Learning the Wrong Lessons From the Attempted Bombing

The botched attempt by a Nigerian, apparently trained in Yemen by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, to conduct a suicide bombing on a plane as it neared Detroit has highlighted the U.S. government's overzealous, ineffective, and even counterproductive efforts to...

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Pay for the War, or Just Call It Off?

Congressman David Obey (D-Wis.), the powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and an opponent of President Barack Obama's Afghan War escalation, recently proposed a special "temporary" income surtax to fund the war. Although his intentions are...

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Government Terrorism Lists Are a Holiday Turkey

As the holiday travel season rolls around again, the government's terrorism watch list and no-fly list get ever more bizarre. Of course, for starters, the list has always been unconstitutional, because the government does not have probable cause to believe the vast...

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Civilian Trials for 9/11 Suspects Aren’t Enough

The Obama administration's decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-described mastermind behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and four alleged co-conspirators in civilian court is a laudable return to the rule of law from the Bush administration's kangaroo...

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Why Most Counterinsurgency Wars Fail

In recent history, very few counterinsurgency wars have ended in success. Guerrillas are often outgunned by a wealthier invading power, but they do have two powerful advantages. One is that they are fighting on their home turf, which they usually know much better than...

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