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Monday, February 6, 2012
Roubini sees continuing danger for global economic outlook in 2012 and beyond
Roubini sees continuing danger for global economic outlook in 2012 and beyond
ADULT SUPERVISION FROM MOSCOW AND BEIJING? by Graham E. Fuller
The following op-ed by Graham Fuller (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
ADULT SUPERVISION FROM MOSCOW AND BEIJING?
by Graham E. Fuller
6 February 2012
Has it come to this? Are Moscow and Beijing now providing adult supervision over Western-generated crises in the Middle East?
Those of us over forty had long been socialized into viewing Moscow and Beijing as constituting a Deadly Duo in our global geopolitical struggle against communism. Yet today we are confronted with the spectacle of Russia and China now providing the necessary caution and prudence to prevent yet another Western rush into disastrous war in the Middle East. Most recently both Beijing and Moscow have made clear their lack of support for increasingly draconian Western or even UN-sponsored sanctions against Iran or Syria. And they more firmly oppose military intervention.
ADULT SUPERVISION FROM MOSCOW AND BEIJING?
by Graham E. Fuller
6 February 2012
Has it come to this? Are Moscow and Beijing now providing adult supervision over Western-generated crises in the Middle East?
Those of us over forty had long been socialized into viewing Moscow and Beijing as constituting a Deadly Duo in our global geopolitical struggle against communism. Yet today we are confronted with the spectacle of Russia and China now providing the necessary caution and prudence to prevent yet another Western rush into disastrous war in the Middle East. Most recently both Beijing and Moscow have made clear their lack of support for increasingly draconian Western or even UN-sponsored sanctions against Iran or Syria. And they more firmly oppose military intervention.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali:The Global War on Christians in the Muslim World
Ayaan Hirsi Ali:The Global War on Christians in the Muslim World
From one end of the muslim world to the other, Christians are being murdered for their faith.
|Tom Engelhardt on the U.S. Military Heading Offshore
Tom Engelhardt on the U.S. Military Heading Offshore
"Offshore Everywhere: The Plan to End National Sovereignty as We Know It" -- The defense cuts that will change the American way of war may mean little in monetary terms, but in imperial terms they will make a difference: They will offer a direct challenge to national sovereignty.
http://www.truthdig.com/
"Offshore Everywhere: The Plan to End National Sovereignty as We Know It" -- The defense cuts that will change the American way of war may mean little in monetary terms, but in imperial terms they will make a difference: They will offer a direct challenge to national sovereignty.
http://www.truthdig.com/
Chris Hedges on the Black Bloc
Chris Hedges on the Black Bloc
"The Cancer in Occupy" -- The Black Bloc anarchists, who have been active on the streets in Oakland and other cities, are a gift from heaven to the security and surveillance state.
http://www.truthdig.com/
"The Cancer in Occupy" -- The Black Bloc anarchists, who have been active on the streets in Oakland and other cities, are a gift from heaven to the security and surveillance state.
http://www.truthdig.com/
Updates from FAS: FAS Roundup: February 6, 2012
FAS Roundup: February 6, 2012
Congress calls for accelerated use of drones, update on radioactive tissue boxes, federal agencies likely to miss 2013 declassification deadline and much more.
FAS in the News
Congress calls for accelerated use of drones, update on radioactive tissue boxes, federal agencies likely to miss 2013 declassification deadline and much more.
From the Blogs
- Raven Rock and Continuity of Government: A newly revised U.S. Air Force directive on continuity of operations under emergency circumstances refers matter-of-factly to Raven Rock Mountain Complex, a largely restricted U.S. government facility in Pennsylvania. Also known as Site R, Raven Rock has been operational since 1953 for purposes of emergency communications, disaster relocation and recovery. But most operations at the facility have been classified, and the facility itself was rarely mentioned in official publications during most of the past half century.
- Congress Calls for Accelerated Use of Drones in U.S: A House-Senate conference report this week called on the Administration to accelerate the use of civilian unmanned aerial systems (UAS), or “drones,” in U.S. airspace. Steven Aftergood writes that the pending authorization bill for the Federal Aviation Administration directs the Secretary of Transportation to develop within nine months “a comprehensive plan to safely accelerate the integration of civil unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system.”
- Radioactive Tissue Boxes Redux: Dr. Y updates readers on the radioactive tissue boxes which were sold at Bed Bath & Beyond, and shares a few issues of concern as a result of this incident.
- An Overview of Special Operations Forces, and More from CRS: Over the past decade, the number of U.S. special operations forces (SOF) personnel has nearly doubled, while budgets for special operations have nearly tripled, and overseas deployments have quadrupled, according to a newly updated report from CRS. Secrecy News has also obtained new CRS reports on U.S. investments in the Middle East and immigration-related detention.
- Agencies are Likely to Miss 2013 Declassification Deadline: Over two years ago, President Obama set December 31, 2013 as the deadline to complete the declassification processing of a backlog of more than 400 million pages of classified historical records that were over 25 years old. But judging from the limited progress to date, it now seems highly unlikely that the President’s directive will be fulfilled.
- Specter of a "Hollow Force" Called Into Question: Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and other officials have warned that if U.S. military spending is cut significantly, the unacceptable result would be a “a hollow force incapable of sustaining the missions it is assigned.” But a new critique from the Congressional Research Service suggests that the use of the term “hollow force” is inappropriate and unwarranted.
- Pathological Junk Cargo Cult Voodoo and Just Plain Bad Science: The term "junk science" has been used in the political arena in regards to issues and debates- in that each side tries to bolster its arguments with scientific “theory” while attacking the others’ science as being junk. Dr. Y investigates the history and uses of this term on the ScienceWonk blog.
- Some Historical Intelligence Satellite Imagery Declassified: A handful of historical intelligence satellite images were declassified last month to coincide with a new display of the GAMBIT and HEXAGON spy satellites at the National Air Force Museum. These satellites were formally declassified last September on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the National Reconnaissance Office. At that time, the NRO released voluminous documentation on the development of those satellites. But the associated imagery, which is held by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, was not released. Now a small number of satellite images have been made public. Steven Aftergood writes that the newly disclosed images are not originals, but are embedded in “posters” published by the NRO, and as such, researchers will not be able to conduct detailed analysis.
