Georgetown Security Law Brief

Pakistan Supreme Court orders arrest of Prime Minister

01/15/13:  The New York Times reports Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered the arrest of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf in a corruption case on Tuesday afternoon, dramatically raising the stakes in a tense standoff between the government and its opponents.  The court order came as an enigmatic preacher turned politician, Muhammad Tahir-ul Qadri, addressed thousands of supporters outside Parliament and repeated calls for the government’s ouster. In earlier speeches, he said that a caretaker administration led by technocrats should take its place.  The confluence of the two events stoked growing speculation that Pakistan’s powerful military was quietly supporting moves that would delay general elections that are due to take place this spring, most likely through the imposition of a military-backed caretaker administration.

Commentary: Don’t Close Guantánamo

01/11/13:  The New York Times published an article by Jennifer Daskal arguing that we should keep Guantánamo open.  Guantánamo in 2013 is a far cry from Guantánamo in 2002. Thanks to the spotlight placed on the facility by human rights groups, international observers and detainees’ lawyers, there has been a significant, if not uniform, improvement in conditions.  The political reality is that closure of Guantánamo is unlikely to happen anytime soon, and if it did, it would do more harm than good. We should instead focus on finding places to transfer those cleared to leave the facility and, more important, on defining the end to the war.

Pentagon acts to limit spending in case cutbacks begin in March

01/11/13:  The New York Times reports fearing that Congress and the president may not reach a deal on spending and the deficit, the Pentagon’s leadership is freezing civilian hiring, limiting maintenance work and delaying approval of some contracts.  The money-saving steps, announced Thursday by Defense Secretary Panetta, are designed to be reversible should a compromise be reached to avoid automatic reductions in federal spending set to begin in March. The Pentagon’s share could be up to $500 billion in cuts over 10 years.  Specific steps were outlined in a memo distributed across the military and civilian departments and signed by Ashton Carter, the deputy defense secretary, and included curtailing nonessential travel, training and conferences.  The effort is designed to not degrade the war effort in Afghanistan. Services for families of military personnel also were protected, even as the military and civilian departments were ordered to continue planning for even deeper cuts.

Obama's CIA Director Pick: John O. Brennan

01/07/13:  The New York Times reports President Obama will announce on Monday that John O. Brennan, his counterterrorism adviser and a career Central Intelligence Agency officer, is his choice to head the agency, two months after Petraeus stepped down after admitting an extramarital affair.  Mr. Brennan’s nomination will be announced at 1 p.m. along with that of Chuck Hagel, the former maverick Republican senator from Nebraska, whom the president has chosen for secretary of defense, said the spokesman, Thomas Vietor.  In Mr. Obama’s first term, Brennan, has played a central role in the oversight of Obama’s use of targeted killing of suspected terrorists using drones in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. He has become one of the president’s most trusted advisers, and administration officials had said that the CIA job was his for the asking.

Obama's Secretary of Defense Pick: Chuck Hagel

01/07/13:  The New York Times reports when President Obama nominates Chuck Hagel, the maverick Republican and former senator from Nebraska, to be his next secretary of defense, he will be turning to a trusted ally whose willingness to defy party loyalty and conventional wisdom won his admiration both in the Senate and on a 2008 tour of war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. The choice of Mr. Hagel, the first Vietnam veteran to be nominated for the post, would add a prominent Republican to Obama’s cabinet, providing some political cover for the president’s plans to exit Afghanistan and make cuts to a military budget that has roughly doubled since the 2001 terrorist attacks.  But Republicans made clear on Sunday that they would give Mr. Hagel a rough ride on his path to the Pentagon.

Israel approves another 1,200 settlement units around Jerusalem

12/27/12:  The Guardian reports Israel has given the green light for the fast-track development of a further 1,200 settlement units around Jerusalem. It brings the total number of new approvals to 5,500 in just over a week, the largest wave of proposed expansion in recent memory. The latest plan, which would see almost 1,000 new apartments built over Jerusalem's green line in Gilo, comes as the Israeli media is reporting mounting pressure on the prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, to drop his commitment to a two-state solution from his platform for re-election in January.

