Two journalist reports first published in The Independent newspaper in the UK and the Philadelphia Inquirer in the US on the proliferation of mercenary forces in Iraq and elsewhere with a “licence to kill”. The Independent’s report says that the immunity enjoyed by civilian security contractors in Iraq is generating a daily series of “legal” murders of Iraqis. The Philadelphia Inquirers report argues that the increasing use of mercenary forces is on the verge of threatening US civil liberties in the name of protecting homeland security.

Two journalist reports first published in The Independent newspaper in the UK and the Philadelphia Inquirer in the US on the proliferation of mercenary forces in Iraq and elsewhere with a “license to kill”. The Independent’s report says that the immunity enjoyed by civilian security contractors in Iraq is generating a daily series of “legal” murders of Iraqis. The Philadelphia Inquirers report argues that the increasing use of mercenary forces is on the verge of threatening US civil liberties in the name of protecting homeland security.

In this Foreign Affairs-sponsored call, Al-Qaeda Strikes Back author Bruce Riedel argues that al-Qaeda is trying to lure the United States into a war with Iran and that Osama Bin Laden's group now has more bases, more partners, and more followers today than it did on the eve of 9/11.

Rising demand stands to increase the strain on the already taxed U.S. power grid. Without intervention, the system could become even more susceptible to terrorist attacks and acts of nature.

Backgrounder: Experts say more should be done to reduce risk on both passenger and freight rail.

Report from The Stanley Foundation that examines the interrogation, detention, and trials of detainees in the US ‘War on Terror,’ and argues that issues of detainee treatment raise profound questions of American values.

The federal government has placed much of the responsibility for homeland security on state authorities. Some of their early efforts have focused on intelligence collection and analysis.

Backgrounder: State and local governments are ramping up their own intelligence efforts, using fusion centers to funnel information.

With most counterterrorism energies focused overseas, decaying infrastructure leaves the United States prone to devastating terrorist attack and natural disasters.

Podcast: CFR national security expert Stephen Flynn discusses his book The Edge of Disaster.

Backgrounder: The new Congress shares President Bush's reform approach but new legislation is by no means assured.

Carl Prine, an investigative reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, says his recent report on rail security discovered glaring vulnerabilities that potentially endanger thousands of lives on a daily basis.

Stephen E. Flynn, CFR senior fellow for national security studies, discusses a new Democratic homeland security bill, which attempts to address what Flynn calls "very serious" problems.

Responsibility for safeguarding the homeland often falls to state and local governments in spite of the increased federal role after 9/11. Of these thousands of agencies, New York City has moved the most aggressively, creating a counterterrorism bureau complete with overseas agents and intelligence analysts.

This report summarizes Amnesty International’s concerns that the United States’ ‘war on terror’ has led to the executive exercising excessive powers to detain individuals and engage in covert operations in numerous countries.

Attacks on U.S. chemical facilities have the potential to affect thousands, possibly millions of people, yet many of them remain poorly secured. Legislation to improve security standards has been watered down.

Security experts believe many U.S. chemical facilities are vulnerable to catastrophic attacks. Improvements have been slow to come, and Congress recently declined to take tough steps called for by experts.