- FAS will have a booth at the 2nd Annual USA Science and Engineering Festival which will be held on April 28-29 in Washington, DC. We are looking for volunteers to staff our booth-come share your knowledge and career experiences with festival attendees! If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Melanie Stegman at mstegman@fas.org.For more information on our booth and the festival, click here.
FAS in the News
- Feb 1: Bloomberg, "Biological Attack Threat Cited as Pentagon Bolsters Defense"
- Jan 30: Wired - Threat Level, "CIA Claims Publication of Bin Laden Death Photos Would 'Trigger Violence'"
- Jan 30: Mother Jones, "A-10 vs. F-35: The Air Force's Latest Budget Bungle"
- Jan 29: Bloomberg/BusinessWeek, "IAEA Chief Unsure of Iran's Candor While Israel Issues Warning"
- Jan 27: Bloomberg, "IAEA's Amano Says Not Sure 'Iran Has Declared Everything'"
- Jan 27: Reuters, "The Spy Who Was Undone By His Email"
- Jan 27: Global Security Newswire, "Pentagon Unveils New Plan for Conventional Submarine =Based Ballistic Missiles"
- Jan 27: Albuquerque Journal, "Kirtland Nuclear Unit to be Inactivated"
- Jan 27: Voice of America, "Iran's Nuclear Program" (Persian) Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Some Truthful Insight in the War and about War and Ethics
Circulating today in the New York Times and Armed Forces Journal is a remarkable exposure of what is occurring today in Afghanistan--a situation not accurately reported to the American public, and of course Congress. Col. Danny Davis (USA) is the officer making this exposure possible. It will not surprise some, but it will also comes as news to many, perhaps because they have consciously or unconsciously chosen to accept a more comforting view of the un-remedial situation in Afghanistan after 10 years of American conflict there. To Col. Davis we all owe a debt of thanks and support.
The exposure also involves subjects every bit as important as the insights about the war in Afghanistan. As you read Col. Davis' article in Armed Forces Journal, take note of what he says about the technology the Army has been pursuing for more than a decade. Note also that, as Col. Davis' insights make clear, it is the moral factors that decide wars, not the technological ones: a lesson that was all too vivid after the Vietnam War where America had a gigantic technological edge and lost because of the moral and ethical issues in both Vietnam and the United States. It is remarkable how Afghanistan is unfolding the same way, especially regarding the hollow, corrupt husk of a government in Afghanistan and the misleading picture of the war created out of whole cloth in the US from the assertions of those whose political and bureaucratic careers are committed to it.
With Col. Davis' permission, I am distributing his letter to others (below): it provides an excellent introduction to what he is doing, why, and the content. His letter also links to today's New York Times article and the Armed Forces Journal article, which I especially urge you to read.
My Dearest Friends,
i haven't talked to many of you in awhile, but so the rest of this makes sense, i was deployed to Afghanistan for a year between November 2010 and October 2011. i saw many things during that deployment - the fourth combat deployment of my career - that i found disturbing. eventually i felt morally obligated to do something about what i saw to such an extent that i was incapable of not acting. here's what i've done and things that are being done as a result:
Scott Shane from the New York Times will publish a story on the actions i've taken, and the Armed Forces Journal will simultaneously publish an article i've written explaining why i submitted a Department of Defense Inspector General complaint against select senior leaders of the Armed Forces for so being so deceptive to the US Congress and American people that the truth is no longer recognizable - and the biggest bill-payer for this deception has been the lives and bodies of America's service men and women. additionally i have briefed three members of the House (Jones, Garamendi, and McGovern), four Senators (Merkley, Bennet, Tom Udall, and Manchen) as well as 18 other Senate staffers representing numerous other offices. this briefing included a classified and unclassified portion (and the DoDIG complaint also included a classified and unclassified component), and was also submitted in the form of a request for Congress to investigate my allegations.
supposedly, the three House members are planning on going to the House floor on Tuesday with up to 10 other Members to speak on the matter and demand an investigation and hearings (or whatever they do on the floor!); the Senators suggested they are considering similar action.
part of my AFJ article includes a link to a web site i set up for the purpose of hanging the unclassified report for everyone to see (the AFJ article is only 2,400 words, while the unclass report is 86 pages; the classified report is 58 pages). however, there is a battle within the Army Public Affairs on releasing the document, which i submitted for review on 20 January - the same day i disclosed to the Army's senior leaders and my chain of command what was coming. officers from the Army Media Relations department tried to pry it loose on Friday because they believe it is the right thing to do, but someone - they didn't tell me who - overruled them and said it would take longer still...
in case you'd like to read the Armed Forces Journal article i wrote to see what exactly i witnessed, the article has just been posted on their web site at: http://armedforcesjournal.com/
the New York Times will publish the story on my actions in their Monday paper edition, but an online version has also just been published at: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/
once i became aware of the truth on the ground, i could no longer rationalize inaction on my part. essentially, i would have had to keep my mouth shut and thus not risk running afoul of the Army's senior leaders - but turned a blind eye to the thousands of combat troops who continue risking their lives each and every day they go outside the wire while i lived comfortably in the safety and security of America. once i looked at it in those terms, i was compelled to act...
anyway, thought you'd like a little heads up!
--danny
i haven't talked to many of you in awhile, but so the rest of this makes sense, i was deployed to Afghanistan for a year between November 2010 and October 2011. i saw many things during that deployment - the fourth combat deployment of my career - that i found disturbing. eventually i felt morally obligated to do something about what i saw to such an extent that i was incapable of not acting. here's what i've done and things that are being done as a result:
Scott Shane from the New York Times will publish a story on the actions i've taken, and the Armed Forces Journal will simultaneously publish an article i've written explaining why i submitted a Department of Defense Inspector General complaint against select senior leaders of the Armed Forces for so being so deceptive to the US Congress and American people that the truth is no longer recognizable - and the biggest bill-payer for this deception has been the lives and bodies of America's service men and women. additionally i have briefed three members of the House (Jones, Garamendi, and McGovern), four Senators (Merkley, Bennet, Tom Udall, and Manchen) as well as 18 other Senate staffers representing numerous other offices. this briefing included a classified and unclassified portion (and the DoDIG complaint also included a classified and unclassified component), and was also submitted in the form of a request for Congress to investigate my allegations.