China’s Communist Party chief acts to bolster military

12/15/12:  The New York Times reports Xi Jinpin, the new Communist Party chief and civilian commander of the Chinese military, is moving quickly to make strengthening the country’s armed forces a centerpiece of what he calls the “Chinese dream” of national rejuvenation. The nationalist message of building up the People’s Liberation Army has been broadcast loudly in the aftermath of Mr. Xi’s recent visit to south China. “We must insist on using battle-ready standards in undertaking combat preparations, constantly enhancing officers’ and troops’ thinking about serving in battle, and leading troops into battle and training troops for battle,” Mr. Xi said, according to a report on Wednesday by Xinhua, the state news agency, that was later published by prominent state-run newspapers. “And we must insist on rigorous military training based on the needs of actual combat.”

Egypt power struggle: Assembly backs draft constitution

11/30/12:  The BBC reports Egypt's Islamist-dominated constituent assembly has approved a draft constitution, as the judiciary threatens to dissolve it amid a power struggle with President Morsi. The draft will now be sent to Morsi, who is expected to call a referendum. The Supreme Constitutional Court is due to rule on Sunday on whether the assembly should be dissolved. Senior judges have been in a stand-off with the president since he granted himself sweeping new powers.

Commentary: US, Israel should support Palestinian statehood

11/26/12: The New York Times features an op-ed by former Israeli diplomat Yossi Beilin arguing that the United States and Israel should support the Palestinian Authority's expected bid for recognition by the United Nations General Assembly, and ultimately their drive for statehood.  Beilin points out that Palestinian President Mahmous Abbas' Fatah faction, which governs the West Bank, favors the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel - ostensibly Israel's goal - and that opposing him will only strengthen the extremist group Hamas, which rules Gaza and aims to destroy Israel.  "It is paradoxical that Israel’s current government is so vehemently opposed to Mr. Abbas’s bid for recognition," Beilin says.  "After all, it was 65 years ago this week that the Palestinians and their friends in the Arab world expressly rejected United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181, which recognized the need to establish a Jewish state alongside an Arab state in the former British Mandate territory of Palestine.  Now, the Palestinians are admitting their mistake and asking the same assembly to recognize a state of Palestine alongside Israel."  Supporting that bid will serve the interests of both Israel and the United States.

Egypt judges condemn Morsi's new powers, call for judicial strike

11/25/12: Al Jazeera reports Egypt’s highest judicial authority has criticized President Mohamed Morsi’s move to grant himself sweeping new powers that would protect his decisions from being challenged.  In an emergency meeting on Saturday, the Supreme Judicial Council urged Morsi “to distance this decree from everything that violates the judicial authority.”  Morsi has also given himself sweeping powers that allowed him to sack the unpopular prosecutor-general and opened the door for a retrial for former President Hosni Mubarak and his aides.  Former prosecutor-general Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud said Saturday he is willing to go to court to dispute Morsi’s decision and warned “against any attempt to disrupt the work of the judicial system.”  The judges also called for a “suspension of work all in courts and prosecution administrations” in protest against the decree.

Egyptians take to the streets after President expands powers

11/23/12:  NPR reports Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi was showered with international praise on Wednesday as he brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. On Friday, he was the target of angry protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square as they denounced Morsi's decision to grant himself sweeping new powers a day earlier. The demonstrators clashed with Morsi's supporters from the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo and several other cities, vividly illustrating the unresolved political issues in Egypt nearly two years after the revolution that ousted the former president, Hosni Mubarak.

