The Washington Post profiles the head of the CIA's Counterterrorism Center, who for six years has been architect of the agency's drone campaign, and has led its pursuit of Osama bin Laden. Surly and profane, he has outlasted three CIA directors and served two presidents.

This Congressional Research Service report provides an overview of Special Operations Forces, elite military units with special training that can infiltrate into hostile territory to conduct a variety of operations, many of them classified.

Ed Husain discusses the Toulouse shootings and the need for Jews and Muslims to demonstrate togetherness against a common enemy.

The government of the brittle, one-party state remains dug in against a determined but fractured opposition. Expert Joshua Landis discusses the fault lines in the Syria uprising.

In the New York media, fighting and personalities in the FBI and NYPD are frequently covered like a dysfunctional celebrity marriage, with perceived betrayal and reconciliation spilling into the news, writes Adam Goldman of the Associated Press.

John McCain, Joseph I. Lieberman and Lindsey Graham, members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, believe President Obama should "resist the short-sighted calls for additional troop reductions" in Afghanistan.

Matthew Kroenig and Barry Pavel examine the potential of deterrence to help thwart future terrorist attacks.

Obama's targeted drone strikes--even on Americans--aren't illegal, writes Jack Goldsmith for Foreign Policy. In fact, he writes, there's a solid legal foundation and a number of checks and balances upholding his right to take out terrorists.

Sectarian divisions have boosted al-Qaeda in Iraq, a longstanding threat to Iraqi stability. This Backgrounder profiles the group and discusses its growing role in the unrest in neighboring Syria.

The killing of Afghan civilians and the Taliban's suspension of peace talks have complicated the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. CFR's Stephen Biddle discusses U.S. choices.

Reports that Pakistan-based militant groups may be moving to unite could help clarify U.S. talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan. But CFR's Daniel Markey calls it a tricky game, complicated by unclear U.S. intentions in the region.

Admiral William H. McRaven, U.S. Navy, Commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command, gave this testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 6, 2012.

Attorney General Eric Holder gave these remarks regarding targeted killing at at Northwestern University School of Law on March 5, 2012.

Matthew C. Waxman discusses U.S. attorney general Eric Holder's address providing the Obama administration's legal rationale for targeted killings of certain al Qaeda suspects--including U.S. citizens.

The rise of China in economic, political, and military spheres have not just interested Western observers, but also al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadi thinkers, says Brian Fishman in the Washington Quarterly.

Max Boot argues that despite the recent protests over the burning of Qurans, Afghans do not want a return of the Taliban--and they don't hate America.

Targeted killings have become a central component of U.S. counterterrorism operations around the globe. Despite pointed criticism over transparency and accountability issues, analysts say the controversial practice seems likely to expand in the future.

Richard A. Falkenrath says changes to national privacy law are essential to protect personal privacy in the age of pervasive social media and cloud computing--and Google's new privacy policy points even more firmly to the need for a right to be forgotten.

Matthew C. Waxman examines the role of local police in counterterrorism intelligence.

Obama's potential voters might not judge him only by his success on catching the al-Qaeda mastermind, but also by the way he has been handling the American economy, writes Scott Clement.