The recent rash of charges against Somali-Americans on “conspiracy to provide material support” to al-Shabaab, a Somali rebel group on the U.S. terrorism list, seems designed to send a clear message that any support for the militants will lead to criminal prosecution. It also demonstrates the ubiquitous presence of law enforcement in these communities.
Will the horse trading on New START ever end? First exorbitant funding for the nuclear weapons industry, now legislative measures.
Republican foot-dragging on President Obama’s signature nuclear initiative places them at odds with the defense establishment.
A “clear and present danger”? That’s what Representative Peter King called WikiLeaks.
What did the State Department want with the credit card numbers, as well as phone, fax and even frequent-flyer account numbers of UN officials?
While gossip about world leaders like Belursconi and Karzai was to be expected, the turns it takes are unexpected.
The American public has no idea of the huge sums being thrown at the nuclear-weapons industry.
Even though the last WikiLeaks document dump revealed the details of war crimes, the next one, which just leaks diplomats’ communiqués, may have a deeper impact.
Mexican President Felipe Calderón can point to a significant catalog of accomplishments under his watch, from a handful of key legislative reforms to his government’s praiseworthy response to the swine flu epidemic in 2009. Far better known to most Americans, however, are his battles with organized crime and the unfortunate consequences: high-profile kidnappings, decapitated heads, disappeared reporters, the dystopian descent of Juárez. All told, some 30,000 have been killed in murders linked to organized crime since Calderón took office in December 2006.
With pressure to slash the 1.3 trillion-dollar federal deficit rising sharply, the public debate over whether to exempt the Pentagon from such cuts is moving rapidly toward centre-stage.