Sudan ex-spy arrested over plot

11/22/12: The BBC reports Sudan has arrested former intelligence chief Salah Gosh and top army officers over a "plot" to destabilise the country, a minister has said. Witnesses described seeing tanks and troops in the centre of the capital, Khartoum, early on Thursday. Sudan has seen demonstrations in recent months over the high cost of living and demands for political reform.

Cairo protesters fire-bomb Al-Jazeera studio, assault police chief

11/21/12: The Miami Herald reports Egyptian protesters firebombed one of the offices of satellite broadcaster Al-Jazeera on Wednesday and attacked a police chief who tried to negotiate an end to three days of violent protests in central Cairo.  The protesters hit the studio overlooking Tahrir Square with Molotov cocktails, engulfing it in flames.  Reporter Ahmed el-Dassouki said around 300 protesters approached the building before noon, shouting obscenities, and set the place on fire, stormed the building, and looted the studio.  “They accuse our network of being biased and not objective,” he said.  Many protesters have accused the channel of supporting the country’s most powerful political force, the Muslim Brotherhood.  After the attack, a crowd beat up Cairo Police Chief Osama el-Saghir, who had traveled to Tahrir Square to diffuse the situation.

Obama gains leverage over Netanyahu with support for Israel in crisis

11/21/12: The New York Times reports on the changing dynamics in the uncomfortable relationship between US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who all but openly opposed Obama’s reelection in November.  After more than a year of Obama needing – and not getting – much support from his Israeli counterpart in his efforts to woo American Jewish voters at home ahead of his reelection, it is now Netanyahu who needs Obama to help shore up his support at home.  The Israeli leader is facing an election in January, and if there is one thing that Israeli voters do not like it is any kind of daylight between their Prime Minister and the American President in times of strife.

Syria rejects new opposition coalition, attacks foreign support

11/19/12: The New York Times reports Syrian officials lashed out Sunday at foreign governments that have formally recognized the newly formed opposition coalition.  Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi accused France, Turkey and Qatar of supporting “terrorism” in Syria by extending diplomatic recognition to the new National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, including the acceptance of an official envoy in Paris.  Zoubi said the new coalition is a creation of foreign states and thus ineligible to participate in any national dialogue.  The government of President Bashar al-Assad has said from the start of the crisis in March 2011 that it would engage with its opposition, but it has sought to handpick the participants in any negotiations.

Senate will investigate change in CIA's "talking points" on Benghazi attack

11/19/12: The New York Times reports Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Cal.), the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Sunday that she planned to investigate why the CIA’s quick determination of a terrorist role in the attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was not reflected in the “talking points” used days later on television by Susan Rice, the ambassador to the United Nations.  But Feinstein also said the White House was not behind any change in the language used.  “The allegation that the White House changed those talking points, that is false,” she said Sunday.  But she said a transcript of testimony given a day after the attack by then-CIA Director David Petraeus showed that “Petraeus very clearly said that it was a terrorist attack.”

Syrian Islamist groups reject opposition coalition

11/19/12: The Miami Herald reports a group of Islamic extremist factions in Syria have posted a video rejecting the country’s new opposition coalition.  The statement was posted on a militant website Monday.  The opposition coalition was formed November 11 in Qatar to unite factions opposed to President Bashar al-Assad.  The new group is also seen as a way to counter the growing influence of Islamic extremists in the rebellion.  But the statement suggests the extremist elements, including the al-Qaeda-inspired Jabhat al-Nusra, want nothing to do with the new, Western-backed bloc.  The statement also called the embattled city of Aleppo, where many radical groups are fighting, an “Islamic state.”  The authenticity of the video could not be independently confirmed, but it was released on a website that carries al-Qaeda and other militant statements.

Japan's Premier dissolves Parliament, planning vote

11/16/12:  The New York Times reports Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda dissolved the lower house of parliament Friday, paving the way for elections in which his ruling party will likely give way to a weak coalition government divided over how to solve the nation's myriad problems. Elections are set for Dec. 16. If Noda's center-left party loses, the economically sputtering country will get its seventh prime minister in six and a half years. The opposition Liberal Democratic Party, which led Japan for most of the post-World War II era, is in the best position to take over. The timing of the election likely pre-empts moves by more conservative challengers, including former Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara, to build electoral support.

