Edward Snowden’s disclosures, the New York Times reported on Sunday, "have renewed a longstanding concern: that young Internet aficionados whose skills the agencies need for counterterrorism and cyberdefense sometimes bring an anti-authority spirit that does not...
Bombings Return to Central Iraq; 23 Killed
Obama’s Syria Policy Looks a Lot Like Bush’s Iraq Policy
President Obama announced late last week that the US intelligence community had just determined that the Syrian government had used poison gas on a small scale, killing some 100 people in a civil conflict that has claimed an estimated 100,000 lives. Because of this...
The Making of a Global Security State
As happens with so much news these days, the Edward Snowden revelations about National Security Agency (NSA) spying and just how far we’ve come in the building of a surveillance state have swept over us 24/7 – waves of leaks, videos, charges, claims, counterclaims,...
A Note to My Readers
I have some personal business to take care of today, which accounts for the lack of a column. I’ll be back on Wednesday. NOTES IN THE MARGIN You can check out my Twitter feed by going here. But please note that my tweets are sometimes deliberately provocative, often...
Iraq’s Shi’ite South Targeted: 54 Killed, 174 Wounded
23 Killed Across Iraq; Mortar Attack on Iranian Dissident Camp
Secrecy’s Tangled Web of Deceit
The name card at the Senate hearing read, “Hon. General Keith B. Alexander,” but layering on the extra honorific title was not enough to change the sad reality that the National Security Agency’s director — a proven prevaricator — was not “honorable.” You might have...
It’s a Riot!
Europe's Lawless Summer It is looking like a summer of discontent in Europe. In late May, “youths” in Sweden rioted for several days, torching cars and houses. At the beginning of June, tens of thousands of Turks took to the streets against the Erdogan government....
Clarity From Snowden, Murk From Progressive Politicians
House Speaker John Boehner calls Edward Snowden a “traitor.” The chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Dianne Feinstein, labels his brave whistleblowing “an act of treason.” What about the leadership of the Congressional Progressive Caucus? As the largest caucus...


