Despite evidence that the Taliban insurgency had grown significantly in 2010, the U.S. intelligence community failed to revise its estimate for Taliban forces as part of a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Afghanistan in December. That unusual decision was in deference to Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S.-NATO forces in Afghanistan, who did not want any official estimate of the insurgency's strength that would contradict his claims of success by Special Operations Forces in reducing the capabilities of the Taliban in 2010.
New Law and National Security Report – No More Secrets: National Security Strategies for a Transparent World
WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 3, 2011—Recent events highlight the difficulty of keeping secrets in today’s increasingly transparent world. A new report released by the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Law and National Security summarizes workshop discussions led by national security experts identifying national security strategies for addressing this challenge. The group examined the implications of a world without secrets and what today’s secrets involve.
The team that convened included government, private sector, non-profit and academic national security experts. Although members of the working group did not all agree in every aspect of the discussion, there was general consensus that the government and private sector “confront an enormous challenge in trying to learn how to prevail in an increasingly transparent world.”
The report recommends that the government operate with fewer secrets to gain a significant advantage over those who “continue to cling to traditional notions of indefinite information monopoly.”
To schedule an interview, or for more information, please contact ABA Standing Committee staff director Holly McMahon at 202/662-1035 or Holly.McMahon@americanbar.org.
Bill Strickland's story – From struggling Pittsburgh student to MacArthur grant with a global influence, all because of his dedication to empowering underprivileged youth.
The top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus, likes to describe the tactical gains his troops are making against insurgents. But a stream of independent data and analysis suggests a wide gap between those battlefield gains and the strategic progress needed to convince a skeptical President Obama, Congress and the public to stay with the war effort for at least three more years.
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But an estimated 7,000 insurgents who had given up and come over to the government later went back to fighting because of poorly managed and underfinanced programs to resettle and reintegrate them, according to a detailed study by the Afghan Analysts Network, an independent nonprofit research organization.
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On a broader canvas, the United States continues to suffer a negative strategic impact, in part because of its involvement in Afghanistan, according to James Clapper, director of national intelligence.
He testified in Congress on Thursday that al-Qaeda continues to be able to recruit willing new fighters by aggressively exploiting such explosive issues as “the presence of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq and U.S. support for Israel” all of which “fuel their narrative of a hostile West determined to undermine Islam.”
This weekend I experienced a snowcrash; a moment where the seemingly disparate pieces of information floating in my head came together. A synapse fired, a new connection was made, and I was brought to a new level of consciousness, a new way of seeing the world. In reading this over, it almost sounds obvious, but it took me a while to get here. I hope that by sharing with you, it’ll help you “get it” too. So let me take you on my thinking trail.
Watchdog Group Files Formal Complaints To Disbar And Prosecute Clarence Thomas For 20 Years Of False Statements, Financial Conflicts Of Interest, And Using His Decisions On The Supreme Court To Enrich His Wife
Pressure Building On Department Of Justice To Take Action
Washington, D.C.– February 8, 2011, ProtectOurElections.org filed two formal complaints against Justice Clarence Thomas for falsifying 20 years of financial disclosure statements, engaging in financial conflicts of interests, and using his decisions on the Supreme Court to enrich his wife. The first complaint, filed with the Washington D.C. Bar Disciplinary Committee, seeks Justice Thomas’ disbarment. It has 19 exhibits and can be viewed online.
