By: David Bibo
Self-described “rogue economist” Steven D. Levitt’s latest blog entry is likely to become a story itself, having earned a headline on the Drudge Report today. Levitt, co-author of the bestseller Freakonomics, wonders “what I would do to maximize terror if I were a terrorist with limited resources.”
After sharing his own thoughts on the subject, Levitt invites his readers to share theirs. Less than 12 hours after his post, about 90% of the commenters (400+) have offered up suggestions. The remainder have suggested this exercise may do more harm than good, a sentiment I find myself agreeing with.
By: David Bibo
In an unsigned, 1,721 word editorial today the New York Times states bluntly: “It is time for the United States to leave Iraq, without any more delay than the Pentagon needs to organize an orderly exit.”
Whatever Bush’s cause was in Iraq, the Times says, “it is lost.”
FLASHBACK: Frontline analysis of the media’s reporting on WMDs in the run-up to the Iraq War.
UPDATE/BREAKING: David Sanger reports in Monday’s New York Times that White House officials “want to forestall G.O.P. defections by announcing an intention to withdraw American troops.”
Tags: Bush,
Frontline,
GOP,
Iraq,
Media,
New York Times,
Pentagon,
Sanger,
war,
White House,
wmd
¶
Posted 08 July 2007
† David Bibo §
By: David Bibo
Ms. Tart, a great friend of RoguelyStated, tagged us with a Thinking Blogger Award. We’re flattered, and in turn it’s our duty to tag five other sites. These are plucked from the RS Blogroll, so here are some thoughts on why they’re there:
Counterterrorism Blog is a group of serious people writing - usually in realtime - about ongoing events with broad international security implications. Timely and incisive analysis is never in short supply at CT Blog.
Small Wars Journal is one-stop-shopping for those looking to understand the evolution of warfare and its implications for security policy. RS’ own Fernando Lujan, himself a small wars operator, has contributed to SWJ’s robust dialogue.
Prolific, fiery, engaging, and thought-provoking: Thomas P.M. Barnett is a must-read and (maybe even moreso) a must-watch.
Bored or confused by legal wranglings and court rulings? You don’t have to be - the crew at National Security Advisors can help you sort it out. The courts are the battlefield on which the fate of national security policies is often decided. Best that we keep abreast of what the rulings mean and the National Security Advisors team blogs it so the JD-less among us can understand.
Last but certainly not least is ForeignPolicy.com’s Passport. Their morning brief is amazing, and they meet their stated objective of providing “iconoclastic thinking designed to catch you off guard—and make you think.” Yup.
Others? Post them in the comments.
By: David Bibo
The Declaration of Independence
July 4, 1776
“When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. Continue Reading »
By: David Bibo
Then-Attorney General Robert Kennedy signed off on illegal wiretaps of American journalists, according to the recently declassified CIA “Family Jewels.”
From the declassified CIA documents:
Project Mockingbird, a telephone intercept activity…targeted two Washington-based newsmen who, at the time, had been publishing news articles based on, and frequently quoting, classified [CIA] materials…
Telephone intercept connections were installed at the newsmen’s office and at each of their homes…The connections were established with the assistance of a telephone company official…authority for the activity was Mr. John McCone, Director of Central Intelligence…in coordination with the Attorney General (Mr. Robert Kennedy) [and] the Secretary of Defense (Mr. Robert McNamara)…
From the New York Times Blog:
According to the transcripts of the tapes that President John F. Kennedy secretly recorded in the Oval Office, shortly after 6 p.m. on August 22,1962, JFK and Director of Central Intelligence John McCone discussed a plan for the CIA to wiretap members of the Washington press corps.
“How are we doing with that set-up on the Baldwin business?” the president asked. Four weeks before, Hanson Baldwin, the national security reporter for The New York Times, had published an article on Soviet efforts to protect intercontinental ballistic missile launch sites with concrete bunkers. Baldwin’s highly detailed reporting accurately stated the conclusions of the CIA’s most recent national intelligence estimate.
