Working Vacation
Before he left for Hawaii, the president was sending signals that government surveillance programs need an overhaul to restore the public’s faith on issues of national security.
Daniel Klaidman is the national political correspondent for Newsweek and The Daily Beast and the author of Kill or Capture: The War on Terror and the Soul of the Obama Presidency.
Tightening the Reins
Obama told his blue-ribbon panel on reforming the government’s domestic spying program that he didn’t want them to pull their punches. He got what he asked for and a good bit more.
Walking a Tightrope
Caroline Krass, Obama’s nominee for top CIA lawyer, weathered tough questions from senators convinced the agency is stonewalling on its torture policies.
Hot Seat
Caroline Krass’s Senate confirmation hearing for the job of CIA general counsel is really a proxy battle for the Senate’s fight with the agency over torture.
Play by Play
Persistent hard work on Capitol Hill and a new push from the White House are moving the shuttering of Guantanamo a lot closer to reality.
Turncoats
Working out of the classic spy playbook, the CIA tried hard to convert al Qaeda prisoners at Guantanamo, but without much success.
Terms of Withdrawal
The former commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan is encouraged by the terms of a security-pact agreement governing the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
Seeking Accountability
Pakistan’s waffling on the number of civilians killed in U.S. drone strikes underscores the need for more transparency.
Exclusive
Jeh Johnson will be nominated to succeed Janet Napolitano at the Department of Homeland Security. Daniel Klaidman reports.
Heroes
Twenty years later, the battle still echoes in America’s top policy circles. As the U.S. sets foot in Somalia again, men who fought in 1993 tell Daniel Klaidman what still haunts them.