Issue Brief posted February 22, 2013 by Luke Coffey
U.S. Should Back a Robust Afghan National Security Force
Overshadowed by the announcement in President Obama’s State of the Union address that 34,000 U.S. troops will be brought home from Afghanistan was an acknowledgement that the capabilities of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) need to improve. The U.S. should argue that the ANSF should not be reduced in numbers as currently planned, and the White House should press…
Issue Brief posted September 17, 2012 by Jessica Zuckerman
Chicago Bombing Attempt Marks 52 Terrorist Plots Since 9/11
Last Friday, the FBI arrested 18-year-old American citizen Adel Daoud in a plot to detonate a car bomb outside a local Chicago bar. Daoud, who was active in online Jihadi forums and vocal in his desire to commit violent jihad, considered 29 possible targets before settling on the Chicago bar.
Thankfully, the car bomb had been deactivated by the FBI and the public…
Lecture posted July 24, 2012 by The Honorable Patrick Meehan
Boko Haram: An Overlooked Threat to U.S. Security
Abstract: Since 2009, the jihadist insurgency in Nigeria known as Boko Haram has been escalating its attacks across the country, targeting security forces, politicians, and civilians. Assuming that Boko Haram will refrain from targeting U.S. interests in Nigeria (a country of strategic significance) or in the U.S. homeland is a dangerous gamble—as was the case with other…
Backgrounder posted July 16, 2012 by Theodore R. Bromund, Ph.D., Steven P. Bucci, Ph.D., Luke Coffey, Jessica Zuckerman, Robin Simcox
U.S. Should Assist Britain in Meeting Security Threats to the 2012 London Olympic Games
Abstract: The 2012 Summer Olympic Games and the Paralympics will be held from late July through early September in London. They are an obvious target for attacks by radical Islamist terrorists, as well as anti-capitalist anarchists, supporters of various national causes, and other groups. Britain is one of the world’s most experienced and capable practitioners of…
America at Risk Memo posted May 14, 2012 by Peter Brookes
Protect America from What?
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 that we are living in uncertain times…
Issue Brief posted March 1, 2012 by Lisa Curtis
U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan: Costs of Accelerating Troop Withdrawal Too High
The situation in Afghanistan has spiraled downward over the past 10 days, but before making hasty decisions on next steps in Afghanistan, U.S. policymakers need to consider what has contributed to this ominous turn of events and what options there are for adjusting the U.S. strategy to avoid further such incidents. U.S. policymakers should also be aware that leaving…
Issue Brief posted March 1, 2012 by Charles "Cully" Stimson
Majid Khan: Anatomy of a Terrorist’s Plea Bargain
The first Guantanamo detainee to have been in CIA custody (a so-called high-value detainee, or HVD) pleaded guilty yesterday before a military commission judge in a courtroom on the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay. In exchange for a cap on his confinement related to his military commissions case, Majid Khan agreed to testify truthfully in future military commissions…
Issue Brief posted February 17, 2012 by Jessica Zuckerman
Forty-Fifth Attempted Terrorist Plot: U.S. Must Resist Complacency
FYI:
Heritage WebMemos are now called Issue Briefs.
On Friday, authorities arrested a man in an attempted suicide attack on the U.S. Capitol. The attempt marks at least the 45th publicly known attempted terrorist attack against the United States since 9/11 and is the sixth such attack targeting Washington, D.C.
This latest attempted attack serves as yet…
WebMemo posted November 20, 2011 by James Jay Carafano, Ph.D.
Foiling 43rd Terror Plot Test for Administration’s Priorities
On November 20, the mayor of New York City announced the arrest of Jose Pimentel. Pimentel, a naturalized U.S. citizen from the Dominican Republic, was charged with a number of offenses in connection with a terrorist bomb plot. Allegedly, Pimentel drew inspiration from al-Qaeda to attack postal facilities, police stations, and U.S. military personnel returning from Iraq…