Stephen Wertheim: 9/11, Afghanistan, and Failed Foreign Policy
"You don’t get to lose a war and expect the result to look like you won it," says the author of Tomorrow, the World: The Birth of U.S. Global Supremacy.
Terrorism
Was It a U.S. Drone or an ISIS Attack That Killed 3 Adults and 7 Children Outside Kabul?
The deadly Sunday explosion is a reminder of the hundreds of civilians U.S. strikes have killed in Afghanistan.
Libertarians Correctly Predicted the Afghanistan Fiasco
The hubristic idea that America could successfully nation-build in Afghanistan was a bipartisan delusion for nearly two decades.
Kabul Attack Is a Vivid Reminder of Why America Should Leave Afghanistan ASAP
The Pentagon says 12 Americans were killed and 15 more wounded in a pair of suicide attacks near the Kabul airport. At least 60 Afghans died as well.
Nothing Was Gained From 20 Years in Afghanistan
Why did it take presidents so long to realize this?
Don't Excuse Biden for His Botched Afghanistan Withdrawal
You can both support withdrawal and recognize its failed execution.
Homeland Security Says Americans Upset by 'Public Health Safety Measures' Could Be Terror Threats
The new advisory “is not based on any actual threats or plots” but is purely a response to a “rise in anti-government rhetoric.”
Attorney General Garland Should Reverse an Egregious Legal Ruling Denying Asylum to Refugees Fleeing Forced Labor at the Hands of Terrorist Groups
My recent USA Today op ed explains how and why.
Big Tech, Watchdog Groups, and Law Enforcement Join Forces To Purge Extremists
Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube will expand their use of a central database that compiles extremist content for coordinated de-platforming.
New York Becomes the Latest State to Drop Its COVID Restrictions
Plus: Dispensaries give out free joints to the vaccinated, the Biden Administration cracks down on "extremists," and more...
Overreacting To Domestic Terrorism Makes It Worse
Targeting “extremists” threatens civil liberties while increasing the stresses that lead to violence.
Report: FBI Misused Foreign Surveillance Powers To Investigate Domestic Crimes
Section 702 is supposed to be used to snoop on spies and terrorists, not Americans.
A New 'War on Terror' Would Be Just as Disastrous as the Original
"We don't need to use a faulty model and apply it to the very real terrorism problem that we have at home," says terrorism expert Max Abrahms.
New Laws Against Domestic Terrorism Are Unnecessary and Dangerous
Violent acts are already illegal, and new tools will inevitably be used against those who annoy the powerful.
From 9/11 to COVID, Every Emergency Means Bigger Government
We have to stop governing by emergency.
FBI Arrests Activist Daniel Baker Over Posts About Police Abuse and Self Defense
Plus: The aftermath of the New York Times' anti-Pornhub crusade, and more...
Americans Shouldn't Be Treated Like ISIS Insurgents
Adopting "counterinsurgency" tactics for use against wide swaths of Americans can only make the situation worse.
'See Something, Say Something Online Act' Punishes Big Tech for Not Snitching
Plus: Oregon decriminalizes hard drugs, Kroger closes stores over hazard pay rule, and more...
Don't Give Domestic Extremists the 'Post-9/11 Treatment'
Government responses to Capitol rioters must be research-based and not just emotional reactions.
More than 100 Civil Rights Groups Agree: We Don't Need New Domestic Terrorism Laws
Their letter to Congress warns about inevitable abuses against religious and racial minorities.
Don't Let the Capitol Riot Reignite the War on Terror
Government grows in response to a crisis.
Goodbye, Trump. Hello, War on Domestic Terror.
Plus: Biden pushes 8-year path to citizenship, Parler is back, Josh Hawley's book finds new publisher, and more...
Don't Let the Capitol Riot Become a 9/11-Style Excuse for Authoritarianism
Frightening events create openings for attacks on civil liberties.
42 People Now Face Federal Charges for the Capitol Riot
Plus: Happy birthday to Wikipedia, Airbnb's pandemic rebound, and more...
