"Army's worst single-day losses of life"

Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan, a Muslim-American, who recently transferred from Walter Reed Medical Center to Fort Hood, went on a rampage yesterday. Hasan left 13 dead and dozens wounded. Only one of the victims was a civilian and the rest were members of our military.

What heightened the chaos and shock is that Fort Hood is a base where personnel other than civilian police don't typically carry weapons. WSJ reports quated military officials as "not[ing] that security personnel conduct random car checks in search of guns."

N.Y. Daily News reports that Hasan cried "Allahu Akbar" (God is great in Arabic) just as he began his shooting. At least one witness has confirmed this fact, said Col. John Rossi this Friday morning. The article reports that the shooting did not seem political or any type of terrorist-related event, as officials are saying that Hasan was "angry about being sent to war and tried to get his orders changed."

Sgt. Kimberly Munley, a civilian police officer, after a heavy gun battle with Hasan ended his spree. The N.Y Daily News reports that Sgt. Munley who,"pump[ed] four bullets into the crazed gunman even though she was wounded, is known for her toughness . . . " Sgt. Munley is in stable condition, recovering from wounds sustained in the battle with Hasan.

The house condemns the Goldstone Report as “irredeemably biased and unworthy of further consideration or legitimacy.”

H.R. Res 867 has been adopted by the House of Representatives on Tuesday November 3rd, 2009.

H.R. Res 867 "[Called] on the President and the Secretary of State to oppose unequivocally any endorsement or further consideration of the "Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict" in multilateral fora (Rep. Ros-Lehtinen - Foreign Affairs)"

Read about the other resolutions passed here.

House Bill to condemn Goldstone Report

Today there will be a vote for H.R. Res. 867, by Rep. Ros-Lehtinen - Foreign Affairs, which calls on the President and the Secretary of State to unequivocally disregard any endorsement of the Goldstone report, "Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict," due to it's inherent flaws. WSJ opinion writer , John Bolton, supports the bill when casting blame for the reported flaws on the "report's underlying mandate and its stridently anti-Israel tilt on America's earlier absence from the HRC when the investigation was authorized and launched."


Also this week, H.R. 2868, Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009 , will be voted on. This bill will amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to extend, modify, and recodify the authority of the Secretary of Homeland Security to enhance security and protect against acts of terrorism against chemical facilities, and for other purposes. H.R. 2868 was introduced by Rep. Thompson (MS) - Homeland Security.

Read more about this week's house legislative business here.

Freedom of the Press?

In Iran, that's a firm and chilling no. Iranian authorities have shuttered a Tehran business newspaper. The reason? It's "content strayed from the business field." The newspaper, owned by the former Tehran Stock Exchange Director-General Mohammad Hossein Abdo-Tabrizi, has criticized President Ahmadinejad from economics to monetary policies.

While the Newspaper was closed for "repeated violations" of Iranian Press laws, it seems to be just one out of the 100 newspapers and periodicals banned in Iran.

Freedom of the press or security issues? Read here.

Japan Premier promises to revitalize economy in the face of debt

WSJ reports, that Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has "vowed" to move ahead with efforts to get Japan's economy back on track by "jump-starting" its' domestic consumption.

Minister Hatoyama though, has not been very clear in how any possible programs, in furtherance of this goal, would be funded. The problem with these vague promises is that they are made in the face of Japan's massive public debt. Read more.

"Oink Oink" Tracker

In case you were worred about the H1N1 flu virus visiting a location near you. The WSJ has been very gracious to give us a tracker, for your security. Flu - Tracker

$60 million into National Security for the Olympics?

WSJ reports that President da Silva pledges federal funds, police for city after weekend violence raises concerns about 2016 Olympic Games. Read more

China and Russia eying each other, over influence in Central-Asia

WSJ reports China and Russia have signed trade contracts worth several billion dollars. Easing National Security tensions that arose when Russia shut down it's Moscow market dominated by Chinese traders. These two Nuclear powers are proceeding carefully as Russia is concerned over China's influx of traders into the sparsely populated East. China itself is wary of Russia's influence over the resource-rich Central-Asian countries. Read more.

Mexico looks to take over - Federal power v. State Power

The Wall Street Journal reports, that shortly before midnight, federal police took over the installations of state-owned Luz y Fuerza del Centro. This installation distributes power to some 25 million Mexicans in Mexico City and parts of four central states. President Calderón, stated that due to the economic crisis, Mexico could no longer afford the huge subsidies it took to keep Luz y Fuerza afloat . . . read more.

(also available in print in The Wall Street Journal, page A12.)

