warning. The critical alert level indicates that a terrorist attack is imminent. A British government security official told the Associated Press that said a loose U.K.-wide network appeared to be behind the London and Glasgow attacks, but investigators were struggling to pin down suspects' identities," reports the USA Today. Since the attacks of September 11th, there have not been any executed attacks on American soil. How does this impact your view of the Homeland Security measures taken in the last 6 years? Do you think there are more actions (or different actions) our government should be taking to prevent additional terrorists attacks? Share your thoughts and ideas in the Terrorism forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Detainees to be heard in Supreme Court July 1, 2007 4:46 PM
Following several key decisions, the US Supreme Court will hear two cases of detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. "The court did not indicate what changed the justices' minds about considering the issue. But last week, lawyers for the detainees filed a statement from a military officer in which he described the inadequacy of the process the US military has been using for the past four years to classify the detainees as enemy combatants. The Bush administration says that a new law strips civilian courts of their jurisdiction to hear detainee cases," reports the Christian Science Monitor. There are a little less than 400 individuals being held at Guantanamo Bay, many for years, without a trial or formal charges. Do you think that the threats of terrosim warrant holding of individuals indefinitely without a trial? How do you think the US should deal with people who are deemed threats but who have not yet committed a punishable crime? Share your thoughts in the Terrorism forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
NYC Terror Plot Stopped June 3, 2007 12:17 PM
Authorities arrested 3 men planning to blow up fuel trucks and a pipelines at JFK airport. "[T]he men began plotting in January to 'destroy buildings, fuel tanks, and fuel pipelines at JFK Airport with explosives.' The suspects obtained satellite photographs of the airport and surrounding facilities from Internet sites and traveled frequently between the United States, Guyana and Trinidad to discuss their plans and solicit the financial and technical assistance of others," reports the Washington Times. "The arrests were made Friday night after a five-month investigation by the Joint Terrorist Task Force, and the men were charged yesterday with conspiracy." Does the threat of another terrorist attack impact your daily life? Are you concerned that the actions being taken by the various level of government are not sufficient, or are too extreme? Share yout thoughts in our Terrorist Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Padilla Trial Starts Today May 14, 2007 9:53 AM
Jose Padilla, who has been imprisoned for almost 5 years without being convicted of a crime, will be put on trial starting today. "His alleged crime: becoming a willing recruit to participate in a violent Islamic holy war. Specifically, Padilla, a US citizen who converted to Islam in the 1990s, is charged with signing a "Mujahideen Data Form" and attending an Al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan. He also made comments on the telephone overheard and recorded by US intelligence officials that prosecutors say are evidence of a criminal conspiracy. For their part, defense lawyers for Padilla Padilla and two codefendants will use their opening statements to the jury to present a different story. Much of the government's case is based on innuendo and misunderstandings about Muslims, they have said. The government seeks to capitalize on fear and distrust of Islam in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. Defense lawyers are expected to urge the jury to put aside any emotions about terrorism, keep an open mind, and carefully examine the character and quality of the government's evidence," reports the Christian Science Monitor. "Because Padilla's military detention and interrogation were conducted in violation of a string of his constitutional rights - such as his right to remain silent and consult counsel, and his right to due process - government officials have acknowledged that information obtained by the military would most likely be excluded from the trial. As a result, federal prosecutors have been forced to cobble together their case from evidence obtained through other means."
Have you been following Mr. Padilla's case? Do you think it is possible to balance civil liberties and national security? Share your thoughts in the Terrorism Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Terror Identities Datamart Environment March 25, 2007 3:05 PM
Over the last five years, the Federal government has undertaken many measures designed to fight the "war on terror". One such mearsure is the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment. It "is a storehouse for data about individuals that the intelligence community believes might harm the United States. It is the wellspring for watch lists distributed to airlines, law enforcement, border posts and U.S. consulates, created to close one of the key intelligence gaps revealed after Sept. 11, 2001: the failure of federal agencies to share what they knew about al-Qaeda operatives," reports the Washington Post. "But in addressing one problem, TIDE has spawned others. Ballooning from fewer than 100,000 files in 2003 to about 435,000, the growing database threatens to overwhelm the people who manage it. [...] In 2004 and 2005, misidentifications accounted for about half of the tens of thousands of times a traveler's name triggered a watch-list hit, the Government Accountability Office reported in September. Congressional committees have criticized the process, some charging that it collects too much information about Americans, others saying it is ineffective against terrorists. Civil rights and privacy groups have called for increased transparency." Check out the whole article and share your thoughts in the Open forum on how the intelligence and law enforcement agencies should balence security and civil rights concerns.