The president told McCone to set up a domestic task force to stop the flow of secrets from the government to the newspapers. The order violated the agency’s charter, which specifically prohibits domestic spying. Long before Nixon created his “plumbers” unit of CIA veterans to stop news leaks, Kennedy used the agency to spy on Americans.
By: David Bibo
Barton Gellman and Jo Becker are in the middle of a fascinating four-part Washington Post series on the VeeP of VeePs, Richard B. Cheney. The first two parts (yesterday and today) are focused on Cheney’s expansion of presidential power, an activity that has had a tremendous impact in the international security space.
Gellman and Becker explore in depth the differences between the Cheney vice-presidency and those of his predecessors. Where Dan Quayle’s tenure consisted of “this international traveling…this political fundraising…[and] going to the funerals,” Cheney focused his early days on “making up lists of nominees” for such positions as Secretary of Defense, State, and Treasury.
There are too many fascinating aspects to the first two parts to list or quote here. Anyone interested in presidential power, detainee treatment, and how Cheney has changed the notion of the role of the VP possibly forever should take the time to read every word.
Part One, Part Two
By: David Bibo
Mitt Romney, former governor of my home state of Massachusetts and 2008 Republican presidential contender, has hit the streets with his very own international security PowerPoint.
The .PPT entitled “Global Initiatives for Values and Freedom: A Comprehensive Strategy to Defeat Radical Jihad, Ensure American Security, and Advance Freedom and Human Rights Across the Globe” is, in a word, awful. Not the content, necessarily, but the visuals. Mitt may be the most polished-looking man in politics, but Al Gore waxes the floor with Romney’s coif when it comes to PowerPoint skills.
I’ll freely admit I haven’t seen Romney deliver the presentation, but I can’t imagine that even the most engaging delivery could help an audience wade through some of the data dumps he chose to include.
Paging Edward Tufte…
By: David Bibo
The Central Intelligence Agency today declassified nearly 700 pages detailing activities committed in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s in violation of the agency’s charter, which prohibits domestic intelligence gathering (among other things).
From the National Security Archive:
Then-CIA director Schlesinger commissioned the “family jewels” compilation with a May 9, 1973 directive after finding out that Watergate burglars E. Howard Hunt and James McCord (both veteran CIA officers) had cooperation from the Agency as they carried out “dirty tricks” for President Nixon. The Schlesinger directive, drafted by deputy director for operations William Colby, commanded senior CIA officials to report immediately on any current or past Agency matters that might fall outside CIA authority. By the end of May, Colby had been named to succeed Schlesinger as DCI, and his loose-leaf notebook of memos totaled 693 pages.
In announcing the release of the “Family Jewels,” CIA Director General Michael Hayden said the public would now have “a glimpse of a very different time and a very different Agency.”
By: David Bibo
A roundup of the day’s national and international security news: Coalition government dissolved in Gaza, Hamas in charge, Gates says US will continue with plan for European missile defense - in Europe, Egypt cracking down on dissenters, Reid takes a swipe at outgoing Joint Chiefs Chairman, DoJ investigates the Attorney General, and the surge is complete. Continue Reading »
Tags: Congress,
Egypt,
Europe,
Fatah,
Gates,
Gaza,
Gonzalez,
Hamas,
Iraq,
Missile Defense,
Pace,
Russia,
Surge
¶
Posted 15 June 2007
† David Bibo §
By: David Bibo
Wire reports indicate that Israel is making new diplomatic overtures to Syria through back channels. Continue Reading »
By: David Bibo
A roundup of the day’s national and international security news: Putin proposes missile shield cooperation, Lute talks to Congress, Israel ready to concede Golan?, Iraq president talks tough on Turkish troop buildup, National Security Network says Iraq troops incapable of providing security, Britain tells its nationals to leave Niger Delta, Council of Europe can prove CIA ran secret prisons, and Iran watches bloggers closely.