supposedly, the three House members are planning on going to the House floor on Tuesday with up to 10 other Members to speak on the matter and demand an investigation and hearings (or whatever they do on the floor!); the Senators suggested they are considering similar action.
part of my AFJ article includes a link to a web site i set up for the purpose of hanging the unclassified report for everyone to see (the AFJ article is only 2,400 words, while the unclass report is 86 pages; the classified report is 58 pages). however, there is a battle within the Army Public Affairs on releasing the document, which i submitted for review on 20 January - the same day i disclosed to the Army's senior leaders and my chain of command what was coming. officers from the Army Media Relations department tried to pry it loose on Friday because they believe it is the right thing to do, but someone - they didn't tell me who - overruled them and said it would take longer still...
in case you'd like to read the Armed Forces Journal article i wrote to see what exactly i witnessed, the article has just been posted on their web site at: http://armedforcesjournal.com/
the New York Times will publish the story on my actions in their Monday paper edition, but an online version has also just been published at: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/
once i became aware of the truth on the ground, i could no longer rationalize inaction on my part. essentially, i would have had to keep my mouth shut and thus not risk running afoul of the Army's senior leaders - but turned a blind eye to the thousands of combat troops who continue risking their lives each and every day they go outside the wire while i lived comfortably in the safety and security of America. once i looked at it in those terms, i was compelled to act...
anyway, thought you'd like a little heads up!
--danny
_____________________________
Winslow T. Wheeler
Director
Straus Military Reform Project
Center for Defense Information
301 791-2397 (home office)
301 221-3897 (cell)
Winslow T. Wheeler
Director
Straus Military Reform Project
Center for Defense Information
301 791-2397 (home office)
301 221-3897 (cell)
Global Economy: Crisis Without End From Europe to Beijing to Washington, Can the World's Economic System Cope?
February 17, 2012 at 6 p.m.
Global Economy: Crisis Without End
From Europe to Beijing to Washington, Can the World's Economic System Cope?
Paul Krugman* | Edmund Phelps* | Jeffrey D. Sachs | George Soros
*Winner of the Nobel Prize for Economics
A panel discussion co-sponsored by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The New York Review of Books Foundation, and the Fritt Ord Foundation of Oslo.The New York Review of Books brings together contributors Paul Krugman, Edmund Phelps, Jeffrey D. Sachs, and George Soros to discuss the number one issue of the day: the financial crisis facing the world. Metropolitan Museum of Art Director Thomas P. Campbell introduces the evening and Robert Silvers, editor of The New York Review of Books, will moderate.
$25 general admission, and all tickets also allow for museum entry.
Each ticket holder will receive a FREE copy of George Soros’ book Financial Turmoil
in Europe and the United States.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Avenue (at 82nd Street)
New York City
To purchase tickets online click here
or phone: 212-570-3949 | or visit: The Great Hall Box Office in the museum
$15 tickets for audience members 30 years and younger when purchased the day of the event (subject to availability); Call 212-570-3949 or visit the box office.
Don’t waste a drawdown
Don’t waste a drawdown
As budgets shrink, let’s rethink how we organize, train and equip the Army
By DOUGLAS MACGREGOR
DETENTION OF U.S. PERSONS: WHAT IS THE EXISTING LAW?
DETENTION OF U.S. PERSONS: WHAT IS THE EXISTING LAW?
When Congress passed the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, it included provisions that authorized U.S. armed forces to detain persons who are captured in the conflict with al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces. However, Congress also said that those provisions did not provide any new authority to detain U.S. citizens or others who may be captured in the United States.
"Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect existing law or authority relating to the detention of United States citizens...," section 1021(e) of the Act states. "We are simply codifying existing law," said Sen. Carl Levin, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the time.
But this was an evasion, since existing law regarding the detention of U.S. persons is indeterminate in important respects.
A new report from the Congressional Research Service fleshes out the law of detention, identifying what is known to be true as well as what is unsettled and unresolved.
It is perfectly clear, for example, that a U.S. citizen who fought alongside enemy forces against the United States on a foreign battlefield could be lawfully detained. This was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case Hamdi v. Rumsfeld.
On the other hand, the CRS report explains, "the President's legal authority to militarily detain terrorist suspects apprehended in the United States has not been definitively settled."
Nor has Congress helped to settle it. "This bill does not endorse either side's interpretation," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein on December 1 about the defense authorization act, "but leaves it to the courts to decide."
So if a detention of a U.S. person does occur, the CRS said, "it will be up to a court to determine Congress's intent when it enacted the AUMF [the 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force], or alternatively, to decide whether the law as it was subsequently developed by the courts and executive branch sufficiently established that authority for such detention already exists."
Up to now, "Lower courts that have addressed questions the Supreme Court left unanswered have not achieved a consensus on the extent to which Congress has authorized the detention without trial of U.S. persons as 'enemy combatants,' and Congress has not so far clarified its intent."
The new CRS report traces the development of U.S. detention policy from the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 through the Civil War, the two World Wars, and the Cold War up to the present day. See Detention of U.S. Persons as Enemy Belligerents by CRS legislative attorney Jennifer K. Elsea, February 1, 2012.
Some other new (or newly updated) CRS reports obtained by Secrecy News that have not been made readily available to the public include the following.
Terrorist Watch List Screening and Brady Background Checks for Firearms, February 1, 2012
War Powers Resolution: Presidential Compliance, February 1, 2012
The U.S. Postal Service's Financial Condition: Overview and Issues for Congress, January 27, 2012
When Congress passed the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, it included provisions that authorized U.S. armed forces to detain persons who are captured in the conflict with al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces. However, Congress also said that those provisions did not provide any new authority to detain U.S. citizens or others who may be captured in the United States.
"Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect existing law or authority relating to the detention of United States citizens...," section 1021(e) of the Act states. "We are simply codifying existing law," said Sen. Carl Levin, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the time.
But this was an evasion, since existing law regarding the detention of U.S. persons is indeterminate in important respects.
A new report from the Congressional Research Service fleshes out the law of detention, identifying what is known to be true as well as what is unsettled and unresolved.
It is perfectly clear, for example, that a U.S. citizen who fought alongside enemy forces against the United States on a foreign battlefield could be lawfully detained. This was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case Hamdi v. Rumsfeld.