After months of mystery, China unveils new top leaders

11/15/12:  CNN reports China on Thursday unveiled the elite group of leaders who will set the agenda for the country for the next decade, the culmination of months of secretive bargaining and a carefully choreographed performance of political pomp. The seven members of the powerful committee that sits atop the Chinese system strode out onto a stage in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. They were led by Xo Jinping, who takes over from Hu Jintao as head of the Communist Party, which has ruled China for more than 60 years. Xi is joined on the new Politburo Standing Committee, the party's top decision-making body, by Li Keqiang, who is expected to replace Wen Jiabao as premier early next year, and five other veteran party officials. Although the committee's lineup is new, analysts said it appeared to be predominantly conservative and unlikely to bring about meaningful political changes in the world's most populous nation and second largest economy.

Top US commander in Afghanistan linked to Petraeus scandal

11/13/12:  The New York Times reports Gen. Allen, the top American and NATO commander in Afghanistan, has become ensnared in the scandal over an extramarital affair acknowledged by David H. Petraeus, a former general. General Allen is being investigated for what a senior defense official said early Tuesday was “inappropriate communication” with Jill Kelley, a woman in Tampa, Fla., who was seen by Mr. Petraeus’s lover as a rival for his attentions. Mr. Panetta turned the matter over to the Pentagon’s inspector general to conduct an investigation into what a defense official said were 20,000 to 30,000 pages of documents, many of them e-mails between General Allen and Ms. Kelley, who is married and has children.

Palestinian UN bid to proceed despite American and Israeli opposition

11/12/12: Al Jazeera reports the Palestinian Authority (PA) says it will be proceeding in its bid to obtain non-member state status at the United Nations, despite objections from the United States and Israeli.  Mohammad Shtayyeh, a member of the Palestinian team working on the UN bid, said in Ramallah on Monday that the application will be made no later than November 29, with a final date to be announced on Tuesday by the Arab League.  Shtayyeh said US President Barack Obama called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday to reiterate his opposition to the UN move, but Abbas made it clear the decision was final.  “The train has left the station,” Shtayyeh said.

Commentary: Obama v. Bush (and Romney) on counterterrorism policies

11/12/12: Our friends at Lawfare have produced this fascinating exchange between Jack Goldsmith and Trevor Morrison on the counterterrorism measure President Obama has taken and is likely to take in his second term, and how they differ from those taken by President Bush and those that would have been implemented by a President Romney.  Morrison sees those differences as more signficant than Goldsmith.

Speaker 'confident' of deal with White House on immigration

11/09/12:  The New York Times reports fresh off an election in which Hispanic voters largely sided with Democrats, Speaker Boehner said Thursday that he was “confident” Congress and the White House could come up with a comprehensive immigration solution. Immigration reform is “an important issue that I think ought to be dealt with,” Mr. Boehner said. “This issue has been around far too long,” he said, “and while I believe it’s important for us to secure our borders and to enforce our laws, I think a comprehensive approach is long overdue, and I’m confident that the president, myself, others, can find the common ground to take care of this issue once and for all.”

Putin shuffles top Russian military officers

11/09/12:  The New York Times reports President Vladimir Putin on Friday reshuffled the nation's top military brass following the defense minister's ouster, and instructed the new top military officer to be friendlier to Russia's defense industries. Putin's advice to Col. Gen. Valery Gerasimov, appointed chief of the armed forces' General Staff, appeared to shed more light on the reasons for the ouster of Russia's powerful Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov earlier this week. While Putin linked the ouster to a probe into the alleged military corruption, most experts believe that Serdyukov was sacked because of an intensifying behind-the-scenes battle for the distribution of 20 trillion rubles ($635 billion) that the Kremlin plans to spend on buying new weapons through 2020.

