McChrystal: ‘Impossible to Argue’ War on Terror Was Worth It
‘fundamental mistakes’In his new book, “Reign of Terror,” Spencer Ackerman lays out how Trump understood the nativist power of the 9/11 era better than the elites who built a war around it.
Donald Rumsfeld, Killer of 400,000 People, Dies Peacefully
KNOWN KNOWNSDo not mourn the defense secretary. Mourn his victims. There were nearly too many to tally, but his Pentagon refused to count anyway.
The Afghan War Is Over—but Not for These Gitmo Prisoners
FOREVER PRISONERSAsadullah Haroon took Biden to court on Monday to win his freedom after 14 years. The prospects are far less promising for Mohammad Fahim, whom the CIA tortured.
U.S. Captured, Tortured and Cleared Him. He’s Still in GITMO
FORGOTTEN MANAbu Zubaydah was a human guinea pig for the CIA’s post-9/11 torture. Almost 20 years later, as the U.S. moves on, he’s still trying to get out of Guantanamo.
FBI Hunted for Domestic Terrorists Without a Warrant
BACK DOORA secret court warned the FBI in 2018 about warrantless searches. But the bureau still went looking for “racially motivated violent extremists” in NSA troves without a court order.
U.S. Military: We’ll Still Bomb Post-Pullout Afghanistan
ASTERISKThis is how America withdraws from unwinnable conflicts in the 21st century: with assurances that it will continue to launch airstrikes as it sees fit.
U.S. Intel Walks Back Claim Russians Put Bounties on Troops
TURNAROUNDIt was a huge election-time story that prompted cries of treason. But according to a newly disclosed assessment, Donald Trump might have been right to call it a “hoax.”
The Promise and the Tragedy of Biden’s Afghanistan Speech
FOREVER WARS; PLURALJoe Biden gave the most forthright antiwar argument of any post-9/11 president. Then he spared the broader War on Terror from its implications.
U.S. Intel: Prospects for Afghan Peace Are ‘Low’
FOREVER WARHours before President Biden announced his plans to end U.S. involvement in the Afghanistan war, U.S. intel agencies dealt a blow to his hopes for post-American stability.
Biden Official Is Toeing the Saudi Line, Activists Say
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORTThe Yemen war that President Biden vowed to end is getting worse. Some are starting to criticize Biden’s special envoy as too close to the Saudis.