A new book has come out by former Navy SEAL Chuck Pfarrer, detailing the killing of Bin Laden and alleging that many former accounts got it wrong. I have no way of knowing whether Pfarrer is correct—he says that Bin … Continue reading →
Looking more like the 19-year-old he was when he was abducted rather than the 25-year-old he is now, Gilad Shalit has returned home. I’ve already written about the conundrum such cases represent. But one thing that cannot be doubted is … Continue reading →
The dilemma Israel faces when its enemies take hostages such as Gilad Shalit is an excruciating one. IDF soldier Shalit was captured by Hamas over five years ago. He’s only 25 years old now, but it probably seems like several … Continue reading →
Was it legal to kill al-Awlaki without due process, courtesy of drone? Some will say “who cares? Good riddance.” But they are ignoring the importance of the issue and the possible danger of the precedent, while those who question the … Continue reading →
…killed. And by the same unit that got Bin Laden. This time it was the American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. He apparently was the power behind the Christmas bomber (otherwise known as the underwear bomber), and “inspired” the 2010 Times Square … Continue reading →
This should come as absolutely no surprise. And yet it seems to have done so, for a bunch of nameless “U.S. officials”: U.S. officials had once thought there was little chance that terrorists could get their hands on many of … Continue reading →
Ten years ago today. That’s a long time. So long ago that there are now teenagers who were so young back then that they don’t remember it. To them, 9/11 is just a piece of history, not part of their … Continue reading →
Well, the 9/11 Memorial was a long time coming, but it will be opening tomorrow on the 10th anniversary of that fateful day. Take a look, and perhaps you’ll agree with me that it’s a fitting tribute, classic and moving … Continue reading →
…[O]n the morning of Sept. 11, Culbertson, who had been in space for 30 days, had called down to mission control for a routine medical check-in. “I asked the doctor how things were going. He responded: ‘We’re not having a … Continue reading →
Since I’ve followed this story for quite a while now, I thought I’d let you know it’s reported that convicted-but-released Lockerbie bomber al Megrahi is in a coma and near death. Truth? Who knows? One thing we can safely say … Continue reading →
Daniel Byman and Christine Fair bring back a pre-9/11 theme, slightly revised for a post-9/11 world: terrorists are stupid and for the most part ineffective. The spend a lot of time mocking the Taliban’s suicide bombers for sometimes blowing themselves … Continue reading →
It’s the sort of article the New Yorker often does well—a detailed description of something. In this case, the “something” is the planning and execution of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. There are few surprises there, but one … Continue reading →