The Transnational Crime Organizations Chasing the Transnational Crime Organizations
William Arkin has a post on the proliferation of what he calls the "counter-everything" trend--organizations targeting transnational organizations that sell drugs or people or whatever. He ends it by wondering why this is all getting worse--why…
The 4 Month Detainee Review Election Season Special
There's something else I've been puzzling through in the Periodic Review Board directive released the other day governing how the Obama Administration will give the detainees at Gitmo reviews to see if they still need to be held.
The timing.
This…
The Government Continues to Play Redaction Games with Latif
I've now read all the documents the government issued and reissued on April 30 in some detail (District Court Opinion; Circuit Opinion; Cert Petition; Government Response; Latif Reply). As I've noted, in addition to releasing their own response…
The General Must Have Pineapple
About a month ago, I bought a pineapple from Costa Rica at Meijers. It was over 5 pounds and cost something like $1.50.
The fruit was lovely. But the price got me thinking about how pineapple has become one of those things in globalization…
Abu Zubaydah to DOD: Charge Me Now!
Abu Zubaydah's legal team just wrote the Convening Authority for the Military Commissions demanding that it charge Zubaydah.
This letter requests that the Convening Authority immediately commence proceedings against our client, Zayn al-Abidin…
DOD: Consider Whether We've Made Detainees Crazy in Periodical Review
Section 1023 of the Defense Authorization mandated that the Administration tell Congress how it was implementing Obama's Executive Order providing periodic review of Gitmo detainees' continued need to be detained.
SEC. 1023. PROCEDURES FOR…
Cluster Bombs on the Head of a Saudi Pinpoint
Congratulations to the NYT, which offers the superlative version of a story everyone seems to be writing today. It describes a whole host of reasons why we should not trust the Saudis.
That collaboration appears to have intensified over the…
Vladimir Putin Too Busy Rearranging His Sock Drawer to Attend the G8
I have to admit, the old KGB hand Vladimir Putin sure plays hardball in matters of diplomacy. Normally when you blow off a major summit (Putin will be sending Dmitri Mevedev in his place), you give more than a ten day's notice.
Vladimir Putin…
As NATO Summit Approaches, Taliban Strength Accumulates
NATO found it necessary yesterday to trot out a high-ranking spokesman to try to tamp down the suggestion from Dianne Feinstein and Mike Rogers over the weekend that the Taliban has increased in strength. Unfortunately for NATO, however,…
Peter King Makes It More Clear He's Targeting the AP, Not Leakers
A real member of Congress might worry that the government is using double agents to expand wars in other countries without briefing the Gang of Eight, as required by law.
Not Peter King. He wants to investigate the AP's sources--but not,…
Albright Discovers Puddles in Parchin
In March, Gareth Porter and I debunked claims that "diplomats" had fed to AP's George Jahn. The diplomats asserted to Jahn that they had seen satellite photos depicting activity interpreted as attempts to clean the site at Parchin where…
Did the Saudis or the Yemenis Expose the Involvement of a Double Agent?
There's a remarkable moment in this CNN story reporting on the concern within the US that someone leaked the fact that a double agent was involved in foiling the UndieBomb plot. After quoting Peter King saying "a major investigation" would…
The UndieBomber's Signature Timing
As I suggested yesterday, I think the the Administration's decision to use signature strikes in Yemen may be tied more closely to the double agent UndieBomb attack revealed in the last two days.
After all, the plot didn't just happen yesterday.…
Government Invokes Valerie Plame to Argue CIA Acknowledgment that Bush Authorized Torture Is Not Official Acknowledgment
As you'll recall, back in April I went on a week-long rant about the great lengths--including submitting a secret declaration from the National Security Advisor--the Obama Administration had gone to hide a short reference to the September 17,…
Drone Oopsies in US Airpsace
As if on cue, Steven Aftergood just released this Air Force directive:
9.6.1. Air Force units with weapon system video and tactical ISR capabilities may collect imagery during formal and continuation training missions as long as the collected…
Did Another Saudi Double Agent "Tip" Us Off to a "Plot" Against America?
ABC reports that the UndieBomber 2.0 plot revealed yesterday in breathless fashion was exposed by a double agent that--given that he delivered the bomb to Saudi Arabia--was presumably being run by the Saudis just like all the other men the Saudis…
Terrorist Training Camp Busted in Central Florida
In a series of arrests that began over the weekend, authorities in Central Florida have now arrested ten individuals tied to the racist skinhead organization American Front. Initial arrests included two on Friday and five more on Sunday.…
Confessions of an Orwellian Oppenheimer
Drunken Predator has one of the smartest descriptions of what I agree are two of the biggest reasons to oppose drones. On one side, he describes "Oppenheimers" who oppose some international uses of drones out of concern for the way they expand…
It Takes an Attempted Terrorist Attack to Actually Test Backscatter Machines
Long after rolling out backscatter machines without proving their efficacy and safety, it looks like the machines will finally be tested. As the AP reports, the government is now testing the underwear bomb Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula planned…
NYT Covers the War on Terror Drugs with No Mention of Larger Context
This NYT article, which describes how the US has adopted the Special Forces approaches used in Iraq and Afghanistan to fight the drug trade in Central America, rather bizarrely makes no mention of the larger context--growing opposition in Latin…