-- Association of Young Americans
Transit Security February 19, 2007 1:07 PM
The new Congress is discussing increasing security on mass transit systems. "The House Homeland Security Committee also is holding hearings. Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., says his panel's legislation will mandate more training for transit workers, whistle-blower protection for those who reveal security lapses, increased screening at stations and federal grants for mass-transit security," reports the USA Today. "Transit officials say the federal government needs to set standards for training and technology used to protect commuter rail and subway systems. They say they need more officers and bomb-sniffing dogs; more cameras and sensors; better evacuation plans and drills; and construction money to shore up tunnels, install lights and build barriers and fences for rail yards." Do you think more safety measures should be taken related to the nation's mass transit systems? Do you think there are measures which could be taken to ensure the safety of our mass transit system? Be heard in the Terrorism Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Renewed Effort in Afghanistan January 25, 2007 1:13 PM
Even with so much focus on the War in Iraq, the President is working towards increased efforts in Afghanistan. "[T]he Bush administration is preparing a series of new military, economic and political initiatives aimed partly at preempting an expected offensive this spring by Taliban insurgents, according to senior U.S. officials," reports the Washington Post. "Although U.S. officials say the Taliban insurgency does not pose an immediate threat to the Karzai government, they are eager to nip in the bud a potentially bloody Taliban spring offensive that could erode Afghani confidence in the central government and in the staying power of the international coalition that is trying to establish security across the country." Share your thoughts on the situation in Afghanistan and the broader "War on Terror" in our Terrorism forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Healthcare for 9/11 workers December 19, 2006 7:38 AM
A federal estimate found that money allocated for healthcare expenses of workers who became sick from doing clean up and recovery at the World Trade Center after the attacks of September 11, 2001 will run out this spring or summer. The New York Times reports, "Officials at the two major monitoring and treatment programs, one run by Mount Sinai Medical Center and the other by the Fire Department, said [...] that unless more financing was provided, they would be forced to notify thousands of patients that their treatment could soon end. If all the workers needing treatment were to receive it, according to a new estimate by federal officials, the cost could exceed $250 million a year a figure that may well meet with resistance from lawmakers in Washington, who are facing intense budget pressures. Several Democratic legislators have said they will make 9/11 health a priority when their party takes control of Congress next month." Do you think the nation owes a duty to those who served at the 9/11 site to provide for their healthcare expenses caused by that service? Share your thoughts in the Terrorism forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Remember Afghanistan? December 12, 2006 12:53 PM
There are growing concerns of a taliban revival in Afghanistan and Pakistan. "Islamic militants are using a recent peace deal with the government to consolidate their hold in northern Pakistan, vastly expanding their training of suicide bombers and other recruits and fortifying alliances with Al Qaeda and foreign fighters, diplomats and intelligence officials from several nations say. The result, they say, is virtually a Taliban mini-state," reports the New York Times. " The tightening web of alliances among these groups in a remote, mountainous area increasingly beyond state authority is potentially disastrous for efforts to combat terrorism as far away as Europe and the United States, intelligence officials warn." What can and should the U.S. do? What responsibility does the U.N. have? Share your thoughts in the Terrorism Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Rules of Interrogation October 19, 2006 11:24 AM
This week the Military Commissions Act of 2006 was signed into law. In June the Supreme Court stated that in dealing with detainees, the US needed to comply with the protections of article III of the Geneva Conventions. This new law, "sets rules for war crimes tribunals and establishes procedures for US interrogations of unlawful enemy combatants," reports the Christian Science Monitor. The rules include, "barring US personnel from engaging in specific crimes such as torture, murder, and rape [and] it also prohibits 'cruel or inhuman treatment' causing 'serious physical or mental pain or suffering.'" What do you think the appropriate limits are, on interrogation techniques? Share your thoughts in the Terrorism forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Torture Warrant October 17, 2006 2:11 PM
Former President Bill Clinton recently floated the idea of a 'torture warrant' as a mechanism by which use of certain interrogation techniques could be used, at the order of the President or a judge, where there were extreme circumstances. As quoted in the LA times, Mr. Clinton offered the following example:
"You picked up someone you know is the No. 2 aide to Osama bin Laden. And you know they have an operation planned for the United States or some European capital in the next ... three days. And you know this guy knows it. Right, that's the clearest example. And you think you can only get it out of this guy by shooting him full of some drugs or water-boarding him or otherwise working him over. [...] We have a system of laws here where nobody should be above the law, and you don't need blanket advance approval for blanket torture. They can draw a statute much more narrowly, which would permit the president to make a finding in a case like I just outlined, and then that finding could be submitted even if after the fact to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court."
