One of the biggest dangers of this political moment is that too many people see the most extreme of the “other”side as the normal representative of it.

This semester I let the students in both of my intelligence classes vote on our AI policy. They could either 1) have unrestricted use of AI for the class (with tougher grading expectations) or 2) no AI use at all (with normal grading expectations). Both classes overwhelmingly voted for #2 (99%)

We're hiring! The @au-spa.bsky.social is hiring an assistant professor specializing in political violence and terrorism. Deadline: September 22nd. Feel free to reach out if you have questions! See below for the job ad and application. american.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/AU/job/Main-...

Join @au-spa.bsky.social for this hybrid event today!

@au-spa.bsky.social is hosting an important hybrid event this week on immigration & Latin America with @zeitzoff.bsky.social & @garciaponce.bsky.social. Couldn't be more timely!!

To recap what the administration has argued: 1 cartels = equal terrorists. (They don’t) 2 the Venezuelan government is backing one of those cartels (It isn’t according to the intelligence community) 3 the US has been “invaded” by terrorists supported by Venezuela (No such “invasion” has occurred) 1/

Trump’s assertion that a gang is committing crimes in the US at the direction of Venezuela’s government was his basis for invoking the Aliens Enemies Act. But the US Intelligence Community assessed last month that the gang is *not* controlled by the Venezuelan government

The situation in Somalia is flashing red. Al-Shabaab is encircling Mogadishu while the federal government & federal member states focus on their political difference. The freeze of US assistance undermines the most effective anti-Shabaab force as the humanitarian situation worsens without USAID.

How did M23 rise from defeated and mostly dormant in 2012 to reemerge in 2022 with the resources, organization, and discipline of an experienced military? Our Spotlight looks at the prospects for another multinational Congo War and the need for a robust African response. africacenter.org/spo...

The Foreign Terrorist Organization designations of the cartels was clearly intended to pave the way for invoking the Aliens Enemies Act. But the designations *should* undermine the justification for this move bc being a member of an FTO is a deportable offense on its own apnews.com/article/trum...

The Trump Administration’s reported proposal to relocate Palestinians in Gaza to Somaliland probably dangles the carrot of recognition in front of Hargeisa. But Somaliland is a democracy—would its voters accept recognition at that cost? apnews.com/article/isra...

It is profoundly troubling that the FBI is being utilized by DOGE to try to enter USIP in this way. Handled exceptionally well by USIP. www.usip.org/press/2025/0...

The Trump Administration proposes relocating Palestinians to Somalia as al-Shabaab’s gains pose an existential threat to the federal government and the country reels from losing U.S aid & still frozen assistance. apnews.com/article/isra...

The FTO designations of cartels were a step for the Administration to invoke the Alien Enemies Act, a sweeping authority that has only been used three times before & only in times of war. If you think it will only been used against cartels, you aren’t paying attention. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

When Dan Byman and I wrote a piece voicing concerns about designating cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, we raised red flags about the text in that Executive Order on the Aliens Enemies Act. We were told we were being alarmist… www.nytimes.com/2025/03/13/u...

Pitch-perfect response to Interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin from @georgetownlaw.bsky.social Dean Bill Treanor. It’s always a privilege and honor to be part of the GULC community (and to be Bill’s colleague), but *especially* today.

“Trump administration is firing people who had been *assigned* to diversity & recruiting efforts in the Biden administration… Those recruiters were some of the agency’s most successful.. In 2024, the C.I.A. had its best recruiting effort since the months after 9/11.” www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/u...

“The first two years of CIA officers’ careers are a time of intense training; the government spends large amounts of money to teach them spy tradecraft, languages and other skills. “Literally millions of dollars has been put into some of these employees,’ he said…” www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/u...

Important thread. NATO is finished as an institution. It depends on a sense of shared purpose and shared values and a belief in collective defense. No ally can believe in the US having that foreign policy orientation any longer. US now has a Russia first policy. What does Europe do? See below.

CIA director says agency has halted intelligence sharing. A very dark day for American foreign policy.

The Taliban withdrew from the Trump Administration’s Doha deal. Given the presence of multiple Foreign Terrorist Organizations in Afghanistan, including Al-Qaida, this is a dangerous development. www.rferl.org/a/afghanista...

“The U.S. interest in Ukraine is shutting down Mr. Putin’s imperial project of reassembling a lost Soviet empire without U.S. soldiers ever having to fire a shot. That core interest hasn’t changed, but berating Ukraine in front of the entire world will make it harder to achieve.”

