In his testimony before the House Committee on Homeland Security, Stephen Biddle acknowledges that neither the case for nor against using force in Syria is without serious costs and risks. He evaluates the five main goals an attack might be designed to achieve: deterring further CW use and upholding norms against the employment of such weapons; preserving U.S. credibility; enabling a negotiated settlement to the war; toppling Assad and his government; and ending the humanitarian crisis by saving civilian lives.

While the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has granted U.S. agencies broad legal authority to collect sensitive information, it is hardly a "rubber stamp" for government surveillance requests, says CFR's Matt Waxman.

Across Mexico, the lawlessness and carnage of the drug wars have given rise to scores of local self-defense forces aiming to defend their communities. The federal government may be tempted to disband and disarm these armed vigilantes, but until it can shape up its security sector, the local groups offer an imperfect but acceptable alternative.

Julia Sweig reflects on implications of the Boston Marathon bombings in the midst of debates on gun control and immigration reform.

New legislation will do little good given diminishing enforcement capabilities, says Jeanne Hull.

Stateline's Maggie Clark reports that cameras are an integral tool in the effort to track and combat 21st century crime, like the Boston terror bombings.

The deadly bombings at the Boston Marathon raise anew the vulnerability of U.S. civilian targets and homeland security policy dilemmas, as examined in this CFR Issue Guide.

President Obama gave a speech on April 15, 2013, after explosions went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. In a second speech on April 16, he said the case will be investigated as an "act of terrorism" and on April 19, he discussed the federal and local coordination in locating and taking into custody one of the suspects and in collecting intelligence.

Richard A. Falkenrath says Showtime's blockbuster series Homeland is great television, but not a useful guide to real-world homeland security. Hint: we always tap the suspect's cell phone.

The NYPD's new "Domain Awareness System" raises familiar questions about privacy and transparency that are likely to spark a debate at multiple levels of government, writes CFR's Matthew Waxman.

Given the threats it faces, from nuclear-armed autocracies to terrorists, the United States cannot afford to scale back its military, argues Paul Miller. Micah Zenko and Michael Cohen reply that the danger of these challenges is vastly exaggerated and that an overly militarized foreign policy has not made the country safer.

Task Force Co-Chairs Joel I. Klein and Condoleezza Rice discuss the findings and recommendations of the CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force report on U.S. Education Reform and National Security.

The State Department released this document in February 2012. The introduction states, "The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years (FY) 2012-2016 presents the Department's goals, derived from the conclusions of the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) and the Bottom-Up Review (BUR). The goals include objectives and key performance indicators that are essential for implementation and execution of the Department's responsibilities."

The White House released its National Strategy for Global Supply Chain Security on January 25, 2012.

Maria Otero discusses progress made on implementing recommendations outlined in the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review toward advancing American "civilian power."

Maria Otero discusses progress made on implementing recommendations outlined in the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review toward advancing American "civilian power."

This session was a meeting of the Civil Society, Democracy, and Countering Radicalism Roundtable.

U.S. secretary of homeland security Janet Napolitano discusses the Department of Homeland Security's work with international partners to strengthen global travel and trade networks, while addressing shared threats.

U.S. secretary of homeland security Janet Napolitano discusses the Department of Homeland Security's work with international partners to strengthen global travel and trade networks, while addressing shared threats.

Brian Michael Jenkins, Senior Adviser to the President of the RAND Corporation, revisits the topic of homegrown terrorism, expands on earlier writings about domestic counterterrorist strategy, and updates the numbers and case descriptions to include all of 2010.