On the other hand, the CRS report explains, "the President's legal authority to militarily detain terrorist suspects apprehended in the United States has not been definitively settled."
Nor has Congress helped to settle it. "This bill does not endorse either side's interpretation," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein on December 1 about the defense authorization act, "but leaves it to the courts to decide."
So if a detention of a U.S. person does occur, the CRS said, "it will be up to a court to determine Congress's intent when it enacted the AUMF [the 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force], or alternatively, to decide whether the law as it was subsequently developed by the courts and executive branch sufficiently established that authority for such detention already exists."
Up to now, "Lower courts that have addressed questions the Supreme Court left unanswered have not achieved a consensus on the extent to which Congress has authorized the detention without trial of U.S. persons as 'enemy combatants,' and Congress has not so far clarified its intent."
The new CRS report traces the development of U.S. detention policy from the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 through the Civil War, the two World Wars, and the Cold War up to the present day. See Detention of U.S. Persons as Enemy Belligerents by CRS legislative attorney Jennifer K. Elsea, February 1, 2012.
Some other new (or newly updated) CRS reports obtained by Secrecy News that have not been made readily available to the public include the following.
Terrorist Watch List Screening and Brady Background Checks for Firearms, February 1, 2012
War Powers Resolution: Presidential Compliance, February 1, 2012
The U.S. Postal Service's Financial Condition: Overview and Issues for Congress, January 27, 2012
Truth, lies and Afghanistan How military leaders have let us down
How military leaders have let us down
By LT. COL. DANIEL L. DAVIS
In Afghan War, Officer Becomes a Whistle-Blower
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/
February 5, 2012
February 5, 2012
In Afghan War, Officer Becomes a Whistle-Blower
By SCOTT SHANE
The reality of American decline
Sunday, February 5, 2012
For Mideast peace, Israel must cut off U.S. Jewish lobby
- Published 02:48 05.02.12
- http://www.haaretz.com/print-
edition/opinion/for-mideast- peace-israel-must-cut-off-u-s- jewish-lobby-1.411091
For Mideast peace, Israel must cut off U.S. Jewish lobby
The time has come to make a decision: If the goal is integration into the region, then it is essential to break away from the Jewish lobby.
By Oudeh BasharatSaturday, February 4, 2012
Less than One-Fifth of All Americans Favor Military or Covert Action Against Iran … Less than Half of Israelis Want to Attack Iran, and 65% Want the Entire Middle East – Including Israel – to be a Nuclear-Free Zone
Less than One-Fifth of All Americans Favor Military or Covert Action Against Iran … Less than Half of Israelis Want to Attack Iran, and 65% Want the Entire Middle East – Including Israel – to be a Nuclear-Free Zone
Preface: Roubini says that attacking Iran would lead to global recession. The IMF says that Iran cutting off oil supplies could raise crude prices 30%. War with Iran would kill the American economy. And see this and this.
So yes, this is a newsworthy economic and financial story.
Contrary to Government Claims of 243,000 Jobs Created, Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs Were Actually LOST In January
Contrary to Government Claims of 243,000 Jobs Created, Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs Were Actually LOST In January
Government Misrepresents Employment Picture
While everyone is popping the champagne corks over the fact that the Bureau of Labor Statistics says that 243,000 jobs were created in January, the facts are slightly different.Will Peak Oil Spell the End of Capitalism?
Will Peak Oil Spell the End of Capitalism?
Capitalism will end when oil runs out, according to Fleeing Vesuvius, a collection of essays first published in Ireland in 2010. The US and New Zealand editions came out in mid-2011. The basic theme of Fleeing Vesuvius, which is aimed at the growing sustainability movement, is TEOTWAWI (The End of the World as We Know It). The title refers to the volcano that destroyed Pompeii in 79 AD, specifically the large number of residents who failed to save themselves, despite weeks of earthquakes, gaseous clouds and other obvious signs that an eruption was imminent. For more than a decade, a growing body of evidence suggests that the planet is on the verge of economic and ecological collapse. Yet the vast majority of us do absolutely nothing to prepare for the stark conditions ahead.The Lowly Groundhog: Long May They Live
The Lowly Groundhog: Long May They Live
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, Thursday.That means there will be an additional six weeks of winter.
Or it means there will be an early Spring.
It doesn’t make much difference. Phil has an accuracy rate of about 39 percent, according to the StormFax Weather Almanac. That’s probably about the same as TV weather forecasters.
The Lord High Almighty Pooh-Bah of Threats, the Grand Ayatollah of Nuclear Menace
The Lord High Almighty Pooh-Bah of Threats, the Grand Ayatollah of Nuclear Menace
As we all know only too well, the United States and Israel would hate to see Iran possessing nuclear weapons. Being “the only nuclear power in the Middle East” is a great card for Israel to have in its hand. But — in the real, non-propaganda world — is USrael actually fearful of an attack from a nuclear-armed Iran? In case you’ve forgotten …Mitt Romney’s Man on Iran
http://english.al-akhbar.com/
Mitt Romney’s Man on Iran
By: Max Blumenthal
Published Friday, February 3, 2012
Should Mitt Romney make it to the White House, his Middle East policy
and plan for Iran may be as hawkish as that of Bush Junior, thanks to
Eliot Cohen.
Mitt Romney’s Man on Iran
By: Max Blumenthal
Published Friday, February 3, 2012
Should Mitt Romney make it to the White House, his Middle East policy
and plan for Iran may be as hawkish as that of Bush Junior, thanks to
Eliot Cohen.
