Why you’re mad at the NSA

“What’s really going on here?” That’s the question I typically ask students to kick-start a discussion about some aspect of American intelligence at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, where I teach a graduate course on the subject. 1371591591

We don’t understand female politicians

In 2012, the number of women serving in the U.S. Senate reached a historic high: 20 out of 100. And so we continue to debate about the low representation of women in political office, and the debate continues to hinge on the differences between men and women: Some argue that women are unsuited for political office because they’re naturally less assertive and dominant than men; others claim that women are better suited for modern leadership roles because they’re more compassionate than their male peers. 1371591647

Assault in the military, or assault on the military?

There is an iconic scene from one of my favorite movies, A Few Good Men, in which an enraged colonel Jack Nicholson cuts down major Tom Cruise with five fierce words: “You can’t handle the truth.”

Liberals should lead entitlement reform

If liberals succeed in blocking any serious entitlement reform during the Obama presidency, as seems increasingly likely, they will have handed conservatives a gift.

Don’t underestimate importance of Rohani victory in Iran

Iran’s presidential election presents a paradox. The vote was free enough for Hassan Rohani to score a shocking win and for the favored conservative candidate to finish a dismal third. And yet it was blatantly unfair because hundreds of reformist and pragmatic candidates were blocked from running.

Hillary Clinton on Twitter: A loss of faith?

There were two surprising things about Hillary Clinton’s first tweet.

Obama, the ‘big data’ president

In the political world, the promise of data — whether it’s Nate Silver’s spot-on election predictions or President Obama’s clearinghouse of government information, Data.gov — is that we no longer have to take so much on faith. “What do the data show?” is the new “What do you think?,” the new “Is this a good idea?”

Iran’s agents in Latin America

As Iran chooses a new president this week, the activities of its powerful intelligence services have also been kicking into high gear across the globe. The U.S. State Department’s annual terrorism report, released May 30, headlined the “marked resurgence” of Iran’s terrorist activities — and with good reason. “Iran and Hizballah’s terrorist activity has reached a tempo unseen since the 1990s, with attacks plotted in Southeast Asia, Europe, and Africa,” the report reads. And that’s before we even get to Iran and Hezbollah’s active support for Syrian President Bashar Assad’s brutal crackdown against his own people.

Freedom and security: striking a balance

“Gentlemen do not read each other’s mail,” said Secretary of State Henry Stimson of his 1929 decision to shut down “The Black Chamber” that decoded the secret messages of foreign powers.

Is NSA’s snooping worse than TSA’s groping?

Here’s a question: Would I rather have my phone records collected and readied for possible inspection by the National Security Agency, or have my genitalia scrutinized by the Transportation Security Administration?

Obama should fire James Clapper

If President Barack Obama really does welcome a debate about the scope of the U.S. surveillance program, a good first step would be to fire Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

Rand Paul’s losing argument

The bane of Big Government, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is inviting Americans to join him in a class-action lawsuit to stop what he says are unconstitutional invasions of privacy by the National Security Agency. “I’m going to be seeing if I can challenge this at the Supreme Court level,” he declared Sunday on Fox News.

Heinz has a chance to reconnect with its founder’s push for purity

When U.S. stock trading recently, H.J. Heinz Co. was no longer listed on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. Another iconic U.S. company, General Motors Co., will take its place.

How Bride’s Magazine created today’s wedding arms race

Weddings are a $165 billion industry in the United States, according to the Association of Bridal Consultants. The introduction in 1934 of Bride’s magazine, the first publication devoted to this market, played a central role in its growth.

Is Snowden too hot for China to handle?

It goes without saying that China’s government welcomes the information that Edward Snowden has provided on the National Security Agency and its snooping infrastructure. But does China actually want Snowden to stay in Hong Kong indefinitely?

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