What do you think of the idea of, for lack of a better term, "torture warrants"? Share your thoughts in the Terrorism forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
National Intelligence Estimate September 28, 2006 7:08 AM
Following the leak of certain parts of an intelligence report on "Trends in Global Terrorism: Implications for the United States" President Bush declassified portions of the study from US intelligence agengies. The report noted the "Iraq 'jihad'" as one of four underlying factors fueling the growth of the jihad movement, but also noted that "political participation probably would drive a wedge between intransigent extremists and groups willing to use the political process to achieve their local objectives."
The New York Times characterized the implications drawn from the report as follows:
"Mr. Bush has grown increasingly insistent that nothing he has done in Iraq has worsened terrorism. America was not in Iraq during the first World Trade Center attack in 1993, he said, or during the bombings of the U.S.S. Cole or embassies in Africa, or on 9/11.
"But that argument steps around the implicit question raised by the intelligence finding: whether postponing the confrontation with Saddam Hussein and focusing instead on securing Afghanistan, or dealing with issues like Iran's nascent nuclear capability or the Middle East peace process, might have created a different playing field, one in which jihadists were deprived of daily images of carnage in Iraq to rally their sympathizers."
What are your thoughts? Share them in the Terrorism forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Deal on Detainees September 24, 2006 10:39 AM
After some heated disagreements over legislation on the treatment and interrogation of terrorism suspect, a deal has been reached. "Under the deal, President Bush dropped his demand that Congress redefine the nation's obligations under the Geneva Conventions, handing a victory to a group of Republicans, including Senator John McCain of Arizona, whose opposition had created a showdown over a fundamental aspect of the rules for battling terrorism," reported the New York Times. The Senators in negotiations with the White House agreed "to make the standard on interrogation treatment retroactive to 1997, so C.I.A. and military personnel could not be prosecuted for past treatment under standards the administration considers vague." Share your thoughts on standards for dealing with terror suspects in the Terrorism Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Choices in Homeland Security September 13, 2006 3:18 PM
In hearings yesterday before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committe, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said, "We have to be realistic about what we expect and what we do. We do have limits, and we do have choices to make." The New York Times reported the Secretary Chertoff noted that a "mandate, for example, that every cargo container headed into the United States be X-rayed and subject to a radiation scan before it leaves a foreign port to search for a possible nuclear bomb is not now feasible." Do you agree with Secretary Chertoff that such choices need to be made. On what areas do you think we need to be especially focused? Be heard in the Terrorism Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Airplane Passenger Profiling? August 17, 2006 1:52 PM
An article in today's Wall Street Journal highlights the dispute regarding the appropriateness of using profiling as part of security measures at airports. "Advocates of the measures say trained airport and airline staff at security checkpoints should be allowed to judge which passengers aren't likely to pose a terrorist threat -- such as old women and families with small children -- and let them pass quickly through security." Critics of profiling noted, "They say passenger profiling is an infringement of civil rights, and not effective in the long run." Visit our Open forum to share your thoughts in discussions already underway, or start your own thread.
-- Association of Young Americans
Supreme Court: Military Commissions Cannot Proceed July 2, 2006 11:43 AM
7/2/06 - Supreme Court: Military Commission Trials Cannot Proceed
On Thursday the Supreme Court ruled that President Bush, "acted outside his authority when he ordered Al Qaeda suspects to stand trial before these specially organized military commissions. The ruling said that the commission process at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, could not proceed without violating US military law and provisions of the Geneva Conventions," reports the Christian Science Monitor. Justice Thomas dissented, saying in part that, "The court's evident belief that it is qualified to pass on the military necessity of the commander in chief's decision to employ a particular form of force against our enemies is so antithetical to our constitutional structure that it simply cannot got unanswered." Review the entire article and share your views in the Open Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans