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The Real Dear Departed Leader

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December 19, 2011

You could not find a greater difference between two men than Vaclav Havel and Kim Jong Il. One was a rock and roll loving playwright who led the Velvet Revolution that tossed Communist control of Czechoslovakia; the other, the heir of one of the world’s most brutal regimes that thought nothing of starving his own people to feed his vast military machine while walling his country off from contact with the outside world to create their own paradise. Somehow the cruel North Korean despot earned the moniker of “Dear Leader,” while the playwright went about his life speaking to the human spirit’s craving to be free. Both died this past weekend.

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Iran, Hezbollah Also Responsible for 9/11, Rules Federal Judge

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December 16, 2011

Federal Judge George Daniels announced in open court in New York City yesterday, in a case filed by families of 9/11 victims, that he was going to be signing an order within 24 hours stating Iran, Hezbollah, and al Qaeda are responsible for the 9/11 attacks. What we do know publicly is that Iran and Hezbollah not only provided terrorist travel assistance for the 9/11 hijackers to travel through Iran to attend Afghan terror training camps, but also that Hezbollah’s most senior operational leader, and chief liaison with Iran, Imad Mughniyah – and other Hezbollah operatives – traveled with the 9/11 hijackers in and out of Lebanon and in and out of Iran after these same hijackers had been issued visas to visit the United States.

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Napolitano's DHS – Promoting Security, Trade and Travel

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December 12, 2011

Something interesting is going on in Janet Napolitano’s Department of Homeland Security. For the first two-plus years of the Obama administration, Secretary Napolitano’s priority was to plug security vulnerabilities, real or perceived. Arguments that her department was also responsible for encouraging trade and travel, and that security measures should therefore be carefully risk-targeted, were received with minimal enthusiasm. Recent DHS efforts, however, show a new paradigm in how the United States engages foreign partners, driven by the need to increase security while also promoting economic benefits.

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Expanding International Security Partnerships

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December 12, 2011

Last week Secretary Napolitano gave a very good address to the Council on Foreign Relations. She highlighted the critical role of international partnerships in advancing homeland security and the commendable progress that DHS has made in that regard. But it could be much better. DHS’ efforts to expand programs like the Visa Waiver Program and C-TPAT have been ad hoc, leading to less expansion of these programs than warranted

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Deutsche Bank CEO Receives Mail Bomb

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December 9, 2011

On December 7, staff in the post room at the Deutsche Bank headquarters in Frankfurt identified a suspicious package while x-raying mail. Police were called and disarmed the device. The package/letter was addressed to the Deutsche Bank CEO Josef Ackermann and had a return address on the back stating it had come from the European […]

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Beyond the Border – A U.S.-Canada Perimeter Security Program

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December 9, 2011

Yesterday, President Obama and Prime Minister Harper unveiled the details of an updated “Beyond the Border Initiative,” which creates a shared border security responsibility. The 9/11 terrorist attacks triggered a virtually complete closing of the U.S.-Canada border. Although it quickly reopened, much tighter and more time-consuming security procedures were put in place. Recognizing the need to work to improve both security and efficiency, Washington and Ottawa have taken various measures over the years to better secure their common border.

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Boko Harem: Emerging Threat to U.S. Homeland

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December 1, 2011

The House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence has issued a report calling attention to a new threat to the U.S. homeland. Boko Harem has up to this point focused largely in Nigeria but has recently turned its violence toward international targets.

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Drug cartels behead another blogger but bloggers unite

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November 13, 2011

Blogger on cartel beheading – Cannot kill us all : Homeland Security News Another blogger has been decapitated, purportedly in retaliation for postings about drug cartels, prompting users of social network sites to unite in their stance against the gangs.

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Some Odd Turns On Inbound Air Cargo Screening – Here's Hoping 100 Percent is Dead

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November 9, 2011

It has been four years since Congress made the bone-headed move mandating 100 percent screening of passenger plane cargo. Serious risk management is not Congress’s bag, as the institution demonstrates often. Fortunately, some elements within DHS sought to forge a new path, wisely piloting a program to conduct risk analyses of inbound air cargo and to focus DHS’s resources on the high-risk cargo, rather than attempting to subject all cargo to the same level of physical screening. This “risk-based” screening has been successful for DHS in other contexts.

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Striking Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program and Contingency Planning

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November 4, 2011

Recent press reports suggest the world is closer to seeing a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Whether these particular reports are the result of credible leaks, disinformation campaigns, and/or journalistic speculation, it seems clear that there is a military option with respect to Iran’s nuclear sites and infrastructure. The United States Government will be doing it and its citizens a serious disservice if it does not put in place contingency plans for the “day after” a strike on Iran. Unfortunately, Iran has a menu of options with respect to striking back at the United States and larger Western interests.

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