Netanyahu rushes to repair damage with Obama

11/08/12:  The New York Times reports over the past several years, Prime Minister Netanyahu has on several occasions confronted or even undercut President Obama, taking his message directly to the Israel-friendly United States Congress, challenging Mr. Obama’s appeal to the Arab world, and seeming this fall to support his opponent, Mitt Romney.  Mr. Netanyahu woke up Wednesday to find not only that his Republican friend had lost, but also that many Israelis were questioning whether he had risked their collective relationship with Washington.

Inside China's smoke-filled room

11/08/12:  Foreign Policy published an article by Willy Lam detailing the uncoming Chinese elections.  With its control of 1.3 billion people the Chinese Communist Party is the most powerful political machine in the world. Given that it holds a national congress only once every five years to confirm a new slate of leaders, Beijing has pulled out all the stops to prevent any mishaps. A month before the party congress starts dissidents were forced to take "vacations" thousands of miles from the capital. Meanwhile, 1.4 million "volunteers" have been mobilized in Beijing to perform the function of vigilantes-cum-informants, reporting to the authorities potentially threatening characters -- for example, suspicious-looking Uighurs from western China who could be separatist-inclined terrorists.

Commentary: The national security consensus

11/06/12:  Foreign Policy published an article by James Dobbins arguing the next four years of US foreign policy will look a lot like the past four years, regardless of who's elected president.  America's political polarization does not extend far into the international realm. For all the rhetoric on the campaign trail, a recent Chicago Council on Global Affairs poll found that Democrats and Republicans have largely similar views on most foreign-policy issues. Republicans are marginally more worried about external threats than Democrats, but a strong majority of Americans now agrees that the Iraq and Afghan wars were not worthwhile, and there is a consensus in favor of a more cautious and selective brand of American global leadership.

China uses heavy hand to smooth way for Party congress

11/02/12:  The New York Times reports a word of advice to anyone hoping to celebrate the gathering of Communist Party apparatchiks who are about to descend on the capital next week to anoint a new generation of Chinese leaders: Leave the balloons at home.  As this sprawling city of 20 million people steels itself for the 18th Party Congress, all sorts of potentially buoyant objects — balloons, homing pigeons, Ping-Pong balls and remote-control toy airplanes — are finding their way onto lists of suspicious items that could potentially carry protest messages and mar the meticulously choreographed political spectacle. And this is just a tiny portion of the government’s rules and restrictions, circulated on the Internet but never officially acknowledged, that seem likely to make daily life especially challenging during the weeklong congress, which one provincial police department likened to a “state of war.”

China calls for Syrian cease-fire and peace talks

11/01/12:  The New York Times reports China on Thursday called for a phased-in cease-fire and negotiations on a gradual political transition to end the ongoing bloodshed in Syria. A four-point proposal issued by the Foreign Ministry stopped short of calling for the ouster of President Bashar Assad and omitted mention of any measures to compel compliance. Alongside Russia, China has steadfastly blocked any outside intervention that could force Assad from power, much to the consternation of the U.S. and other countries seeking a swift end to the 19-month-old conflict, which has killed more than 35,000 people.

Iran Supreme Leader warns subordinates to stop bickering

11/01/12:  The New York Times reports In his clearest warning that political infighting by his subordinates must end, Iran’s supreme leader, said Wednesday that their public disputes would be treated as treason. Complaining that the increasingly open public fights between the executive branch of President Ahmadinejad and high-ranking officials in the legislative and judicial branches were providing ammunition to “foreign media and enemies,” the ayatollah, who has the last word on affairs of state in Iran, set the clearest red line ever to those running the country’s day-to-day matters. “I warn the heads of the three branches to mind their own business,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, according to Iranian news media accounts.