Why Purging Social Media of Extremist Speech Might Not Make Us Safer
Law enforcement will have an easier time arresting and prosecuting criminals on Parler than on Telegram.
The Myth of Europe's Migrant Crisis
Overblown fears of crime and terror from migrants did not bear out. But the fears were bad for migrants, would-be migrants, and natives alike.
NSA Ruling Reminds Us That Sacrificing Civil Liberties in the Name of National Security Is a Bipartisan Impulse
A federal appeals court concludes that the agency's mass collection of phone records was illegal and probably unconstitutional.
The Feds Who Made America's Fentanyl Freakout Worse
Leaked police documents show how U.S. counterterrorism agencies spread myths and panic about fentanyl.
Boston Bomber May Dodge Death Penalty as Justice Department Preps for More Executions
Court panel rules judge didn't properly evaluate juror bias against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
Supreme Court Won't Hear Suit Saying Facebook Helped With Hamas Attack
Hamas "used and relied on" Facebook "as among its most important tools to facilitate and carry out its terrorist activity," the plaintiffs claimed.
Justice Department Attempts To Blame Encryption for Terrorist Attack Feds Failed To See Coming
The FBI and attorney general want to ruin everybody's data security and draft Apple into compromising your safety.
Texas Teen Booked on Terror Charge for COVID-19 Snapchat Video
She posted on social media about deliberately spreading the disease, but she's not actually sick.
Trump's Quiet War on Iran Gets Loud
The administration has been quietly escalating against Iran and its allies using a selection of counterterrorism laws that allowed it to act without going through Congress or the public.
Buttigieg Refuses To Say If He'd Have Assassinated Soleimani: 'This Is Not an Episode of 24'
The modicum of restraint expressed by the former South Bend mayor earned him immediate scorn from conservatives.
The Trump Administration Wants To Deport an Iraqi Refugee for Being an Islamic State Terrorist. The Only Problem? He's Not.
Sending Omar Ameen back to Iraq will likely result in his execution, and the case against him doesn't make sense. The Trump administration is fighting to do it anyway.
The FBI Wants Access to a Mass Shooter's iPhone. Will They Demand a Back Door?
A deadly shooting on a Naval base in Florida may lead to a new battle against encryption.
Trump Wants to Target Iranian Cultural Sites, Says His Tweets Shall Serve as Notice to Congress
Plus: the never-quite-there Klobuchar Moment, how Fox News learned to love the deep state, and more...
To See How Our Last 'War on Terror' Went Awry, Watch The Report
The CIA and its defenders insisted that torture would help keep America safe. They were wrong.
What Did Reason Get Wrong in 2019?
And what predictions will we shank in 2020 and beyond?
PATRIOT Act Clause Invoked to Keep Man Imprisoned Even After He Served His Sentence
A part of the law intended to hold suspected terrorists for deportation is being twisted to justify indefinite detention.
Giving Government Vast Snooping Authority Is One Thing Democrats and Republicans Both Like
They simply disagree over who should be in charge of misusing and abusing those excessive powers.
Trump Makes Baghdadi Death About Humiliation, not Human Rights
Plus: GMO fear is killing people, the suburbs are changing, and more...
The FBI's Infamous List of 'Known Terrorists' Is Ruled Unconstitutional
Plus: millennials are buying homes after all, protecting Pinterest from anti-vaxxers, and more...
Defending 'Reasoned Debate About Public Safety,' San Francisco Supervisors Declare the NRA a 'Domestic Terrorist Organization'
If you disagree with these politicians about gun control, they think, you might as well join the KKK.
Can Adam Driver Make Americans Care About CIA Torture Again?
A new movie, The Report, documents the Senate struggle to inform the public about our wartime waterboarding and "enhanced interrogations."
When Governments Act on Fear and Panic, Injustice Is Often the Result
It's necessary to confront the threat of white nationalism on the political right, but it must be done without handing new powers to law enforcement and government.
Authoritarian Rulers Mobilize Private Violence To Advance Their Goals
Trump's incendiary rhetoric and selective law enforcement is encouraging anti-immigrant violence.