Continue Reading »
Tags: Bush,
CIA,
Congress,
Europe,
GWOT,
Hadley,
Iran,
Iraq,
Israel,
Missile Defense,
Putin,
Rice,
Turkey
¶
Posted 08 June 2007
† David Bibo §
By: David Bibo
As the US-Russia missile defense rhetoric cooled to some extent, syndicated NPR host Tom Ashbrook hosted a fascinating discussion on the topic today with, among others, Thomas Pickering.
Pickering (photo, left) has served in diplomatic posts including US ambassador to the Russian Federation, US ambassador to the United Nations, and Under Secretary of State.
The audio is available at Ashbrook’s On Point site.
By: David Bibo
Things have been somewhat quiet in Spain for the last 15 months as the Basque separatist movement Euskadi ta Askatasuna - or ETA - has been adhering to a “permanent ceasefire” declared on March 22, 2006. As has been reported over the past several days, ETA has nullified the ceasefire - rendering premature the reported demise of violent European nationalist groups.
The Council on Foreign Relations has made a timely update to its profile of secular-nationalist-ETA. A refresher is in order, given the predictions of imminent attacks.
By: David Bibo
A roundup of the day’s national and international security news: North Korea launches missiles, Putin-Bush rhetoric settles a bit, Cheney deeply involved in push for warrantless surveillance, Turkish troops amass on N. Iraq border, Iran ships arms to Taliban, elections in Spain will go on as planned despite end to ETA ceasefire, Iranian journalists decry oppression, US secretly holding 39 terror suspects says human rights groups, more fighting in Gaza, Green Zone beseiged by attacks, TB-Andy post-mortem on the Hill, Lute was skeptical of surge, and Amnesty International elists the public in Darfur monitoring. Continue Reading »
Tags: Afghanistan,
Africa,
Bush,
Cheney,
Congress,
ETA,
Fatah,
Gaza,
Green Zone,
Hamas,
Iran,
Iraq,
North Korea,
Russia,
Surge,
Taliban,
TB,
Turkey
¶
Posted 07 June 2007
† David Bibo §
By: David Bibo
[AP] Turkish Officials: Troops Enter Iraq
[Reuters] Turkey denies major incursion into Northern Iraq
By: David Bibo
The Congressional Research Service yesterday published a six page briefing that includes background on the TB Andy case, information on federal authority for isolation and quarantine, international health regulations, and civil rights considerations.
Hat Tip: Open CRS
By: David Bibo
In an interesting look behind the scenes at the New York Times, National Editor Suzanne Daley gives some insight into why the paper chose to cover the foiled JFK terror plot on page 30. (Emphasis added below): Continue Reading »
By: David Bibo
A US Army colonel single-handedly threw the Congressionally-prescribed, Bush-approved Military Commissions system into turmoil Monday, raising questions - once again - about what’s next for the nearly 400 detainees currently calling Guantanamo Bay, Cuba home. Why can’t the government get its act together and conduct legitimate trials for the Gitmo detainees? Continue Reading »
By: David Bibo
A roundup of the day’s national and international security news: Abbas says Palestine on verge of civil war, WaPo poll finds American discontent with Iraq, Dem Congress growing, TB Andy response hampered by bureaucracy, ETA to end ceasefire, China joins Russia in criticizing Europe missile defense, military judges toss two Gitmo detainee cases, Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia says captured US soldiers are dead, Ahmadinejad says countdown to Israeli destruction has begun, Lebanon a failed state?, and Rice spars with Venezuela FM over RCTV. Continue Reading »
Tags: Ahmadinejad,
al-Qaeda,
Basque,
Bush,
Chavez,
China,
Civil War,
Congress,
ETA,
France,
Iran,
Iraq,
Israel,
Lebanon,
Missile Defense,
Palestine,
Palestinians,
Putin,
Rice,
Russia,
Surge,
TB,
Turkey,
UN,
Venezuela
¶
Posted 05 June 2007
† David Bibo §
