Obama Administration to Provide Gitmo Detainees H1N1 Vaccine

In addition to the political and administrative challenges facing the closure of Guantanamo, the Obama Adminstration may face further difficulties in deciding to provide detainees with a vaccine for the H1N1 flu virus.

Rep. John Boehner, House Minority Leader, has already criticized the decision, pointing out that it was announced as part of a Friday news-dump.

However, as reported in the WaPo (linked provided above), some supporters of the move assert that the US government has an obligation to provide for detainees' basic needs. These needs include the vaccinations.

Bill Moyers' Commentary on the Draft & Afghanistan

On the October 30th edition of his PBS show, television journalist Bill Moyers addressed the tone of mainstream news reporting on involvement in Afghanistan. While this piece doesn't solely focus on national security issues, it also addresses a political third rail - the draft.

This video in no way represents the views of my colleagues on the brief, but it does highlight the stunning lack of political will that bedevils both sides of the isle in Washington.

The lack of political courage affects a number of areas that have national security consequences: intelligence reform, adequate funding for cybedefense, enforcement of/adherence to international law, and our involvement in Afghanistan. Speaking as an individual (and not on behalf of this Brief), I invite you to watch this video, regardless of your agreement or disagreement with Moyers' point of view.

NYT's Scathing Criticism of Obama's Use of Executive Power

Yesterday, the New York Times issued an Op-Ed piece criticizing the Obama Administration for continuing national security practices based on the Bush Administration's expansive interpretation of executive power.

The continuation of the Bush version of the State Secrets Doctrine, and delays in the promised closure of the Guantanamo Bay facility reflect a few examples of political and constitutional challenges facing the current White House. In many ways, the NYT piece reflects frustration with these challenges, as well as what many perceive to be a lack of Presidential will.

$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

Senate Considering Extension of Patriot Act Provisions

Following the Senate Judiciary Committee's 11-8 vote to extend expiring provisions of the Patriot Act, the full Senate now looks toward extension of these same counterterror measures. For more on the specific provisions, and the related civil liberties/security balancing act, please click here.

CIA's Continued Resistance to Document Release

Friday, the NYT reported on the CIA's continued resistance to revealing documents from 1963 related to Lee Harvey Oswald and a Cuban anti-Castro organization. The article highlights the tension between entrenched national security practices and the Freedom of Information Act.

The AU National Security Law Brief - Bringing a New Generation to the Debate

It is now a truism to acknowledge September 11^th, 2001 as a turning point in American foreign affairs and security policy. The ensuing legislative and policy responses – the Patriot Act, the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security, and military involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, to name a few – have generated much debate. Some may say that this debate has yielded more heat than light. However, the debate over national security policy and law in the wake of the September 11^th attacks highlights an important consensus: now, more than ever, the United States can ill afford to ignore and isolate itself from world affairs. And it certainly cannot do so while retaining security policies steeped in Cold War paradigms.

In academia, this debate has not yielded many student-generated law publications. Currently, there is only one law school journal devoted to the field of national security law – the Journal of National Security Law & Policy at the McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California. (By highlighting our colleagues at McGeorge, we only bemoan the lack of similar publications nationwide. We wish to acknowledge this journal's academic leadership.) More generally, other institutions have centers or programs devoted to this field, rather than journals. After two terms of Bush's national security presidency, we feel that it is time for American law students of all backgrounds to broaden the contribution to this field.

At American University’s Washington College of Law, many of our colleagues and professors are distinctly oriented toward public service. A national security publication that is largely student-run serves as an outlet for this civic inclination. The founding members of our brief – liberals, conservatives, libertarians, and independents – bring a beneficial diversity of perspective, all while sharing the same interest in our nation's security. Through vigorous debate and legal scholarship, we hope to lend to the continued study and innovation of counterterrorism, border security, cyber security, and intelligence reform, among other areas. In this way, we hope that our brief will further galvanize a new generation’s involvement in the protection of America.

-The Editors of the AU Nat'l Security Law Brief