Online Edition
The Case for Export Control Reform, and What it Means for America
By Brandt Pasco* A signature national security priority of President Barack Obama’s Administration, and an area that has generated rare broad-based bipartisan support, is export control reform. At the request of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, in August 2009...
Protecting Whistleblowers and Secrets in the Intelligence Community
Daniel D'Isidoro* Introduction Members of the intelligence community receive different whistleblower protections than most federal employees, in large part due to the classified nature of their work. Though recent reforms have sought to shore up whistleblower...
Staying Strong: Enhancing Israel’s Essential Strategic Options
By Louis René Beres* In early 2014, Washington and Moscow competed openly for influence in Egypt: Putin even promised expansive arms packages to now-President Sisi. With this in mind, Sisi is apt to play the U.S. and Russia off against each other, a cold war strategy...
Ukraine’s Crisis Part 3: The Principle of Distinction and LOAC’s Key Goals
By Laurie R. Blank* This is the final article in a three-part series on the Ukrainian crisis's implications and lessons for the international law of armed conflict. You can read Part 1 and Part 2 here. Recent events in eastern Ukraine highlight the challenges of...
Ukraine’s Crisis Part 2: LOAC’s Threshold for International Armed Conflict
Series Introduction Following a new outbreak of violence in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, tensions in Ukraine and between Russia and the United States and NATO countries are high ahead of Ukraine’s presidential elections Sunday. Russian troops remain along...
Ukraine’s Crisis: Implications for the Law of Armed Conflict
Emory Law Professor Laurie R. Blank argues that the conflict in Ukraine demonstrates the importance of sustaining the strict separation between the law of armed conflict (LOAC) and the jus ad bellum, a low threshold for recognition of international armed conflict, and the principle of distinction in today’s conflicts.
Hostage-Takers and Fleeing Felons: Questioning Two Analogies to the “Imminent Threat” of Terrorist Attack from Abroad
Amien Kacou, attorney at GPI Law PLLC, argues that analogies from the use of lethal force against hostage-takers or fleeing felons to justify targeted killings of suspected al Qaeda terrorists are misguided. Image courtesy of Marie-Lan Nguyen / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY 2.5.
Crimean Diplomacy
Katherine Earle of AEI discusses the recent Crimean referendum to join Russia and the associated security implications. Image courtesy of Getty Images.
Monthly National Security Forum: February 2014
The Harvard National Security Journal is launching a new initiative. Each month, panelists will comment on a question posed by the NSJ staff. This month’s topic: metadata. Image courtesy of NASA.
The Current Landscape of Cybersecurity Policy: Legislative Issues in the 113th Congress
Mitchell S. Kominsky, Counsel for the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, discusses the state of cybersecurity legislation and the evolving nature of cyber policy. Image courtesy of Getty Images.