Articles

Are ‘Swift Boat’ attacks on Obama bogus? By Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst updated 10:25 AM EDT, Fri August 17, 2012 President Obama announces the killing of Osama bin Laden, in a broadcast from the White House May 1, 2011. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Former U.S. officers accuse Obama of leaking classified information for political gain Peter […]

By Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst, and Jennifer Rowland, Special to CNN August 13, 2012 — Updated 2149 GMT (0549 HKT) Afghan President Hamid Karzai attends the graduation ceremony of 500 students from the National Police Academy in July. STORY HIGHLIGHTS NATO forces a target of shooters in Afghan security force uniforms, authors say They note […]

Right-wing extremist terrorism as deadly a threat as al Qaeda? By Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst, and Jennifer Rowland, Special to CNN updated 1:36 PM EDT, Tue August 7, 2012 A gunman killed six people at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin on Sunday. STORY HIGHLIGHTS FBI is investigating shootings at Sikh temple as act of domestic […]

What’s working in Pakistan By Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst updated 8:36 AM EDT, Mon July 23, 2012 A woman holds her son as people celebrate Pakistan’s Independence Day on August 14, 2011, in Karachi. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Peter Bergen: The West looks at Pakistan as a country in dire straits Despite the politics, Bergen […]

Civilian casualties plummet in drone strikes By Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst, and Jennifer Rowland, Special to CNN updated 12:59 PM EDT, Fri July 13, 2012 A man burns the U.S. flag in protest of a drone strike in Multan, Pakistan, on July 7. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Peter Bergen, Jennifer Rowland: Civilian toll of drone […]

Drones decimating Taliban in Pakistan By Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst, and Jennifer Rowland, Special to CNN updated 5:44 PM EDT, Tue July 3, 2012 STORY HIGHLIGHTS Peter Bergen, Jennifer Rowland: Administration quietly targeting militants in Pakistan with drones They say attacks spiked on Obama’s watch, from one every 40 days, to one every […]

Time to declare victory: al Qaeda is defeated EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a series of opinion articles about national security by participants in the upcoming Aspen Security Forum. Security Clearance is a media sponsor of the event which is taking place from July 25-28 in Aspen, Colorado. By Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst To end […]

Obama leak ‘scandal’ is wildly overblown By Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst updated 9:05 AM EDT, Wed June 20, 2012 A U.S. Predator unmanned drone armed with a missile sets off from its hangar at Bagram Air Base on November 27, 2009. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Mitt Romney, others have called for special prosecutor on national security […]

Obama ramps up covert war in Yemen By Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst, and Jennifer Rowland, Special to CNN updated 10:15 AM EDT, Mon June 11, 2012 STORY HIGHLIGHTS U.S. drone attacks in Yemen haven’t received as much attention as in Pakistan Dozens of airstrikes have killed hundreds, mostly AQAP terrorists, the authors say […]

And now, only one senior al Qaeda leader left By Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst updated 5:48 AM EDT, Wed June 6, 2012 Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who senior US counter terrorism officials call the only leader of consequence left. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Al Qaeda’s number two leader was killed in a CIA drone strike […]