Op-Eds
Micah Zenko examines U.S. President Barack Obama's May 23, 2013 speech on drone strike and counterterrorism policies. "The enduring impact of Mr. Obama's speech will not be what he says, but whether the new policies are reflected in how drone strikes are conducted, and whether his administration will finally and faithfully engage with the public, more than a decade after the operations began," Zenko writes.
See more in United States, Intelligence, National Security and Defense, Wars and Warfare, U.S. Strategy and Politics
Micah Zenko and research associate Amelia Wolf shed light on the societal problem of sexual assault. They state that recent attention has focused solely on the issue within military culture, thereby ignoring the root causes and realities of sexual assault in America.
Micah Zenko explains why the speech made by Harold Koh, former state department legal adviser, earlier this week is nothing more than a reiteration of the "fundamental myth of the Obama administration's targeted killing program."
See more in United States, Defense Strategy, Defense Technology
Micah Zenko explains why critics of U.S. targeted killing policies should not overlook "similar attacks conducted by allies and partners who receive U.S. money, weapons, or actionable intelligence."
See more in United States, U.S. Strategy and Politics, Foreign Policy History
Micah Zenko weighs the options on a United States intervention in Syria.
See more in United States, Syria, Defense Strategy, U.S. Strategy and Politics
Micah Zenko reflects on the purpose and implications of investigating motivations behind terrorist attacks.
See more in Terrorism, Terrorist Attacks
Micah Zenko recommends that the Obama administration "implement the 9/11 Commission's unfulfilled recommendation and make the military responsible for America's drone campaigns."
See more in United States, Defense/Homeland Security, Defense Strategy, Defense Technology
"The hypocrisy behind U.S. targeted killings has long been apparent to casual news readers, and it is now confirmed by internal intelligence documents," according to Micah Zenko.
See more in United States, Defense/Homeland Security, Defense Policy and Budget, Defense Strategy, Defense Technology
Micah Zenko examines the role of leadership in Washington's foreign policy discourse.
See more in United States, U.S. Strategy and Politics, Congress and Foreign Policy, Foreign Policy History
Micah Zenko calls for "public and congressional debates about the Obama administration's targeted killings . . . based on how those operations are actually justified and conducted."
See more in Defense Strategy, Defense Technology, U.S. Strategy and Politics
Micah Zenko says the nomination of John Brennan to become the next CIA director can be crucial in scrutinizing the U.S. drone program.
See more in United States, Pakistan, Defense Policy and Budget, Defense Technology, Terrorism
On the subject of targeted killings, Micah Zenko says nations must be transparent about their adherence to international law and defend attacks' proportionality.
See more in United States, Defense Strategy, Defense Technology
Micah Zenko says that while it's admirable for senior defense leadership to adopt a forward-looking approach, the U.S. military cannot predict where future conflicts will emerge and where they will be deployed to fight.
See more in United States, Defense Strategy
Micah Zenko says, in the aftermath of the attacks in Benghazi, President Obama faces tremendous pressure to "do something" in response, but force won't stop another attack.
See more in Libya, United States, Counterterrorism, Foreign Policy History
Micah Zenko says even though telling the United States that it should be more scared of Iran has failed so far, Israeli officials will continue to sound the alarm about a nuclear-armed Tehran, with the ultimate objective of changing America's threat perception.
See more in United States, Iran, Israel, Weapons of Mass Destruction
Micah Zenko says leave the "better off" question aside and look at safety, "The reality is that, across a range of criteria, Americans are indeed safer and more secure than four years ago."
See more in United States, National Security and Defense, U.S. Election 2012
Micah Zenko says John Brennan, chief adviser to President Obama on counterterrorism issues, has a unique and unprecedented role in shaping and implementing the president's vision for protecting the United States, its allies, and its interests from politically motivated violence.
See more in United States, Counterterrorism, Presidency
Ahead of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Discovery Channel's "Shark Week," Micah Zenko counts down ten things that kill more people than sharks.
See more in United States, Public Health Threats, Health
Micah Zenko says that the debate over domestic surveillance is heating up, but it's not time to panic.
See more in United States, Defense Technology
Micah Zenko says it's time for the United States to think of new ways to combat terrorism in Southwest Asia.
See more in Afghanistan, Wars and Warfare