Topic: Central Intelligence Agency

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Where do things stand at Guantánamo? Six basic questions answered.

President Obama this week pledged to “reengage” with Congress to find a way to close the terror detention camp at the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, naval base. The renewed focus comes as 100 of the 166 detainees are reported to be engaged in a hunger strike. Here is a brief look at where things stand now.
Pakistan elections: Who's running?

This election will mark the first transfer of power from one government to another without any military interference. Here is a look at the main candidates for prime minister.
George H. W. Bush in his own words: 10 stories from the updated 'All the Best, George Bush'

"All the Best, George Bush" is a collection of the personal correspondence of George H. W. Bush from his first years in the Navy in 1942 all the way to 2011. Here are 10 excerpts from the book.
Top 3 threats to the United States: the good and bad news

The annual Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community is out this week, a widely-anticipated report compiled by the nation’s intelligence agencies. Here is the good and bad news about the top three threats facing the United States, according to an unclassified version of the report.
3 questions to ask about US drone policy

White House spokesman Jay Carney has defended the Obama administration's controversial drone policy, asserting: “These strikes are legal, they are ethical, and they are wise.” But rather than closing the debate, that statement frames the three essential questions Americans should be asking about US drone policy.

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Fort Hood suspect: Portrait of a terrorist?

Ties surface between chief suspect in the Fort Hood rampage and a jihadist cleric in Yemen, giving impetus to arguments that the tragedy was a terrorist act.
Obama brother emerges from quiet life in China to promote book

President Obama's half brother emerged from his usually low-key life in the Chinese boomtown of Shenzhen to promote his semi-autobiographical book, which describes their father as abusive.
Italian court sentences 23 CIA agents in attack on rendition

An Italian court sentenced 23 US CIA agents in absentia to prison for the abduction and 'extraordinary rendition' of Muslim cleric from Milan in 2003.
Afghanistan war decision: how Robert Gates thinks

Pentagon chief Robert Gates is the swing vote in Obama's decision on the Afghanistan war.
What the Dog Saw

New Yorker writer Malcolm Gladwell delves into everything from Enron to 9/11 to pit bulls.
Ahmed Wali Karzai and the CIA: America's conundrum in Afghanistan

A new report links the CIA with Ahmed Wali Karzai, a influential Afghan reputed to be a drug lord. The CIA has long fought wars through such men, but does that work?
In Afghanistan, NATO helicopter crashes kill 14 Americans

The two helicopter crashes in Afghanistan, which officials do not think were from enemy fire, come as the US mulls its Afghan war strategy.
Congress says photos of abused detainees can remain secret

Congress passed a new law Tuesday that allows the Obama administration to keep secret photos of detainees alleged to have been abused by US military and intelligence personnel.
Will Taliban attacks in Pakistan sway Obama's war decision?

The spate of attacks by the Taliban in Pakistan is likely to factor into President Obama's ongoing review of Afghanistan policy. The attacks highlight the regional nature of the Taliban insurgency.
Afghanistan: Italy denies report it bribed Taliban forces

A Times of London story charges that Italy paid Taliban not to attack Italian forces, and that its lack of disclosure of the practice had catastrophic consequences for French replacements.
Obama's Guantánamo, counterterror policies similar to Bush's?

Afghanistan's Bagram is becoming the new Guantánamo, one legal scholar said at a gathering of the American Constitution Society.
Obama Afghanistan troop surge decision may come soon

The Obama adminstration denied a report that the US already told Britain that it will send around 40,000 more troops. But it also says it's in the decision-making process.
Opinion: Why defeating the Taliban is key to stopping Al Qaeda

Only in Afghanistan and Pakistan have we seen jihadism actually take root in large numbers.
The Monitor's View: Pakistan's wary eye on Obama's Afghanistan debate

A planned Pakistani military offensive should embolden US efforts against the Taliban.
Suicide bomber hits UN food office in Pakistan

At least four people – three Pakistanis and an Iraqi national – were killed in the first bombing in Islamabad since June.
Afghanistan: Why Obama is rethinking 'war of necessity'

Waning American support for the war and allegations of fraud in the Afghan elections have turned a policy review into a fervent debate about the Afghanistan conflict within the Obama administration.
Obama: Don't give up on Afghanistan

He should approve the additional troops General McChrystal wants.
Opinion: Best place for Muslims to live? America

Muslim nations could learn a lot from the US.
The Monitor's View: Will Obama really prosecute CIA interrogators?

If most former CIA chiefs oppose a probe of agents who questioned terror suspects, the president must listen.
When Obama acts like Bush

Obama's reaction to news that the CIA withheld information from Congress may reveal surprising similarities to his predecessor.
The Lost Symbol

Robert Langdon, professor of symbology and star of ‘The Da Vinci Code,’ risks fresh peril exploring Masonic mysteries in the US capital.
How does Iraqi shoe-thrower rank among footwear misusers?

The shoe-thrower comes in at No. 5 on our list of men known for doing something other than wearing their kicks. Read on for the top four.
Opinion: Afghanistan is still worth fighting for

A Q&A with foreign affairs scholar Francis Fukuyama
Opinion: Dim prospects in Afghanistan

A Q&A with former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski.
Horse Soldiers

The remarkable story of the US Army Special Forces who slipped into Afghanistan on horseback and fought the war’s most successful campaign