Envisioning a Deal with Iran
Envisioning a Deal With Iran
By WILLIAM H. LUERS and THOMAS R. PICKERING
We’re More Unequal Than You Think Andrew Hacker, New York Review of Books
We’re More Unequal Than You Think Andrew Hacker, New York Review of Books
With Tax Break, Corporate Rate Is Lowest in Decades
Wall Street Journal
With Tax Break, Corporate Rate Is Lowest in Decades
Barry Lando on Iran, Israel and Nuclear Weapons "Iran: Only Half the Story"
Barry Lando on Iran, Israel and Nuclear Weapons
"Iran: Only Half the Story" -- One of the most overlooked ironies today is that Israel is threatening military action to prevent Iran from continuing the same clandestine route to nuclear weapons that Israel took, just as Israeli planes destroyed nuclear reactors in Syria and Iraq to prevent those countries from following Israel's lead.
http://www.truthdig.com/
"Iran: Only Half the Story" -- One of the most overlooked ironies today is that Israel is threatening military action to prevent Iran from continuing the same clandestine route to nuclear weapons that Israel took, just as Israeli planes destroyed nuclear reactors in Syria and Iraq to prevent those countries from following Israel's lead.
http://www.truthdig.com/
China’s Space White Paper: Increasing Transparency…to a Degree
China’s Space White Paper: Increasing Transparency…to a Degree
By Kevin Pollpeter
The publication of China’s Space Activities in 2011 on December 29, 2011 represents a continuing effort by Beijing to make its space program more transparent and to tout its progress. The publication of this third white paper on the space program demonstrates China’s continued commitment to its space industry and its intention to exploit the political benefits of a successful space program. The white paper documents China’s progress in developing space technologies and the increasing number of its international cooperative activities. The white paper does make it clear that China intends to build an ever more capable space program as it moves from the testing of platforms to the building of systems. The white paper, unfortunately, devotes much less time to Chinese policies governing its activities in space and, as a result, will do little to alleviate concerns over the country’s increasing national power.
China’s Remnant Liberals Keep Flame of Liberalization Alive By Willy Lam
China’s Remnant Liberals Keep Flame of Liberalization Alive
By Willy Lam
China seems to have entered deep winter as far as political reform and human rights are concerned. While the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership seems to have pulled out all the stops to stifle dissent, intellectuals both inside and outside the party still are pushing the ideal of liberalization. In a recent article in the party theoretical journal Seeking Truth, CCP General Secretary Hu Jintao reiterated the imperative to “unshakably going down the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics”—and staying away from the deviant path of Western-style political norms. “Enemy forces in the international arena are stepping up conspiracies to Westernize and divide us,” he wrote, adding that the party must “forever ring the alarm bell” against “infiltration from the West” (Qiushi, January 1). In the past two months, three dissidents known for their Internet articles about non-violent political liberalization—Chen Wei, Chen Xi and Li Tie—were given sentences of nine or ten years for “inciting subversion of state power” (New York Times, January 20; Ming Pao [Hong Kong], January 20).
In a Fortnight By Peter Mattis
In a Fortnight
By Peter Mattis
Kidnappings Highlight Weakness in Chinese Security Posture Abroad
In the space of 24 hours starting January 31, disgruntled Egyptians in the Sinai Peninsula kidnapped and then released 25 Chinese factory workers in an effort to get Cairo to pay attention to the chaotic situation on the peninsula (China News Service, February 1). The news came hard on the heels of the abduction in Sudan of 29 Chinese construction workers, who were working in the restive South Kordofon region for China’s Power Construction Corporation (CPCC). Beijing promptly dispatched a Ministry of Foreign Affairs team with representatives from the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administrative Commission to liaise with Khartoum and the CPCC emergency working group as well as to monitor the situation (Xinhua, January 31; January 30; Global Times, January 30). While not as a dramatic as the whirlwind diplomacy that led to coordinated patrols of the Mekong River last fall, Beijing is showing greater capacity to react to international events that threaten China’s interests—yet not necessarily at anticipating them.
Banyan: The devil in the deep blue detail | The Economist
Banyan: The devil in the deep blue detail | The Economist
www.economist.com/node/21546033
Banyan. The devil in the deep blue detail. Fiendishly complex disputes in the South China Sea dangerously simplified
Friday, February 3, 2012
Labor Force Participation Falls to 63.7 Low
Databases, Tables & Calculators by Subject
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Data extracted on: February 3, 2012 (12:54:38 PM)
Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 66.5 | 66.8 | 66.6 | 66.7 | 66.7 | 66.6 | 66.5 | 66.6 | 66.7 | 66.6 | 66.4 | 66.3 | |
| 2003 | 66.4 | 66.4 | 66.3 | 66.4 | 66.4 | 66.5 | 66.2 | 66.1 | 66.1 | 66.1 | 66.1 | 65.9 | |
| 2004 | 66.1 | 66.0 | 66.0 | 65.9 | 66.0 | 66.1 | 66.1 | 66.0 | 65.8 | 65.9 | 66.0 | 65.9 | |
| 2005 | 65.8 | 65.9 | 65.9 | 66.1 | 66.1 | 66.1 | 66.1 | 66.2 | 66.1 | 66.1 | 66.0 | 66.0 | |
| 2006 | 66.0 | 66.1 | 66.2 | 66.1 | 66.1 | 66.2 | 66.1 | 66.2 | 66.1 | 66.2 | 66.3 | 66.4 | |
| 2007 | 66.4 | 66.3 | 66.2 | 65.9 | 66.0 | 66.0 | 66.0 | 65.8 | 66.0 | 65.8 | 66.0 | 66.0 | |
| 2008 | 66.2 | 66.0 | 66.1 | 65.9 | 66.1 | 66.1 | 66.1 | 66.1 | 65.9 | 66.0 | 65.8 | 65.8 | |
| 2009 | 65.7 | 65.8 | 65.6 | 65.6 | 65.7 | 65.7 | 65.5 | 65.4 | 65.1 | 65.0 | 65.0 | 64.6 | |
| 2010 | 64.8 | 64.9 | 64.9 | 65.1 | 64.9 | 64.6 | 64.6 | 64.7 | 64.6 | 64.4 | 64.5 | 64.3 | |
| 2011 | 64.2 | 64.2 | 64.2 | 64.2 | 64.2 | 64.1 | 64.0 | 64.1 | 64.1 | 64.1 | 64.0 | 64.0 | |
| 2012 | 63.7 |
An Increased Threat from Iran?
An Increased Threat from Iran?
Despite increased tension between the United States and Iran, it is highly unlikely that Iran would commit an act of terror on U.S. soil because of the devastating repercussions Tehran would face.
CONGRESS CALLS FOR ACCELERATED USE OF DRONES IN U.S.
CONGRESS CALLS FOR ACCELERATED USE OF DRONES IN U.S.
