Defense and Security

Homeland Security

  • Terrorism and Counterterrorism
    9/11 Perspectives: How America Changed its Projection of Power
    This video is part of a special Council on Foreign Relations series that explores how 9/11 changed international relations and U.S. foreign policy. In this video, Foreign Affairs Editor Gideon Rose argues that the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States "unleashed U.S. power on the world." Rose says this resulted "not just in the Afghanistan campaign, but in the Iraq campaign eventually, in the Global War on Terror, and in the massive deployment of American resources, in power projection, and in an activist world role that wouldn’t have been conceivable without the immediate trigger of a threat in the previous decade." He says the end of this decade saw a "chastened, less hubristic" U.S. attitude and a country confronting a host of domestic challenges.
  • Climate Change
    Debating the Links Between Climate Change and National Defense
    I’m a big fan of Bruno Tertrais, a French scholar (and a friend) whose work on nuclear security I’ve long respected. In the new issue of The Washington Quarterly, Bruno stretches his horizons to pron…
  • Homeland Security
    Extending Patriot Act Powers
    Congress passed a short-term extension for three surveillance provisions of the Patriot Act to allow for more debate, which CFR’s Matthew Waxman says will likely focus on tightening restrictions and oversight.
  • Homeland Security
    A Conversation with Thomas J. Ridge
    Play
    Former Homeland Security Secretary Thomas J. Ridge discusses his experiences as the first leader of the Department of Homeland Security, as well as other lessons from his career. This session was part of the HBO History Makers Series.
  • Human Rights
    For Obama, Vexing Detainee Decisions Loom
    The Obama administration, at first swift to move away from Bush-era detainee practices, has found itself struggling through a political and legal thicket about where and how to try those accused of war crimes.
  • Homeland Security
    Should Guantanamo Bay Be Closed?
    Four experts discuss how legal and political developments should affect the Obama administration’s promise to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay.
  • United States
    The Closing of the American Border
    In this book, CFR Senior Fellow Edward Alden examines the complicated interplay between the United States’ need for homeland security and economic openness in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Teaching notes by the author.
  • United States
    The Post 9/11 NYPD: Where Are We Now?
    Play
    JAMES D. ZIRIN: Good evening. Welcome to this evening's Council on Foreign Relations meeting with Police Commissioner Kelly. The meeting is on the record.When Henry Kissinger was introduced at a sim…
  • United States
    The Post 9/11 NYPD: Where Are We Now?
    Play
    Watch New York City Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly detail the counterterrorism methods employed by the New York City Police Department for terrorist attack prevention and response.
  • Homeland Security
    Homeland Security in Transition: Rebuilding Critical Infrastructure
    Podcast
    With the Department of Homeland Security in the midst of its first presidential transition, what changes can the nation expect? President Obama’s economic stimulus plan suggests nearly 400,000 jobs would be created for critical infrastructure repair projects. How should these projects and other homeland security matters be prioritized in a new administration? Please join Everett Ehrlich, Stephen E. Flynn, and Frances Townsend to discuss these critical issues.
  • United States
    A Conversation with Michael Chertoff
    Play
    DAVID WESTIN: Good afternoon. I'm David Westin, and I'm privileged to be able to be here with the secretary today. I have a few remarks and I have a script here. I'll make sure I get them all right…
  • United States
    A Conversation with Michael Chertoff
    Play
    Watch U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff reflect on government actions during crises and lessons learned from his time in the Bush administration.