Defense & Security

Anyone who works in defense knows that the military loves its acronyms.  The most recent acronym has been a hot topic of discussion amongst officials, servicemembers, reporters, and scholars: the 2010 QDR.

Last year the International Criminal Court (ICC) charged Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir with crimes against humanity and war crimes but did not charge him with genocide. Currently, ICC head prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo is appealing this decision, and if successful, Bashir would become the first sitting head of state to be charged with genocide. This controversy comes at a time of heightened instability in Sudan with the April 2010 elections quickly approaching. 

The demand for more female peacekeepers continues to be a growing challenge for the United Nations Peacekeeping. After the UN realized that female peacekeepers are assets in reducing sexual crimes in post conflict areas, the Department of Peacekeeping has mandated in recruiting for more female peacekeepers. Since the implementation of UN Resolution 1325 in 2000, the number of female participants has slightly increased up to 7 percent in uniform police officers and 50 percent in civilian staff.

Wednesday's House Armed Services Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee Hearing about the "Threat Posed by al Qa’ida in the Arabic Peninsula” sought to inform the public that the scope of al-Qa’ida’s threat extends beyond Afghanistan and Pakistan. While the hearing was informative in several ways, it would more aptly have been named “Threat Posed by al Qa-ida in the broader Muslim World and Why We Can or Cannot Kill Those ‘Psychopaths.’”

General David Petraeus, Commander U.S. Central Command, was in town today and spoke here at CSIS.  The discussion was led by Maren Leed, who hosts the Military Strategy Forums here at CSIS.