Palestinians lobby for convincing win in UN vote

10/30/12:  Reuters reports Palestinians have launched a diplomatic blitz aimed at garnering a strong majority for a vote granting the non-member statehood at the UN slated for next month, officials said on Tuesday. Despite heading for a sure victory in the UN General Assembly, mostly consisting of post-colonial states historically sympathetic to the Palestinians, West Bank diplomats are courting European countries to further burnish their campaign.

US, Japan to hold joint military drill amid island row with China.

10/30/12: Reuters reports Japan and the United States will hold a biennial joint military exercise in Japan in November in a move likely to further anger China amid heightened tensions between the two Asian giants over disputed islets in the East China Sea. About 37,400 military personnel from Japan will join some 10,000 U.S. troops in the November 5-16 drill, an official at Japan's Self-Defence Forces said. China's Defence Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said last week China was "paying close attention to the relevant moves by the Japanese", when asked about a joint military exercise between the United States and Japan.

Obama Administration rejects new claim about Libya attack

10/28/12: The Washington Times reports Obama Administration officials defended their response to the September attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi Saturday amid new claims that the White House failed to send help quickly enough as militants overran the mission.  US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans died in the hours-long battle.  It was reported Friday that CIA officers heard the attack on the consulate but were twice told to wait before rushing to the compound, and that US officials refused when the security team asked for warplanes to bomb their attackers, which would have meant violating Libyan airspace.  CIA spokeswoman Jennifer Youngblood denied this, saying, “[N]o one at any level in the CIA told anybody not to help those in need; claims to the contrary are simply inaccurate.”

Executive Order: Homeland Security Partnership Council

10/26/12:  The White House released today an Executive Order establishing the White House Homeland Security Partnership Council.

White House was informed of terrorism claim two hours after Benghazi attack

10/24/12: Reuters reports e-mails show that officials at the White House and State Department were advised two hours after attackers assaulted the US diplomatic mission in Benghazi on September 11, 2012 that an Islamic militant group had claimed credit for the attack.  The emails specifically mention that a Libyan group called Ansar al-Sharia had asserted responsibility for the attacks.  US Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the Benghazi assault, which President Obama and other US officials ultimately acknowledged was a terrorist attack carried out by militants with suspected links to al-Qaeda.  Administration spokesmen, including White House spokesman Jay Carney, citing an unclassified assessment prepared by the CIA, maintained for days that the attacks likely were a spontaneous protest against an anti-Muslim film.

Lawmaker warns sequester will weaken border protection

10/24/12: The Washington Times reports more than 8,500 US Customs and Border Protection officers and Immigration and Customs and Enforcement (ICE) personnel face termination in January under the automatic spending cuts scheduled to take effect next year in a bid to attack the spiraling fiscal deficit.  The job losses, in the wake of massive efforts by the Border Patrol to significantly beef up security along the US-Mexico border, would be the result of a “sequestration” in the federal budget, automatic spending cuts of 9.4 percent in 2013 for discretionary defense appropriations and 8.2 percent in 2013 for discretionary nondefense spending.  Representative Norman D. Dicks (D-Wash.) noted in a letter earlier this month that the scheduled cuts at the Department of Homeland Security would roll back “significant progress” in securing the nation’s borders.

Iran arrests 50 over currency slide

10/24/12: The Miami Herald reports Iran’s intelligence chief says up to fifty people have been arrested in connection with the decline in the value of the national currency and the chaos that followed the slide.  Heidar Moslehi says those detained have been accused of cooperating with the country”s enemies to create currency “disruptions” and economic instability.  He spoke after a Cabinet meeting Wednesday.  Iran’s rial has lost nearly 40 percent of its value against the US dollar this month.  The rate Wednesday – about 31,500 rials to the dollar – was a bit better than the record low of 35,500 rials to the dollar earlier this month.  The rial’s decline has been blamed on a combination of government mismanagement and the bite from Western sanctions imposed over Iran’s nuclear program.

