To win the long war against terrorism, America must constantly adapt to ever-changing terrorist threats. Congress and the Administration must work together to provide continued support for terrorism-fighting tools, to increase information sharing and collective security efforts around the globe, and to expand vital law enforcement partnerships with local and state law enforcement and cooperation with the governments of other countries.
Issues 2012 provides candidates for elected office the ability to quickly identify the key issues of the day and present clear policy recommendations, supported by facts, for addressing them. Read More.
The best way to stop terrorist plots is to frustrate them before they get started. Here is short “to do” list of measures on which the Administration could take immediate action. Read More.
Several factors have contributed to this success. Sheer luck has played a role in some of these thwarted attacks, while in other instances, Americans have helped stop attacks by putting their own lives at risk. Read More.
The Ninth Circuit correctly dismissed Jose Padilla’s lawsuit against John Yoo, the former Department of Justice official who provided key analysis of legal questions arising from the war on terrorism. But being the traditionally liberal and oft-reversed Ninth Circuit, the court could not leave well enough alone and issued an…
Pakistan missed a valuable opportunity to create goodwill with the U.S. and other NATO members when it failed to announce a reopening of NATO supply routes to Afghanistan at the summit held Sunday and Monday in Chicago. Not only has Pakistan’s closure of the supply routes over the past six…
When the Nigerian sect Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, otherwise known as Boko Haram, and the Nigerian Taliban emerged from their year-long hiatus in 2010, few in Washington noticed.[1] But when Boko Haram launched a suicide attack against the United Nations headquarters in the capital city of Abuja…
Abstract: Famine, drought, war, piracy, international terrorism, and the absence of democratic governance: The factors behind, as well as the symptoms of, the failed Somali state are legion. Despite its woes, Somalia has not been considered a U.S. foreign policy priority—an unfortunate relegation that…
A North Korean long-range ballistic missile launch into the Pacific Ocean, Russian threats of a preemptive strike against U.S. missile defenses in Europe, the Syrian regime’s continuing violence on protestors, and Taliban terrorist attacks in Afghanistan are just a few of the recent events that should serve to remind us…
Earlier today, the White House and FBI confirmed reports of a terrorist attempt to blow up a U.S.-bound airliner, reminiscent of the planned attack that was foiled on Christmas Day 2009. The plot, perpetrated by al-Qaeda affiliate al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), appears to have been planned to coincide…
On Monday, the FBI arrested five individuals in a planned attack to blow up a Cleveland-area bridge. Unlike many of the foiled terror attacks seen in recent years, this recent plot seems to have no connection to Islamist extremism. Instead, three of the suspects are said to be self-proclaimed anarchists. …
Abstract: While President Obama is drawing down U.S. troops in Afghanistan, he is attempting to negotiate with the Taliban—despite the fact that the Taliban has renounced neither terrorism nor its support for al-Qaeda. If the Taliban is able to regain influence in Afghanistan without…
Abstract: In 2007, The Heritage Foundation became the first and only organization to track thwarted terrorist attacks against the United States. That year, Heritage reported that at least 19 publicly known terrorist attacks against the United States had been foiled since 9/11. Today, that…
Cully Stimson discusses Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's trial for his involvment with the 9-11 terrorist attacks on 'America's Newsroom' on Fox News. …
Abstract: In 2007, The Heritage Foundation became the first and only organization tracking thwarted terrorist attacks against the United States. That year, Heritage reported that at least 19 publicly known terrorist attacks against the United States had been foiled since 9/11. Today, that number…
A few Members of Congress, motivated by American combat in the Middle East, have called for the reinstatement of a compulsory military draft. The case for coercing young citizens to join the military is supposedly based on social justice?that all should serve?and…
This month, several individuals detained as "enemy combatants" will make their appeals for freedom to the highest court in the land. Perhaps now, more than any other time in recent memory, the eyes of the world are intensely focused…
FYI: Heritage WebMemos are getting a new name. Beginning February 13, 2012, they will be called Issue Briefs. For the 50th consecutive year, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2012 provides funding and authorities for the U.S.…
Abstract: In 2009 alone, U.S. authorities foiled at least six terrorist plots against the United States. Since September 11, 2001, at least 30 planned terrorist attacks have been foiled, all but two of them prevented by law enforcement. The two notable exceptions are the…
Abstract: A decade after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, looking back is as important as looking forward in order to learn from the past and to examine the current and future threats facing the U.S. This survey aggregates international…
Executive Summary Getting the national homeland security enterprise right is among the most difficult challenges in Washington because the problems in protecting the homeland are rooted in overcentralization, pervasive complacency, and entrenched politics—problems that often cause Washington…
With an increase in the national response to terrorism, many people believe the principle of federalism has little utility today or that states do not have much to contribute in counterterrorism policy or activity. When it comes to domestic security, however, federalism is more relevant than ever, and the states…
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Pakistan’s military has lost more than 3,000 security personnel in the fight against terrorism. Such sacrifices are...…
After more than three years in office, the Obama Administration still is blaming the Bush Administration for its own...…
With the 51st terrorist plot foiled since 9/11, the question still remains: is Al-Qaeda still a threat? Click here to...…
Yesterday, U.S. national security officials announced that the CIA and other U.S. agencies, working with foreign...…
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As the first anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden came to pass, European and American officials openly lamented...…
Mark McKinnon, a former Bush advisor, doesn’t get it. “GOP Attacks on Obama’s bin Laden Ad Misguided,” declares his...…
One year ago today, Seal Team Six landed in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and succeeded in bringing Osama bin Laden to...…
The past week has been a bloody one for Nigeria. Attacks in the capital city of Abuja and across the north have...…
Senior Fellow, National Security Affairs and Chung Ju-Yung Fellow for Policy Studies
Senior Research Fellow in Anglo-American Relations
Deputy Director, The Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies and Director, Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies
Senior Research Fellow
Director, Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom
Vice President, Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, and Director, The Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies
Director, Asian Studies Center
Senior Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs
Chief of Staff and Senior Legal Fellow