Charles V. Peña

Charles V. Peña is a senior fellow at the Independent Institute, a senior fellow with the Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy, a former senior fellow with the George Washington University Homeland Security
Policy Institute, an adviser to the Straus Military Reform Project, and an analyst for MSNBC television. Peña is the co-author of Exiting Iraq: Why the U.S. Must End the Military Occupation and Renew the War Against al-Qaeda and author of Winning the Un-War: A New Strategy for the War on Terrorism.

Settling for Good Enough in Afghanistan

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is considering a peace offer from the militant group Hizb-i-Islami, which is led by warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and linked to the Taliban. The good news is that this may be a sign of the Karzai government exercising sovereignty by engaging in policies and actions it deems are in the best interest … Continue reading “Settling for Good Enough in Afghanistan”

The Tail That Wags the Dog

Just prior to leaving to meet with President Barack Obama this week, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet, "As far as we are concerned, building in Jerusalem is like building in Tel Aviv," and there would be no halting or restrictions of construction in East Jerusalem. The international community considers East Jerusalem occupied … Continue reading “The Tail That Wags the Dog”

Excessive Intrusion, Less Security

Chicago’s O’Hare Airport – the nation’s second largest airport and one of the busiest, if not the busiest – is one of several U.S. airports (including Boston’s Logan Airport) that is putting the newest body scanner technology into use. One hundred and fifty new scanners are scheduled to be deployed along with the 40 already … Continue reading “Excessive Intrusion, Less Security”

Another Bureaucratic Paperweight

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published its first Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) [.pdf]. The QHSR – patterned after the Department of Defense’s Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) – was mandated by Congress and directed the secretary of DHS to conduct "a comprehensive examination of the homeland security strategy of the nation, including recommendations … Continue reading “Another Bureaucratic Paperweight”

Yet Another Energy and National Security Myth

VetVoice.com (a project of VoteVets.org) recently launched a $2 million television campaign supporting the Clean Energy and American Power Act. In all, there are eight television ads that essentially claim that oil money finances terrorism and that we need to wean ourselves off of foreign oil to be more safe and secure. (The red herring … Continue reading “Yet Another Energy and National Security Myth”