Transparency
407 Articles

Trump’s Ability to Classify Mueller Report Is Greater Threat Than Executive Privilege
The prospect of the President invoking Executive Privilege to keep the Special Counsel's report secret has received plenty of attention. Less well-known is this: there are no restrictions…

Precision and Civilian Casualties: Policymakers Believe Drones Can Be Precise. That May Not Be Enough.
What do policymakers’ own views of drones – particularly as they relate to civilian casualties – reflect, and how do those views affect policymaking?

Loopholes in Public Corruption Laws Benefit Swamp Dwellers
If we are to deter corruption and hold accountable officials who breach the public’s trust, some changes in the law are needed.

Letter to the Editor: Much More Iceberg Below the Surface on Civilian Casualties
[Editor’s note: Ryan Goodman responds to Gabor Rona in a follow-on piece.] Ryan Goodman makes a compelling case that the United States undercounts its civilian casualties.…

The Intel Community’s Annual Transparency Report Raises More Questions Than It Answers
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence's new mandatory report, summarizing certain intelligence agencies’ surveillance activities in 2017, is one of the most important…

More Questions for Gina Haspel—The Record of False CIA Claims about Torture’s “Efficacy”
Recently Katherine Hawkins published a comprehensive set of questions that Gina Haspel, nominee to head the CIA, should be asked during her confirmation hearings (“What the…

An Opportunity for National Security Transparency in the Trump Era
Hartig and Geltzer--who served in the National Security Council, Defense Department, and Justice Department--examine the benefits of transparency in national security policy, what…

Trump’s Explanation for His Administration’s Use of Military Force Due Today
As I discuss in a piece over at Defense One, today is the deadline for the Trump administration to provide a detailed explanation to Congress on its legal and policy basis for…

The Trump Administration Should Publicly Disclose its New Policy on Lethal Force
On Monday, President Trump is required to submit a report to Congress setting out changes he’s made to US policy governing the use of military force in counterterrorism operations.…

Important Report by White House on National Security Due Soon
The executive branch owes it to Congress—and all of us—to deliver the answers Congress has demanded to do the critical job assigned to our national legislature and serve the…

Will the Next Use of Force “Transparency Report” be Transparent? Devil May be in Classified Details
Congress recently required the President to submit a report that describes the administration’s legal and policy positions on the use of military force and related national security…

Timeline of Carter Page’s Contacts with Russia [Updated]
At the heart of the recent Nunes memo controversy lies a FISA order application for former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. But Page had piqued the interest of FBI investigators…