A House-Senate conference report this week called on the Administration to accelerate the use of civilian unmanned aerial systems (UAS), or "drones," in U.S. airspace.
The pending authorization bill for the Federal Aviation Administration directs the Secretary of Transporation to develop within nine months "a comprehensive plan to safely accelerate the integration of civil unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system."
"The plan... shall provide for the safe integration of civil unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system as soon as practicable, but not later than September 30, 2015."
The conference bill, which still awaits final passage, also calls for establishment of UAS test ranges in cooperation with NASA and the Department of Defense, expanded use of UAS in the Arctic region, development of guidance for the operation of public unmanned aircraft systems, and new safety research to assess the risk of "catastrophic failure of the unmanned aircraft that would endanger other aircraft in the national airspace system."
The Department of Defense is pursuing its own domestic UAS activities for training purposes and "domestic operations," according to a 2007 DoD-FAA memorandum of agreement. ("Army Foresees Expanded Use of Drones in U.S. Airspace," Secrecy News, January 19, 2012.)
A House-Senate conference report this week called on the Administration to accelerate the use of civilian unmanned aerial systems (UAS), or "drones," in U.S. airspace.
The pending authorization bill for the Federal Aviation Administration directs the Secretary of Transporation to develop within nine months "a comprehensive plan to safely accelerate the integration of civil unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system."
"The plan... shall provide for the safe integration of civil unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system as soon as practicable, but not later than September 30, 2015."
The conference bill, which still awaits final passage, also calls for establishment of UAS test ranges in cooperation with NASA and the Department of Defense, expanded use of UAS in the Arctic region, development of guidance for the operation of public unmanned aircraft systems, and new safety research to assess the risk of "catastrophic failure of the unmanned aircraft that would endanger other aircraft in the national airspace system."
The Department of Defense is pursuing its own domestic UAS activities for training purposes and "domestic operations," according to a 2007 DoD-FAA memorandum of agreement. ("Army Foresees Expanded Use of Drones in U.S. Airspace," Secrecy News, January 19, 2012.)
From the Council on Foreign RelationsL Iran Threatens Retaliation
Top of the Agenda: Iran Threatens Retaliation
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran would retaliate (Reuters) over Western-backed sanctions targeting its oil exports and threats of an attack on its nuclear facilities. The United States and the EU, which is in the process of imposing an oil embargo on Iran, contend that the country's nuclear program is intended for manufacturing weapons. Khamenei's speech followed reports suggesting that U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta believes Israel could launch an attack on Iran as early as this spring.
Analysis
"The best option is the third one, a version of current policy, which is to place as much economic pressure as one can on Iran--not that it will get them to end their nuclear program, but rather to lead the Iranians to calculate that the costs of proceeding as they are are simply too great, and therefore it makes sense to change their behavior," says CFR President Richard N. Haass in this interview.
"If the United States seriously considers military action, it would be better to plan an operation that not only strikes the nuclear program but aims to destabilize the regime, potentially resolving the Iranian nuclear crisis once and for all," write Jamie M. Fly and Gary Schmitt in Foreign Affairs.
"The United States should heed the lessons of the North Korean nuclearization. Not so long ago, Washington had to face an aggressive regime in Pyongyang intent on developing nuclear weapons. The United States rejected a preventive strike in 1994 for fear that the outcome would be worse than its target's nuclear acquisition," write Alexandre Debs and Nuno P. Monteiro in Foreign Affairs.
Attack of the super-Pacs
US unemployment drops to 8.3%
US unemployment drops to 8.3% The US economy added 243,000 jobs in January and the unemployment rate dropped to 8.3 per cent
The labour department’s nonfarm payrolls report exceeded economists’ expectations of 145,000 new positions last month, compared with a better-than-expected 200,000 in December.
Friday’s data followed a report on private job creation from payroll processor ADP that said US companies added 170,000 new workers, below expectations.
The government’s tally showed 257,000 jobs were added in the private sector, compared with expectations of 163,000.
http://link.ft.com/r/KC2844/
The labour department’s nonfarm payrolls report exceeded economists’ expectations of 145,000 new positions last month, compared with a better-than-expected 200,000 in December.
Friday’s data followed a report on private job creation from payroll processor ADP that said US companies added 170,000 new workers, below expectations.
The government’s tally showed 257,000 jobs were added in the private sector, compared with expectations of 163,000.
http://link.ft.com/r/KC2844/
New book: Iran sanctions only If coupled with diplomacy
http://www.jewishjournal.com/
January 31, 2012
New book: Iran sanctions only If coupled with diplomacy
BY MJ ROSENBERG, FOREIGN POLICY MATTERS
News on the Iran front is getting more and more complicated. I am not referring to the situation at Iran’s nuclear facilities but to the one here in Washington, where Congress, deep into election-year fundraising and thinking about the March AIPAC policy conference, is crafting yet another sanctions bill. There is no reason to go into the details. But suffice it to say, this new set of sanctions, like the rest, will primarily hurt ordinary Iranians, not the government. As one Iranian citizen, writing under a pseudonym, described the situation this week in the New York Daily News:These days, ordinary Iranians like my mother are becoming increasingly aware of a new economic reality in their lives. Sanctions already in place have plunged the country’s economy into a crisis; more robust sanctions that will be enacted come spring on our financial system and oil trade will cause even more pain for an already-suffering populace.Isn’t life in Iran difficult enough under the regime of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei? Why punish ordinary people more?
Facebook ought to ditch its public offering
Al Qaeda in Iran
Al Qaeda in Iran
Seth G. JonesIran is holding terrorist leaders as an act of defense -- so long as it has them, al Qaeda will likely refrain from attacking Iran. But the strategy also has a defensive component -- if the United States or Israel bombed the country, it could employ al Qaeda in responding. Read
The Future of History Francis Fukuyama
The Future of History
Francis FukuyamaStagnating wages and growing inequality will soon threaten the stability of contemporary liberal democracies and dethrone democratic ideology as it is now understood. What is needed is a new populist ideology that offers a realistic path to healthy middle-class societies and robust democracies. Read
Thursday, February 2, 2012
27 of 35 Bush Articles of Impeachment Apply to Obama
27 of 35 Bush Articles of Impeachment Apply to Obama
By leading anti-war activist David Swanson, author of Day Break and War Is A Lie, who runs the websites DavidSwanson.org and WarIsACrime.org (formerly AfterDowningStreet.org)When Congressman Dennis Kucinich introduced 35 articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush on June 9, 2008, the 35 had been selected from drafts of nearly twice that many articles.