Early US explanation of Benghazi attack as "spontaneous" relied on CIA assessment

10/21/12: CNN reports an Obama Administration official whose now controversial comment that the attack on the US mission in Libya was “spontaneous” relied on talking points provided by the CIA based on its assessment that an intelligence official said on Friday was updated days later with new information.  Republicans have seized on televised remarks made five days after the attack by UN Ambassador Susan Rice, who said an assessment based on the best information available indicated a spontaneous reaction to demonstrations over an anti-Muslim film produced in the United States.  Several senior administration officials said Rice’s use of the word “spontaneous” came directly from an assessment provided to Congress by the CIA and was not edited by the White House.

Russian opposition shadow election disrupted by cyberattack

10/21/12: Reuters reports an online election to choose a “shadow parliament” opposed to Russian President Vladimir Putin was disrupted on Saturday by a cyberattack.  “Today we already know that there are some problems with the server, there are some attacks,” Sergei Udaltsov, a prominent protest leader, said at rally on Saturday.  Opponents of Putin say elections in Russia are rigged in favor of his ruling party and are instead holding their own online vote which they hope will reinvigorate the flagging opposition movement.  Information on their website, www.cvk2012.org, told visitors there could be problems casting their votes and to try again later.  Organizers and activists did not suggest who was behind the attacks.  The Kremlin has said it will ignore the results of the separate poll.

Five seats on UN Security Council filled

10/19/12:  The New York Times reports the United Nations General Assembly elected Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg, Rwanda, and South Korea on Thursday to two-year terms as nonpermanent members of the 15-seat Security Council, the most powerful body of the 193-member organization. The new members replace Colombia, Germany, India, Portugal and South Africa when their terms expire Dec. 31. The other five nonpermanent members — Azerbaijan, Guatemala, Morocco, Pakistan and Togo — remain until the end of 2013. The five permanent members, which have veto power, are Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

Karzai: NATO can speed up handover of security

10/18/12:  The Miami Herald reports President Karzai said Thursday the nation's military and police are ready and willing to take full responsibility for security in the country if the U.S.-led international coalition decides to speed up the handover to Afghan government forces. With support for the already unpopular war fading in the West, there has been growing speculation that NATO could accelerate withdrawal plans that currently call for the security transition to Afghan forces to be complete by the end of 2014, when all foreign combat troops are scheduled to leave the country.

UN report highlights foreign Islamists in Syria, warns of radicalization and human rights abuses

10/17/12: BBC News reports a UN commission on human rights abuses in Syria has warned of the increasing risk of foreign Islamist militants radicalizing the conflict. Lead investigator Paulo Sergio Pinheiro said the presence of hundreds of “radical Islamists or jihadists” was particularly dangerous. Presenting the UN commission’s first report in over a month, Pinheiro highlighted “a dramatic rise in sectarian tensions” and singled out the role of foreign militants. He said that while they were not a powerful army invading Syria “they are not combating for democracy and freedoms but they are combating for their own agendas.” The Syrian government has for some time blamed much of the violence on foreign-backed “terrorist groups,” and UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has said Damascus estimates the number of foreign fighters in the country in the thousands.

Clinton: I'm responsible for consulate security

10/16/12:  NPR reports US Secretary of State Clinton is answering Republican criticism of the Obama administration's handling of last month's attack at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, saying she — not the White House — is responsible for security at all of America's diplomatic missions. "I take responsibility," Clinton told CNN from Lima, Peru. "I'm in charge of the State Department's 60,000-plus people all over the world (at) 275 posts." Congressional hearings revealed that the State Department was aware of, and rejected, several requests for increased security in Benghazi.

