Obama administration
36 Articles
Who Checks the President? Not the Military
The responsibility for checking contentious policies rests not with the military, but with elected officials, constitutional institutions, and the American people.
9/11 Then and Now: How It Shapes Us 25 Years On
We asked experts with deep personal and professional ties to the post-9/11 era: how did 9/11 shape your path, and how does it continue to shape us 25 years later?
A Quarter Century After 9/11: Lessons Learned and Lost
A former member of the George W. Bush administration’s National Security Council reflects on what the United States got right and wrong in its response to the 9/11 attacks.
Time to Repeal INARA and Move Forward with the Iran MoU
The Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act should be repealed or amended. The alternatives are extending a disastrous war of choice or ignoring the law.
From Secret Law (2001-2024) to None at All (2025-present)
The Trump administration's lethal strikes are the apotheosis of the last quarter century's often always secret and often unreviewable executive branch legal reasoning.
Is the U.S. Abandoning the Fight Against Foreign Information Operations?
The Trump administration's policy shift paves the way for foreign propaganda to flourish, leaving Europe to step into the breach.
What Just Happened: The Trump Administration’s Reorganization of the State Department – and How We Got Here
The Trump administration’s proposed reorganization of the State Department is not just a reshuffle. It’s a realignment of diplomatic priorities that seems set to constrain…
Introduction to Symposium: Ending Perpetual War
Marking the 22nd anniversary of 9/11, our new Symposium reflects on the enduring legacies of the "war on terror" and prospects for finally leaving the war path.
U.S. Policymakers’ Lessons from Yemen for Gaza
Former Obama officials write: If the White House is serious about protecting Gaza’s civilians, they need to do more than urge that Israel adhere to the law. They must make clear…
How the Expansion of “Self-Defense” Has Undermined Constraints on the Use of Force
Legal Scholar Oona Hathaway examines how expansive U.S. interpretations of "self-defense" have shaped international law.
Finally Ending America’s Forever War, Part II: Prescription
Leading legal scholar Harold Hongju Koh presents a long-term strategy for ending the "war on terror."
Finally Ending America’s Forever War, Part I: Diagnosis
On the 22nd anniversary of 9/11, leading legal scholar Harold Hongju Koh offers a grim diagnosis of how we got here and the challenges ahead.