Israel, Counter-Terrorism, and International Law: The Analytic Challenges of 'System'
“The existence of `system’ in the world is obvious to every observer of nature, no matter whom.” Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, The Phenomenon of Man (1959) Whether conspicuous or obscure, terrorism generally presents itself as a systemic challenge. This means, inter alia, that seemingly singular strategic and legal matters may actually be many-sided and interrelated. Regarding legal issues, though [...]
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) published an article Thursday detailing the findings from a new database on mass shootings in the United States. The Violence Project database has collected information on 172 mass public shooters from 1966 to 2019 and covered more than 150 psychosocial history variables regarding the shooters, including such things as [...]
Law and Strategy after Afghanistan: The United States, Israel and Iran
Abstract: Following US withdrawal from Afghanistan, America’s security focus will turn more expressly to Iran. The core problem with America’s Afghanistan withdrawal was not one of timing or tactics, but of original misconception. In essence, the “Afghanistan Problem” stemmed from an initially underestimated and misunderstood military operation. Looking ahead, Afghanistan’s incoherent conclusion means, inter alia, [...]
Speaker Pelosi Is Second in Line for the Presidency: Claims to the Contrary Are Weak and Dangerous
Is Nancy Pelosi, as Speaker of the House of Representatives, properly and constitutionally second in line for the presidency? The question has urgent new relevance in light of President Donald Trump becoming sick with Coronavirus and the spread of COVID infections at the top levels of the administration. If a double vacancy occurred due to [...]
Water Issues and Climate Change in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
The conflict between Israel and Palestine and climate change are factors which have been feeding each other for many years, especially when there is no apparent comprehensive solution on the horizon. The political conflict and climate change have had a severe ongoing impact on Palestine, especially for water restrictions. Nevertheless, Israel and Palestine have international [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled Tuesday that more than two years of decisions by Colonel Vance Spath, a military tribunal judge who formerly oversaw the case of Abd Al-Rahim Hussein Muhammed Al-Nashiri, should be discarded because he failed to disclose his application to be an Immigration Judge in the Department [...]
EPA Takes a Toxic Turn by Backing Away from Mercury Regulation
Mercury is one of the most toxic substances on earth. When inhaled or ingested by humans, mercury can cause severe neurological damage, cardiovascular harm, endocrine disruption, kidney damage and muscle coordination issues. When pregnant women are exposed, their babies can suffer IQ and motor skills impairments that will last their lifetime. Through rain, snow or [...]
Our phones are constantly searching for the greatest connection, updating our location, and often connect to multiple cell towers on any given day, divulging our whereabouts to service providers with relative ease. In recent years, the accuracy of this method to pinpoint a person’s current and past location has increased significantly. And given that there [...]
Here's the domestic legal news we covered this week: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the so-called Christmas Day bomber, filed a lawsuit Wednesday in the US District Court for the District of Colorado alleging violations of his constitutional rights. Abdulmutallab,...
The US Supreme Court on Monday denied certiorari in a case involving the 2000 Cole attack, leaving intact the decision of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit [official...
