Review

Geneva Conventions 2.0

Mike Innes — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:51:42 +0000

Charli Carpenter, an Assistant Professor of at the University of Pittsburg's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, has just published a short piece on the Geneva Conventions in the war on terror in The National Interest. Writing at Duck of Minerva, where she's a contributor, Carpenter notes the challenges involved with crossing from academic publishing to writing for a policy audience (or at least, involved with dealing with differing degrees of editorial license). More important, though, is the subject of her paper. In "Geneva 2.0", she sums up many of the basic issues that inform this particular debate, getting right to the heart of the problem when she writes

Anonymous v. State of Israel (June 11, 2008)

CTLab — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:20:53 +0000

The Supreme Court of Israel has upheld the Incarceration of Unlawful Combatants Law (5762-2002), in an opinion that should be of interest from a U.S. perspective in light of its discussion of IHL principles relating to administrative detention. In brief, the Court categorizes “unlawful enemy combatants” as civilians/protected persons for purposes of GCIV, and concludes that the statute complies with constitutional and IHL considerations so long as it is construed to require some showing of individual dangerousness. The interesting question that follows from that is whether mere membership in an organization such as HAMAS or Hezbollah would qualify a person as personally dangerous; on that issue, the Court says the following:

Mapping Lebanon's Vulnerabilities

Mike Innes — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:46:01 +0000

Remember when geopolitique.com released a map of Hezbollah's telecomms network in Lebanon? Well, another organization, Lebanon-Support, has done one better with its map of Lebanon's vulnerabilities, showing political, confessional, security and deprivation layers in the Lebanese landscape. Worth noting.

H/T to Middle East Strategy at Harvard for reporting it.

Tactical Wall Hugging in Baghdad

Mike Innes — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:53:51 +0000

In "Baghdad's Teetering Floors," Bryan Finoki writes about new barrier construction in that sunny peaceful spot on the Tigris:

Arar v. Ashcroft (2d Cir. June 30, 2008)

Mike Innes — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:33:07 +0000

The 2^nd Circuit has affirmed dismissal in Arar v. Ashcroft , the civil suit brought by Maher Arar against various US officials based on allegations that the US removed him to Syria in order to be tortured... below I reprint an excerpt summarizing the ruling:

America's non-reciprocation for Afghan affections

Christian Bleuer — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 05:17:35 +0000

What do I mean by "America's non-reciprocation for Afghan affections?" I mean that Afghans like America three times more than Americans like Afghanistan. While I hate combining and comparing results from polls conducted in different countries by different organizations using different methodologies, even a wide margin of error and consideration of context shows a wide gulf between the two countries when it comes to mutual feelings.

Me on Rubin on Rashid... on Deaf Ears?

Mike Innes — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:26:08 +0000

In the category of circular book reviews (I know, this is undergraduate short-cutting at its worst, but there's more to the story), from Barnett R. Rubin, on Ahmed Rashid's new book Descent into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of National Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia (Penguin, 2008).

The CTLab Line-Up

Mike Innes — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:29:54 +0000

Some of you may have noticed CTLab's expanding repertoire of SMEs over the last few weeks. The goal has always been for this blog to be multidisciplinary, and the eclectic band of thinkers now listed as contributors are certainly that. None need introducing here, since all are well known or knowable through their respective blogs and other online activities. But to recap, the Complex Terrain Laboratory's Review weblog is (in addition to yours truly):

Ghosts of Alexander Self-Outs

Mike Innes — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 10:14:29 +0000

Christian Bleuer, the formerly anonymous author of the Ghosts of Alexander blog, has self-outed. Bleuer writes "I have come to the realization that there is nothing controversial or confrontational about this blog. I therefore have no need to continue with my pseudo-anonymity." A PhD student in the research phase of his degree at The Australian National University’s Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies (The Middle East and Central Asia), he states his blog is "about conflict related issues in Afghanistan: politics, culture, society, reconstruction, civil-military relations and insurgency." Other qualifications:

United States v. Benkahla (4th Cir. June 23, 2008)

Mike Innes — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 10:03:00 +0000

The Fourth Circuit (in an opinion by Judge Wilkinson, joined by Judges Motz and Duncan) has rejected a series of arguments raised by Sabri Benkahla. Benkahla was associated with the “Virginia Jihad/Virginia Paintball” investigation. He was tried and acquitted of providing services to the Taliban in violation of IEEPA and using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, based on allegations that he attended an LET training camp in Afghanistan (and fired weapons there). After his acquittal, he was

The Constitution Project's Critique of National Security Courts

Mike Innes — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 09:55:48 +0000

The Constitution Project’s Liberty & Security Committee, along with the Coalition to Defend Checks and Balances, has published a report critiquing national security court concepts.

Impact of Boumediene on the Hamdan prosecution

Mike Innes — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 05:49:56 +0000

SCOTUSBLOG’s Lyle Denniston offers the following update on developments in the Hamdan prosecution, where the parties now are focused on whether Boumediene compels the conclusion that detainees are entitled to constitutional rights beyond just the right to habeas itself. Captain Allred, the judge in Hamdan’s commission proceeding, has given the parties until July 2^nd to brief the issue.

Another Human Terrain Operator Killed

Mike Innes — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:21:18 +0000

Nicole Suveges was killed in yesterday's Sadr City bombing.

IW: Subduing the Echos of History

Michael Tanji — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 23:25:34 +0000

Having recently completed Soldiers of Reason- a history of the RAND Corporation by Alex Abella – I was struck by how familiar a story or series of stories from the 50s and 60s so mirrored the problems and approaches being undertaken today in the virtual realm. What follows is not a robust review of Abella's work, but I think these high-points are illustrative:

Neurocognitive Implications of Nation-Building

Mark Safranski — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 02:09:16 +0000

Perhaps my favorite entirely apolitical blog is The Eide Neurolearning Blog run by the Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide, two physicians who specialize in brain research and the resulting implications for educating children. With great regularity I find information there that either is of use to me professionally or has wider societal importance.

A while back, the Eides posted "The Thinking Spot", which adds to the existing mountain of evidence regarding