President Obama has accumulated his own massive list of high crimes and misdemeanors that were unavailable for Bush’s list (thing’s like openly murdering U.S. citizens, launching massive drone wars, selectively and abusively prosecuting numerous whistleblowers as spies, holding Bradley Manning naked in isolation, attacking Libya without so much as bothering to lie to Congress, etc.).
Nonetheless, it is instructive to review the 35 Bush articles in the Obama age. It quickly becomes apparent that Obama has either exactly duplicated or closely paralleled most of the 35. Here’s what I mean:
Divining the Truth About Iran
Divining the Truth About Iran
Watching top U.S. intelligence officials present the annual “Worldwide Threat Assessment” before the Senate Intelligence Committee, I found myself wondering if they would depart from the key (if politically delicate) consensus judgment that Iran is NOT working on a nuclear weapon.What Is a Just War?
What Is a Just War?
When President Obama announced last April that he was sending the United States military to bomb Libya, he not only violated the United States Constitution, which he has taken an oath to uphold, but he also violated the moral principles of the just war.Outta here
America in Afghanistan
Outta here
After a decade in Afghanistan, the United States rushes for the exit
Hype or Reality: Will Israel Attack Iran Before the U.S. Presidential Election?
Hype or Reality: Will Israel Attack Iran Before the U.S. Presidential Election?
By Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett, from www.RaceForIran.com
Today, The Washington Post’s David Ignatius devoted his column, see here, to growing concerns within the Obama Administration that “Israel will attack Iran militarily over the next few months.” Ignatius describes U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta as believing “there is a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June—before Iran enters what Israelis described as a ‘zone of immunity’ to commence building a nuclear bomb.” Ignatius goes on to note,
“Very soon, the Israelis fear, the Iranians will have enough enriched uranium in deep underground facilities to make a weapon—and only the U.S. could then stop them militarily. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t want to leave the fate of Israel dependent on American action, which would be triggered by intelligence that Iran is building a bomb, which it hasn’t done yet.”
Ignatius’ column comes, of course, on the heels of the publication of Israeli journalist Ronen Bergman’s article in the current New York Times Sunday Magazine, “Will Israel Attack Iran?”, see here, in which Bergman concludes, “After speaking with many senior Israeli leaders and chiefs of the military and the intelligence, I have come to believe that Israel will indeed strike Iran in 2012.” In our own conversations, around Washington and elsewhere, we are hearing many of the same expressions of concern echoed by Ignatius—the American military, in particular, is increasingly inclined to believe that Israel will strike, perhaps even earlier than the time frame suggested by Panetta.
We will consider below various strategic and political factors affecting an Israeli decision to attack Iran.
Updates from the Afghanistan Study Group Afghanistan Weekly Reader: Despite Panetta's Comment, Afghanistan War Budget for 2013 is $90 Billion
From ASG
1/31/12
Average American Weekly Income: $1,200. Weekly War Costs: $1,800,000,000
Afghanistan Study Group by Mary Kaszynski
Americans now see that the few benefits of the war in Afghanistan are not worth the enormous costs. At a time when many American families are struggling, the amount of money spent on the war in Afghanistan doesn’t make sense.
ARTICLES
2/1/12
Panetta Says U.S. to End Afghan Combat Role as Soon as 2013
New York Times by Elisabeth Blumiller
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said Wednesday that American forces would step back from a combat role there as early as mid-2013, more than a year before all American troops are scheduled to come home.
OPINION
1/26/12
The Afghan divide
LA Times by Sarah Chayes
How should we measure success in Afghanistan? It's a crucial question, but there isn't much agreement on an answer.
2/1/12
Obama’s Faster, Smarter Afghan Exit
The Daily Beast by Les Gelb
With this strategy, the administration accomplishes three goals: (1) U.S. troops are removed from combat earlier, reducing lives lost and cost; (2) U.S. troops return home earlier; and (3) both security and political risks are made manageable.
1/31/12
Average American Weekly Income: $1,200. Weekly War Costs: $1,800,000,000
Afghanistan Study Group by Mary Kaszynski
Americans now see that the few benefits of the war in Afghanistan are not worth the enormous costs. At a time when many American families are struggling, the amount of money spent on the war in Afghanistan doesn’t make sense.
ARTICLES
2/1/12
Panetta Says U.S. to End Afghan Combat Role as Soon as 2013
New York Times by Elisabeth Blumiller
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said Wednesday that American forces would step back from a combat role there as early as mid-2013, more than a year before all American troops are scheduled to come home.
OPINION
1/26/12
The Afghan divide
LA Times by Sarah Chayes
How should we measure success in Afghanistan? It's a crucial question, but there isn't much agreement on an answer.
2/1/12
Obama’s Faster, Smarter Afghan Exit
The Daily Beast by Les Gelb
With this strategy, the administration accomplishes three goals: (1) U.S. troops are removed from combat earlier, reducing lives lost and cost; (2) U.S. troops return home earlier; and (3) both security and political risks are made manageable.
The trials of a reluctant superpower David Pilling By David Pilling
The trials of a reluctant superpower
By David Pillinghttp://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=106621 Dempsey Told Israelis U.S. Won't Join Their War on Iran By Gareth Porter*
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.
Dempsey Told Israelis U.S. Won't Join Their War on Iran
By Gareth Porter*
WASHINGTON, Feb 1, 2012 (IPS) - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey told Israeli leaders Jan. 20 that the United States would not participate in a war against Iran begun by Israel without prior agreement from Washington, according to accounts from well-placed senior military officers.
Dempsey Told Israelis U.S. Won't Join Their War on Iran
By Gareth Porter*
WASHINGTON, Feb 1, 2012 (IPS) - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey told Israeli leaders Jan. 20 that the United States would not participate in a war against Iran begun by Israel without prior agreement from Washington, according to accounts from well-placed senior military officers.
