Topic: Defense Intelligence Agency

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Last post on US politics and the Benghazi attack

I hope.

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Is Syria's Bashar al-Assad on the ropes?

It depends on who you ask.

Iran's nuclear program: 4 things you probably didn't know

Do the US and Israel believe that Iran has a nuclear weapons program?  Did President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad really promise to "wipe Israel off the map"?  The answers may surprise you.

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A faulty argument for staying on in Afghanistan

Marc Thiessen of the Washington Post's op-ed page is promising doom when US troops pull out of Afghanistan. There is no reason to believe he's close to correct.

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On Stratfor, Assange and Anonymous just don't get it

Wikileaks' Julian Assange is trumpeting the release of emails stolen from the security analysis and consulting firm Stratfor as a major coup. Here's why he's wrong.

US military officials urge caution on attacking Iran

The problem is that many of the Iranian targets – buried deeply underground – would be beyond the reach of the Israeli military, in what Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey calls a “zone of immunity.”

Top US official: Al Qaeda in Iraq joining fight against Syria's Assad

Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper's comments marked the first time a top official publicly confirmed the involvement of AQI in Syria's uprising.

Could Al Qaeda get Syria's chemical weapons?

Syria is thought to have large caches of nerve and mustard gases, plus thousands of shoulder-fired missiles – weapons that some worry could fall into the hands of Al Qaeda.

Threats to US: Pentagon officials drop three surprises

Pentagon’s key intelligence officials warned of 'current and future worldwide threats' to US national security in a congressional hearing Thursday. Here are three top surprises.

USS Cole bombing: Judge denies lawyers' bid to meet with unchained client

Lawyers for the alleged USS Cole bombing mastermind say the security restrictions at the Guantanamo Bay terror detention camp are hindering their ability to prepare his defense.

Libya endgame nigh as rebels celebrate in Tripoli

Libya's western rebels have reportedly seized Tripoli's Green Square and captured at least some of Muammar Qaddafi's sons. The strongman's regime appears to be all but finished.

Backchannels
Is the Libya mission creeping? Is that wrong?

With the UK and France now sending military advisers to assist Libya's rebels, critics warn of mission creep. Would that be such a bad thing?

Who is winning Afghanistan war? US officials increasingly disagree.

Gen. David Petraeus is on Capitol Hill this week to give a positive message about the course of the Afghanistan war. But some key US officials disagree with his assessment.

Egypt crisis: What role will Omar Suleiman play?

Egypt's Vice President Omar Suleiman, who addressed Egyptians after the televised speech of President Hosni Mubarak Thursday, urged Tahrir Square protesters to 'go home.' It is unclear how much power Suleiman now wields.

Pentagon scrambles to prep for 'thermonuclear' Wikileaks release

The Pentagon is trying to anticipate what Julian Assange's 'thermonuclear' file might contain. The Wikileaks founder has promised to release the file if anything happens to him.

Yemen packages: what is known so far about 'credible terrorist threat'

Obama, appearing at the White House, says Yemen packages bound for synagogues in Chicago contained explosives. Suspicion falls on Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Terrorism & Security
NATO campaign having little impact on Taliban, say US intelligence agencies

The CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency reportedly say that insurgents are weathering NATO efforts by hiding in Pakistan.

Wikileaks: US says limited damage from leak of Afghan war logs

Despite the secret classification of the Afghan war logs Wikileaks posted on their website, the US says the damage is limited.

Repercussions of an Israeli attack on Iran

An Atlantic article argues there's a high chance of an Israeli attack on Iran next summer. What might happen next if they did?

Afghanistan war: Top three challenges facing General Petraeus

Topping General Petraeus' to-do list in the Afghanistan war: Making his own counterinsurgency strategy work in Afghanistan where General McChrystal could not.

Key lawmakers resist Obama's pick of Clapper as intelligence chief

Retired Air Force Gen. James Clapper has plenty of experience in the intelligence bureaucracy. But key lawmakers aren't happy with Obama's pick to be Director of National Intelligence.

Decoder Wire
Long after cold war, artists' paintings of Soviet weapons remain

During the cold war, Defense Intelligence Agency artists painted pictures of Soviet missiles and helicopters to build support for defense spending. That program is gone, but the paintings remain at a Smithsonian museum.

Opinion: The Iraq war: still a massive mistake

The Iraq war is now being declared a success by some who point to recent progress. But the March 7 elections won’t change the tremendous cost in lives, money, US image, and geopolitics.

Global News Blog
Joe Biden and Obama 'humiliated' by Israel? Well, not exactly.

Commentators have called Israel's announcement of new settlement construction in East Jerusalem during Vice President Joe Biden's visit a humiliation. But the Palestinian leadership still appears willing to give talks a chance.

The Daily Reckoning
China’s patience is wearing thin over US arms sale to Taiwan