The Lawfare Podcast

This week, Ambassador Shivshankar Menon, India's former national security advisor and former Foreign Secretary, gave a keynote address this week at Brookings entitled, “India’s Role in the World.” In his address, Ambassador Menon discusses the new optimism in U.S.-India bi-lateral relations on the heels of newly elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit. Ambassador Menon also delves into...

With the recent decision by the Obama administration to begin launching airstrikes against Islamist militants in Iraq and Syria, questions have arisen about the nature of the terrorist threat groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Al Qaeda pose to the United States and whether our current strategies to eradicate terrorism are actually working. Many are concerned that just as we...

Ben interviews Dan Carlin in a wide-ranging conversation on WWI, NSA, and how to make a podcast.  Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the nation once again celebrated Constitution Day, and Ben gave the keynote address at Kenyon College, which we provide to you in full. In his address, Ben covers what he calls a “Constitution under stress,” and how the post-9/11 world has catalyzed a prolonged debate over liberties in the United States and in turn, how the Constitutional framework has shaped our response to the challen...

Benjamin Wittes, Robert Chesney, Shane Harris and Wells Bennett talk the politics and law of the ISIS AUMF--and why President Obama isn't seeking one. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 It’s already made the  headlines , but earlier this week, Matt Olsen, Director of the National Counterterrorism Center delivered a keynote  threat assessment  of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria to the Brookings Institution. Olsen’s assessment stood out among the many others that have been released into the Washington echo chamber: it was alarming yet measured; it addressed the structural fact...

Foreign Policy's Shane Harris hosts a panel--incuding Bobby Chesney, Benjamin Wittes, and Jennifer Daskal--on the law of the War on Zombies. What will be the legal architecture when the dead walk and come for your brains? Do we need a zombie AUMF? Do zombies have due process rights? Find out on this week's special episode.  Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare . Hosted on Acast. Se...

Earlier this week, the Brookings Institution hosted a panel on Russia’s place in the international order in the light of recent more aggressive turns in its foreign policy. As the crisis in Ukraine continues to evolve, the United States is seeking to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin. But, what is his ultimate goal? Is Russia attempting to free itself of the Western dominated world order? I...

Washington was abuzz this week as more than 50 African leaders were in town for the first U.S.-Africa Summit. Yesterday, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the President of Somalia, spoke at Brookings on the future of his country. In his talk, President Mohamud addressed the challenges to democracy that Somalia faces, and how Somalia, the African Union, and other international partners can work together to en...

Benjamin Wittes discusses the ongoing crises in Gaza with Brookings scholars Natan Sachs, Khaled Elgindy, and Tamara Cofman Wittes.  Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, Professor Fernando Reinares, a senior analyst on International Terrorism at the Elcano Royal Institute, delivered a talk on his new book, entitled in English, “Kill Them! Who was Behind 3/11 and Why Spain was Targeted.” The talk covered the March 11, 2004 Madrid bombings, the rise and shape of jihadist networks in Spain, and the evolution of terrorism in Western Europe. In his speech, R...

Benjamin Wittes, Wells Bennett, and Steve Vladeck sit down to talk aboout the D.C. Circuit Court's recent decision in the Al Bahlul case and what it means for the future of US military commissions.  Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the election crisis in Afghanistan comes to a head, all eyes are once again on the future of Afghan democracy. But, America’s history in the region extends back much further than its nation-building efforts since September 2001. On Tuesday,  at a Brookings launch of his newest book entitled, “What We Won: America’s Secret War in Afghanistan, 1979-1989,” Bruce Riedel, Senior Fellow and Director...

Brad Smith, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Microsoft, gave a keynote address last week at Brookings entitled “The Future of Global Technology, Privacy, and Regulation.” Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brookings Senior Fellow Suzanne Maloney talks about Iran: common interests with the United States in Iraq and the fight against ISIS, attitudes toward working with the United States, and the prospects for a nuclear deal in the coming weeks and months. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brookings scholars Ken Pollack, Mike O’Hanlon, and Suzanne Maloney spoke about Iraq’s security crisis. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Tuesday, at the 2014 Computers, Freedom and Privacy Conference, a panel of experts debated the pros and cons of adding outside lawyers to litigation before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Generally proceedings at that court are held in secret and  ex parte,  with only the government arguing its position. But, in the wake of the Snowden revelations, many have called for reform, and...

On June 5, the anniversary of the first Snowden disclosures, Governance Studies at Brookings held a debate on the future of U.S. intelligence collection authorities. The resolution was “U.S. surveillance authorities require fundamental reform.” Arguing in favor were Jameel Jaffer of the ACLU and Julian Sanchez of the CATO Institute. Arguing in opposition were John “Chris” Inglis, former NSA deputy...

Many within the United States and others abroad continue to question the United States’ role in the world. Understandably, Americans have grown wary of the country’s role in the world, some asking whether the U.S. still has the power and influence to lead the international community, while others question why the United States must still take on this seemingly singular responsibility. On the eve o...

John Carlin, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security at the Department of Justice, spoke at Brookings this week on “Defending our Nation by Prosecuting State-Sponsored Cyber Theft.” Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“ At the Nexus of Public Policy and Cybersecurity: Some Basic Concepts and Issues .” That’s the title of a new report co-edited by Herb Lin, chief scientist at National Research Council’s Computer Science and Telecommunications Board.  This week, Lin sat down with our own Ben Wittes.  Their engaging discussion, together with the report itself, offers an excellent primer on the day's most pressing...

Michael O'Hanlon and Jim Steinberg discuss their new book,  Strategic Reassurance and Resolve: U.S.-China Relations in the Twenty-First Century   at a Brookings event moderated by Michael Green. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben sat down with Cmd. Michael Adams, deputy legal adviser to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the Pacific Command conference in Manila this week, to talk about his new paper on "Jus Extra Bellum." Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben Wittes and Rosa Brooks discuss the future of the AUMF at a panel moderated by Greg McNeal at Pepperdine University School of Law. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  Benjamin Wittes interviews John Rizzo, former CIA acting general counsel, about his new book, Company Man , the persistence of the enhanced interrogation controversy, and the current debate over NSA surveillance.   Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.