Science & Tech

What Your Facebook Posts Mean to US Special Operations Forces

Social media as an intelligence asset is of growing value to special operations forces, but there are legal issues and controversy surrounding its use.

Threats

AFRICOM Commander Wants Full Counterinsurgency Plan for Boko Haram

Gen. David Rodriguez wants to help Nigeria, but Abuja needs to ask and the U.S. needs a plan. By Kevin Baron and Molly O'Toole

Threats

The US Doesn’t Know How Secure Its Border Is

Without one critical metric, it's hard to make accurate statements on how efficient the U.S. Border Patrol is -- or how a new bill would improve border security.

Threats

Is This the Twilight of Saudi Power?

As world leaders pay their respects to King Abdullah, they could be observing the end of an era in the Middle East. By Brian Katulis

Threats

FBI Announces Charges in Alleged Russian Spy Ring

Three men were charged with spying and recruiting informants for information on U.S. economic and trade activity. By Matt Berman and Lauren Fox

Science & Tech

Did the White House Use Drone Killing Technology?

Here's how the White House can keep drones off its lawn but you can't off yours. By Patrick Tucker

Threats

What Dempsey Wants In New War Powers To Fight ISIS

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey said the Pentagon should not be constrained by time or geography in its long struggle with Islamic extremism. By Micah Zenko

Threats

How an ISIS Beheading Might Change Japan

The apparent murder of Haruna Yukawa may compel Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to press for re-militarization. By Matt Schiavenza

Threats

Yemen: From the Arab Spring to a Leaderless Nation

Four years after Arab Spring protests spread across the Middle East and North Africa, Yemen is on the brink of an all-out civil war. By Laura Kasinof

Threats

Hagel Says Iraqi Complaints Against Coalition Efforts 'Unhelpful'

Defense officials said that 6,000 Islamic State fighters have been killed by coalition forces. But Vietnam War veteran Hagel dismissed the casualty count as a metric of mission success. By Gordon Lubold and Marcus Weisgerber

Threats

Yemen’s Houthis Are a Reminder of Iran’s Sectarian Agenda

The Houthi insurgents who have run amok in the Yemeni capital have been backed with weapons, money and training by Iran. To what end? By Bobby Ghosh

Threats

Why Syria's Assad No Longer 'Has to Go'

In the face of even worse prospects for security in the region, U.S. officials have backed down on declarations against the Syrian dictator. By Adam Chandler

Threats

Can Obama Get Congress To Help Him Fight Terrorism?

Of all the things he will propose Tuesday night, Obama’s biggest challenge remains getting buy-in from Congress on foreign policy. By Lauren Fox