Quick Biographies of the Founding Members of the NSLB and current Executive Board

Sean Shank:
Sean is a second year law student at American University's Washington College of Law, and is enrolled in the dual master's degree program with the School of International Service, concentrating on International Security. He graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor's Degree in East Asian Studies in 2006, focusing on United States-Japanese relations. Sean briefly worked for a newspaper publication in Kanazawa, Japan, acting as an assistant reporter. He is near-fluent in Japanese, and is conversational in Korean. Sean currently serves as the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the AU National Security Law Brief.

Mora Namdar:
Mora, a native Texan of Persian decent, received her undergraduate degree from SMU in Dallas, Texas. She was a double major in Political Science and International Studies was the inaugural graduate of the human rights minor, and also minored in philosophy and fine art. As a student there, she was active on campus as President of Amnesty International, a student senator, Vice-Chair of Student Issue Committee, a member of AXO sorority, the Class of 08 council, and interned for U.S. Congresswoman Eddie B. Johnson. Currently, Mora is a 2nd year law student at the Washington College of Law at American University working on her J.D. and Masters in International affairs. She is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the National Security Law Brief, an SBA senator, member of Phi Alpha Delta legal fraternity, and a member of the Students and Organizations Committee. Mora speaks Farsi fluently, has traveled extensively in Europe, and studied abroad at Oxford University.

George Lynch:
George is the Executive Editor of the American University WCL National Security Law Brief. He was a political science and American history student as an undergraduate student at the University of California, Irvine. He is currently a JD student at American University Washington College of Law, studying international law, and a graduate student at American University’s School of International Service, studying national security policy and diplomacy. He has twice studied abroad; at Kings College, Cambridge University, and as a law student in The Hague. George has volunteered at the Western Center for Law and Poverty in Los Angeles. In his time at WCL he has become a member of the International Trade Law Society, the Pro-Bono Honors Pledge program, and the ABA Student Division.

Jessica Lechuga:

Jessica, a Chicago native, is a second year law student at American University WCL with interests in International Law. Along with joining the International Law Review this year, Jessica is also a member of LaLSA, the Latino/a Law Student Association. Prior to law school, Jessica worked in the career criminal bureau for the New York District Attorney. She began her legal career working on high profile criminal cases serving as an aid to the Assistant District Attorneys. Jessica earned her B.A. in Psychology from New York University.

Richard V. Rodriguez
Richard, a native-born New Yorker with dual citizenship from the United States and Costa Rica, received his undergraduate degree and Masters graduate degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. His undergraduate major is in Business Administration specializing in finance and accounting. His Masters degree is in Professional Studies specializing in Human Resources Management. While at Stony Brook he worked full-time for The State Bank of Long Island, a Long Island-based commercial bank, in the Cash Management division. Richard is a second year law student enrolled in the dual JD/MBA program at the Washington College of Law and the Kogod School of Business. He is the Managing Editor / Budget Officer of the National Security Law Brief, member of the American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law, member of Phi Alpha Delta legal fraternity, member of the Latino/a American Law Student Association (LaLSA), member of the Black Law Student Association (BLSA), Liaison for American University for the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA), member of the Hispanic MBA club, and lastly a member of the Hispanic Bar Association in DC. He currently works as a Dean’s fellow for the Legal Rhetoric department’s LAP program and recently worked for the legal division of the Mexican Department of Transportation.

Alexandra Galloway
Alexandra sought involvement in founding the National Security Law Brief because she believes national security objectives and strategies should be a product of laws and theories, not just a military initiative. As a member of the more hawkish wing of the brief, Alex views efficiency, effectiveness and legitimacy as top national security priorities. Her favorite historical figures include Winston Churchill, Thucydides and Aristotle. With an undergraduate degree in Political Science from San Diego State University, Alex is currently a second year law student at Washington College of Law and works for the Department of Homeland Security.

Daniel K. George
Daniel, a second year law student, received his undergraduate degree with honors (cum laude) from Florida State University in 2006. He Majored in Political Science and International Affairs. He is an Orlando Florida native studying the legal aspects of national security, in regard to the role that finance and foreign investment play in national security. He is the Symposium Editor and Communications Chair.

Steve Nabors:
Steve is a second year dual-degree candidate at American University's Washington College of Law and School of International Service. He is pursuing a Juris Doctor focusing on international law and a Master of Arts in Peace and Conflict Resolution. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Tennessee majoring in Political Science in 2008 and studied abroad in South Africa in 2006. He served as a Dean's Fellow on Dr. Nicholas Kittrie's Laws of War and Peace project in 2009 and is a current member of the Jessup International Moot Court Team. He is the son and grandson of U.S. Army veterans.