Stepping back, there are three levels to the crisis underway in the United States: 1. Disruption/elimination of services the federal government provides that protect & assist the American people 2. The weakening of the U.S’s international position in ways that benefit China & Russia

For some mystifying reason, this article combines the firing of 100 officials for alleged misconduct & the firings of DEI personnel IN THE SAME STORY. How are those lumped together? www.nytimes.com/2025/02/25/u...

Five Eyes is “by far the most successful intelligence-sharing arrangement in world history…Any disruption in these decade-old understandings would be met with cheers from our adversaries in Moscow, Beijing, Tehran and Pyongyang.” www.ft.com/content/2dfa...

“We will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize Americans’ sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services,” they wrote. “We will not lend our expertise to carry out or legitimize DOGE’s actions.” apnews.com/article/doge...

A guy who is deeply unqualified for his job vows to bring “merit” to the Pentagon. He then claims that he wants “lawyers who give sound constitutional advice” to justify purging the military’s top lawyers as the administration repeatedly violates the Constitution www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

Apparently DOD, FBI, State, and the IC are indeed concerned because Musk’s latest stunt jeopardizes U.S. national security.

Among the many, many problems with this, anyone concerned that this information is supposed to be sent on not just an unclassified email system but a non-government one? 🙋🏼‍♀️

Undoubtedly, the CIA is *highly* capable of this kind of mission. But China presents a strategic intelligence threat, which should be CIA's focus. Federal law enforcement agencies like DEA, FBI, & ATF should lead this effort, perhaps with SOCOM support. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

@foreignaffairs.com capturing the grim trajectory with its cover

Cutting a program like the Presidential Management Fellowship doesn’t make the government more “efficient.” It only handicaps the U.S.’s ability to compete more effectively with China www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Al-Qaida’s affiliates JNIM and al-Shabaab are the main source of massive fatalities in Africa. New NDU report shows how jihadism is flourishing unchecked. africacenter.org/spotlight/mi...

📢 As part of the National Security Series presented by the Terrorism & Homeland Security Program, SPA Profs. @suleymanozeren.bsky.social & Bryan Daves will explore how the Middle East evolved under the Trump admini. 📅 Thur, Feb. 27 | 7:00 PM ET | Kerwin 301 (Hybrid) american-spa.swoogo.com/THSP25

Cartels are not terrorist organizations, and designating them as such is not only inaccurate, but it also creates a lot of dangers of overreach. My latest for Foreign Policy with Daniel Byman

“President Donald Trump’s sweeping freeze on U.S. foreign assistance has threatened programs intended to counter al-Shabab bombmakers, contain the spread of al-Qaeda across West Africa and secure Islamic State prisoners in the Middle East." t.co/n9vqdfbZNF

There is a real dearth of leadership in the violent Sunni extremist movement right now. Speculation continues about who the Islamic State’s leader actually is. Al-Qaida did not publicly declare Zawahiri’s successor. Their affiliates lack leaders who can galvanize beyond their areas.

DOGE could blow American spies’ cover, @shaneharris.bsky.social writes. Counterintelligence is in crisis:

"IS-Somalia has taken on more responsibilities within the Islamic State network, particularly in Africa but beyond the continent as well", says SPA's @triciabacon.bsky.social. Read as she explains why Trump is on the warpath in Somalia. www.yahoo.com/news/why-tru... #SPAintheMedia

Lots being written on the dangers Musk and his teams are posing; here @profsaunders.bsky.social and I discuss some of the threats to national security www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

It has been a hard week comforting hardworking students who have lost job offers. It has been a frustrating week watching friends & former colleagues who are faithful & capable public servants be vilified, & fired. And it has been a truly terrifying week watching the erosion of US national security.

In administration officials’ efforts to “soften” Trump’s Gaza plan, they are framing it as some kind of “reconstruction” and “humanitarian” effort. A confusing pitch given that this week they dismantled USAID—the agency that would play a major role in any actual reconstruction plan, if not lead it.

The U.S. seems to have become a revisionist power, one seeking to expand not just its influence but its territorial control & holdings (Greenland, Canada, Panama Canal, and now Gaza).

The hemorrhaging of national security expertise in the USG is alarming. Though there is a lot of necessary focus on fighting current fires, I hope someone on the Dem side is looking forward to develop a "rehire" 2029 program for those fired/pushed out during this administration

In @nytopinion.nytimes.com The first two weeks into President Trump's second tour in the White House "have seen so many lines crossed in the pursuit of his agenda that anyone who believes in the Constitution and honest governance should be worried," the editorial board writes.

This U.S. strike on the Islamic State in Somalia comes at a useful time, as Puntland undertakes an offensive against the group, which is a crucial node in the Islamic State’s global attack and support apparatus. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/01/u...