William Pfaff on U.S. Worldview
William Pfaff on U.S. Worldview
"Focus on Iran and China Could Hasten American Decline" -- Americans might do better to give up their China obsession and go back to their traditional vision of a European threat.
http://www.truthdig.com/
"Focus on Iran and China Could Hasten American Decline" -- Americans might do better to give up their China obsession and go back to their traditional vision of a European threat.
http://www.truthdig.com/
Robert Scheer on Accountability for the Financial Crisis
Robert Scheer on Accountability for the Financial Crisis
"The Democrats Who Unleashed Wall Street and Got Away With It" -- That Lawrence Summers and Bill Clinton, the president he served as treasury secretary, can still get away with disclaiming responsibility for our financial meltdown is an insult to reason.
http://www.truthdig.com/
"The Democrats Who Unleashed Wall Street and Got Away With It" -- That Lawrence Summers and Bill Clinton, the president he served as treasury secretary, can still get away with disclaiming responsibility for our financial meltdown is an insult to reason.
http://www.truthdig.com/
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
No Exit in the Persian Gulf?
No Exit in the Persian Gulf?
When it comes to U.S. policy toward Iran, irony is the name of the game. Where to begin? The increasingly fierce sanctions that the Obama administration is seeking to impose on that country’s oil business will undoubtedly cause further problems for its economy and further pain to ordinary Iranians.Apple Tries Damage Control after Horrific Working Conditions at its Factories Exposed
Apple Tries Damage Control after Horrific Working Conditions at its Factories Exposed
Apple's attempts at cleaning up its image after recent scrutiny of its labor practices are more about reputation than actual change.
Doomsday Scenario: What Happens When Banks Control the Economy?
Doomsday Scenario: What Happens When Banks Control the Economy?
Banks weren't meant to be in control of our economy and our governments. How did it get like this and how can we restore sanity to our banking system?
How 'Anonymous' Went From Mischief Makers to a Force That Terrifies Corporations and Governments
How 'Anonymous' Went From Mischief Makers to a Force That Terrifies Corporations and Governments
Anonymous activists have become terrifying to the powers that be, despite (or perhaps because of) their apparent disorganization and probably in excess of their actual capacity.
Afghanistan: The Best Way to Peace
http://www.nybooks.com/
The New York Review of Books
Afghanistan: The Best Way to Peace
February 9, 2012
Anatol Lieven
Obama administration employs controversial detention provision as legal defense
Obama administration employs controversial detention provision as legal defense
The provision in question, Section 1021 of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), "reaffirms the military's existing authority to detain individuals captured in the course of hostilities in accordance with the law of war." That authority was given to the administration in the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), passed by Congress after the 9/11 attacks. The Obama administration initially threatened to veto the defense authorization bill because it contained a stronger version of Section 1021, but then revoked its veto threat after House and Senate negotiators tweaked the language.
The provision nonetheless faced opposition from civil rights organizations and some senators, including Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), out of concern that it could be used to justify indefinite detention of anyone suspected of terrorism, including American citizens.
President Obama specifically criticized section 1021 in his signing statement on the day the defense authorization bill became law.
"Section 1021 affirms the executive branch's authority to detain persons covered by the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) (Public Law 107-40; 50 U.S.C. 1541 note). This section breaks no new ground and is unnecessary. The authority it describes was included in the 2001 AUMF, as recognized by the Supreme Court and confirmed through lower court decisions since then," Obama wrote. "My Administration will interpret section 1021 in a manner that ensures that any detention it authorizes complies with the Constitution, the laws of war, and all other applicable law."
Now, thanks to Brookings Institution scholar Benjamin Wittes, we learn exactly how the administration is interpreting that section of the law: It is using it to defend the indefinite detention of Musa'ab al-Madhwan, a Yemeni citizen who has been imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, for years.
"The government has filed its opposition to cert in the case of Al Madhwani v. Obama-a Guantanamo habeas case," Wittes wrote on his Lawfare blog. "Al Madhwani's cert petition seeks review of this DC Circuit opinion affirming his detention. That opinion, in turn, affirmed District Judge Thomas Hogan's earlier opinion. The government's argument is interesting because it explicitly invokes the new language in the NDAA."
The Cable
Posted: 31 Jan 2012
Last month, Barack Obama's administration resisted provisions codifying the right to detain prisoners indefinitely, arguing that putting such language into law was unnecessary and redundant. Now, the administration is using those very provisions to defend its detention of a suspected al Qaeda militant in federal courts. The provision in question, Section 1021 of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), "reaffirms the military's existing authority to detain individuals captured in the course of hostilities in accordance with the law of war." That authority was given to the administration in the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), passed by Congress after the 9/11 attacks. The Obama administration initially threatened to veto the defense authorization bill because it contained a stronger version of Section 1021, but then revoked its veto threat after House and Senate negotiators tweaked the language.
The provision nonetheless faced opposition from civil rights organizations and some senators, including Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), out of concern that it could be used to justify indefinite detention of anyone suspected of terrorism, including American citizens.
President Obama specifically criticized section 1021 in his signing statement on the day the defense authorization bill became law.
"Section 1021 affirms the executive branch's authority to detain persons covered by the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) (Public Law 107-40; 50 U.S.C. 1541 note). This section breaks no new ground and is unnecessary. The authority it describes was included in the 2001 AUMF, as recognized by the Supreme Court and confirmed through lower court decisions since then," Obama wrote. "My Administration will interpret section 1021 in a manner that ensures that any detention it authorizes complies with the Constitution, the laws of war, and all other applicable law."
Now, thanks to Brookings Institution scholar Benjamin Wittes, we learn exactly how the administration is interpreting that section of the law: It is using it to defend the indefinite detention of Musa'ab al-Madhwan, a Yemeni citizen who has been imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, for years.
"The government has filed its opposition to cert in the case of Al Madhwani v. Obama-a Guantanamo habeas case," Wittes wrote on his Lawfare blog. "Al Madhwani's cert petition seeks review of this DC Circuit opinion affirming his detention. That opinion, in turn, affirmed District Judge Thomas Hogan's earlier opinion. The government's argument is interesting because it explicitly invokes the new language in the NDAA."
DNI Annual Threat Assessment
Given the ideological filters that the media impose on these things, some may be interested in reading the actual text of the Director of National Intelligence annual report, which may be found at http://www.odni.gov/
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