Barack Obama
40 Articles
The insoluble Guantánamo problem (Part Two: The NDAA restrictions)
In my earlier post, I explained that the failure to close the detention facility at Guantánamo has been the one conspicuous and unfortunate exception to what has otherwise been…
The Remarkable (and Remarkably Unnoticed) Guantánamo PRB Scorecard
One of the best-kept secrets concerning the ongoing detentions of non-citizens at Guantánamo is the Periodic Review Board (PRB) process being conducted pursuant to Executive…
Six National Security Questions Presidential Candidates Should Have To Answer
A lot of ink has already been spilled on Carly Fiorina’s … strange … focus in last week’s Republican debate on expanding the (already massive) Sixth Fleet as one of the…
US Drone Killings of Western Aid Workers Highlight Problems of Nebulous War
President Obama’s apology for the accidental killings of two innocent hostages by US drones in Pakistan has led to understandable criticism of the United States’ secret drone…
New National Security Appointees
The 113th Congress has concluded its work and in some of its last actions, the Senate confirmed the White House’s nominees to a number of administration posts relevant to…
Passing the Senate Gavels
Editors’ Note: The following post is the tenth installment of a new feature, “Monday Reflections,” in which a different Just Security editor will take an in-depth look…
Reauthorize the AUMF: Clever strategies to limit presidential power are constitutional, but unwise
Now that the Midterms elections are in the books, it should be possible to focus once again on an unresolved issue that has generated massive angst on both sides of the political…
Rejecting the Bush Comparison: A Response to Goldsmith & Waxman
Jack Goldsmith and Matthew Waxman have written an interesting essay on President Obama’s war powers legacy, boldly titled “Obama, not Bush, is the Master of Unilateral War.”…
The Guns of September
[Editors’ Note: The following post is the first installment of a new feature, “Monday Reflections,” in which a different Just Security editor will take a longer…
President Obama Delivering Remarks on Ukraine
Earlier today President Obama delivered a statement on the escalating situation in Ukraine. Video of the remarks is available below. We will update this post with a transcript…
Endless War is the Wrong Response to ISIS
“Obama’s Blueprint for Fighting Terrorism Collides with Reality in Iraq,” blared the New York Times headline late last week, in a story that set forth the challenges of the…
How President Obama can fulfill his promise to end bulk collection of telephone metadata, while preserving intelligence capabilities
On January 17, President Obama promised to end the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of metadata on Americans’ phone calls under “section 215” (which is really…