Topic: Yemen

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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.

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In Yemen, drones' ill effects linger long after dust settles

Locals in Yemen's Mareb province say they live in constant fear that drones will damage more than their intended targets.
Olive Press A rare idealist in Yemen's hinterlands

In an area largely beyond the reach of the central government, Nasser Muhtam works to bring development and civil society.
Yemen struggles to keep the lights on amid frequent power line sabotage

Local tribesmen who feel ignored by Yemen's central government frequently attack power lines, plunging the country into darkness and undermining public trust in their leaders.
Secret NSA program could have 'derailed' 9/11 attacks, FBI director says (+video)

FBI Director Robert Mueller, testifying on Capitol Hill Thursday, defended the controversial NSA phone-monitoring program. Lawmakers wondered why the program had to be top-secret.
How do Americans feel about NSA surveillance? Ambivalent

When terrorists strike, intelligence agencies are faulted for failure to 'connect the dots.' If that's what the NSA is trying to do with its mass surveillance of phone records and Internet use, how do Americans feel about that?
Backchannels Obama rhetorically ends the 'war on terror'

... while vowing it will go on by other means.
Obama to detail terrorism policy including drone attacks and Guantánamo Bay prison

In a national security speech, President Obama will explain his policies dealing with terrorism, the use of drone aircraft, Al Qaeda, and the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
Did the Associated Press blow an Al Qaeda informant's cover?

Some officials say the Associated Press scoop on a thwarted terrorist plot by an Al Qaeda affiliate in Yemen harmed the effort to neutralize a master bomb-builder. Does that excuse the Obama administration's aggressive crackdown on national security leaks?
Drones are cheaper and more powerful. In US, that's a problem, lawmakers told

Police departments are increasingly interested in deploying drones, a House subcommittee is told. As drones proliferate, so too does the 'specter of routine aerial surveillance in American life.'
The Monitor's View How to avoid another Justice raid on reporter phone records

The secret combing of AP phone records by Justice in pursuit of a security leak shows the need to better define the overlapping roles of government and the press in their mutual desire to protect the American people.
Obama's 'juice' squeezed by scandals?

The burst of controversy out of the IRS and Justice Department, in addition to lingering GOP pressure over Benghazi, has sidelined attention to President Obama's agenda.
Officials seize AP's phone logs: What are they looking for?

The Associated Press is now in the news as well as covering it: Justice Department officials secretly obtained two months of telephone records from AP reporters and editors.
Israeli airstrike in Syria brings Iran onstage, raising risk of proxy war

Iran dismissed Israeli claims that yesterday's airstrike in Syria targeted Iranian weapons destined for Hezbollah, accusing Israel of looking for an excuse to hammer the 'Axis of Resistance.'
The Monitor's View Despite stalled Arab Spring, Muslim nations grasp for democracy

Elections in Pakistan and Malaysia show step-by-step progress to reconcile Islam with secular values of elected government.
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.
Opinion America can't afford the real cost of Guantánamo

The consequences of ignoring Guantánamo, its abuses, and its hunger strikers are foreboding – for the prisoners and for America. President Obama must release prisoners with no case against them, move the rest to US courts to be charged and tried, and finally close the detention facility.
What's in the Internet videos posted by Tamerlan Tsarnaev?

The videos do not show ties to any specific group, but do hint at a deeper yearning in the alleged Boston Marathon bomber for a heroic jihadi persona.
Opinion Death penalty: A pragmatic case for repeal

Momentum in the states is shifting toward the repeal of the death penalty. There are practical reasons for this: The death penalty is expensive, it does not work, and it is administered with a clear racial bias. Repealing it is a matter of justice, public safety, and effective governance.
Boston bombings: Who's the mysterious 'Misha'?

Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev fell under the influence of a Muslim named 'Misha,' who steered the religiously apathetic young man toward a strict strain of Islam, family members said. Who is 'Misha'?
Energy Voices How oil exporters reach financial collapse

High oil prices are good for oil exporters while low oil prices are good for oil importers, Tverberg writes. The result is a price tug of war between oil importers and oil exporters.
Yemen's victory: Getting everyone in the same room - with no swords drawn

Even if Yemen's ambitious national dialogue conference fails to resolve crucial issues like constitutional reform, it can declare success simply for getting Yemenis to talk to each other.
Global News Blog Obama's Israel agenda: negotiate, visit sites – and dine with beauty queen

President Obama invited Yityish Aynaw, the first black Israeli to be named Miss Israel, to join him and the prime minister for a meal. Her success is a victory for long marginalized Ethiopian-Israelis.
Rand Paul filibuster: What about civilian drone casualties in Pakistan?

Sen. Rand Paul filibustered over the hypothetical drone targeting of American civilians on US soil. But critics say hundreds of other civilians already are being killed in US drone attacks in Pakistan and elsewhere.
Decoder Wire Did Rand Paul fear-monger in filibuster? (+video)

The emphasis by Sen. Rand Paul on cafe drone strikes on US soil came across to some critics as a lost opportunity to talk about other actual dangers in the expanding use of unmanned aircraft to target terror suspects.
US aid spending unlikely to change, despite $8 billion wasted in Iraq

A US government report found widespread waste in the $60 billion reconstruction effort in Iraq. But development experts think waste in US aid spending is here to stay.