Chamber of Commerce and others push to eliminate 9/11 Commission security regulation

10/15/12: The Hill reports the US Chamber of Commerce and other business groups want Congress to overhaul a rule that all cargo shipped to the United States from foreign ports be scanned for security.  The groups argue the requirement, a key element of the 2007 law implementing the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, will raise costs for businesses by slowing international trade and could harm the US economy.  They also argue security measures already in place make the scanning unnecessary.  Supporters of the mandate say it is the best safeguard against the nightmare scenario of a ship sailing into the Globe Marine Terminal in Jersey City or another busy port with a dirty bomb or other devastating weapon.  It passed Congress overwhelmingly five years ago, 85-8 in the Senate and 371-40 in the House.

Commentary: Not All That It Can Be: The myth of American military superiority

10/12/12:  Foreign Policy published an article by Winslow Wheeler argues many think that because the United States spends multiples of any conceivable opponent or even combinations of them, has the largest modern navy and air force, and can operate all over the world, there is no conceivable enemy or enemies that can take on America successfully. The history of warfare is full of this kind of arrogance before the fall. There are far more subtle and supremely powerful forces at play in deciding who wins in warfare than the stuff that occupies the hollow defense debates in the American political spectrum.

Issa won't rule out asking Clinton to testify in hearings on consulate security

10/10/12: The Hill reports Representative Darrell Issa (R-Cal.) said Wednesday he won’t rule out asking Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to testify as he begins probing security lapses at the US Consulate in Benghazi.  The Chairman of the powerful House Oversight and Government Reform Committee made the remarks shortly before the start of the first hearing on the State Department’s rejection of requests for more security personnel in Libya.  Clinton has not been asked to testify Wednesday, but the hearing could prove to be just the opening salvo of an investigation into her State Department as Republicans seek to paint President Obama as a weak leader ahead of the November election.

Romney: "Long way to go" before attacking Iran

10/10/12: Haaretz reports Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney acknowledged Tuesday that there is “a long way to go” before it would be necessary to take military action against Iran’s nuclear program, but reiterated that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were both committed to preventing Tehran from reaching nuclear weapons capabilities.  He accused President Barack Obama of being insufficiently committed to stopping Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, but failed to point out any substantial differences between President Obama’s policies in that area and the ones he would pursue.

Chinese Communist Party still unsettled over changes

10/02/12:  The New York Times reports that with only six weeks to go before the formal unveiling of a new set of leaders for China, Communist Party elders and senior officials are still deciding who will ascend to the top ruling bodies and what policy direction they will adopt for the new team, political insiders and analysts say. After nearly a year in which planning for the succession has been upset by an extraordinary string of scandals, the leaders and elders have finally agreed on Nov. 8 as the date to begin the 18th Party Congress, the climax of just the second peaceful transfer of power in China's Communist era.

House passes whistleblower protection bill, exempts intelligence officials

10/01/12: The Hill reports the House of Representatives last week approved legislation aimed at beefing up protections for federal workers who point out waste, fraud, and abuse in the government, but passed a version that stripped out Senate language offering similar whistleblower protections for intelligence officials.  The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act was passed by unanimous consent on Friday and with little debate, but an agreement was reached between House Republicans and Democrats that the language related to intelligence officials should be taken out.  A House aide said both parties agreed language related to intelligence officials “should not be included in the bill.”  The two Houses may now confer on the bill, or the Senate could decide to accept the House version.

Maldives ex-president violates travel ban, fails to appear in court for corruption trial

10/01/12: JURIST reports former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed violated a court-ordered travel ban Monday when he left the capital city of Male on what was supposed to be the first day of his now-postponed trial for abuse of power.  In anticipation of the proceedings the Hulhumale Magistrate Court issued an order last week prohibiting Nasheed from leaving Male without official permission.  The three-judge panel was forced to postpone Nasheed’s impending trialafter he was seen leaving Male in a boat heading to the southern area of the country.  According to Nasheed the court inexplicably ordered a last-minute postponement of the trial, at which point he decided to violate his travel ban in order to campaign for election in the Maldives’ southern islands.