Freedom National

Released quietly, with little notice by the public, this insightful government report is highly critical of U.S. policies in the Middle East.

As the 2022 National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy (NDS) makes clear, the United States is in the midst of a decisive decade where the terms of geopolitical competition between the world’s major powers will be set. The Department of Defense (DoD) will advance its priorities in three interlocking ways– through integrated deterrence, campaigning, and by building enduring advantages. Accelerated technology advancement and innovation are key elements to achieving DoD priorities through these strategic ways, and to ensure our national security over the long term.

Der Wunsch nach weltweitem Frieden ist ebenso redlich wie verständlich. Doch er führt auch dazu, dass uns aufflammende Konflikte und Kriege in Schrecken versetzen - ganz besonders, wenn sie in geografischer Nähe auftreten, wie es seit dem russischen Angriffskrieg in der Ukraine der Fall ist. Sehen wir also der Realität ins Auge, fordert der renommierte Militärexperte Carlo Masala: Wenn wir verstehen, warum Konflikte, Kriege und Gewalt ein Kennzeichen des internationalen Systems sind und welche Spielregeln dort gelten, dann können wir in Zukunft politisch wie als Gesellschaft auch besser damit umgehen.

The two most important words in the lives of the American people for the past 60 years have been national security. The term has transformed American society for the worse. It has warped the morals and values of the American people. It has stultified conscience. It has altered the constitutional order. It has produced a democratically elected government that wields totalitarian powers.

In Trumping the Race Card: A National Agenda, Moving Beyond Race and Racism, author and diversity consultant Rodney Patterson provides a thought-provoking examination of race and racism in the United States. Mr. Patterson provides the anatomy of an ism to show how biases can evolve and transition into acts of racism by individuals, ultimately becoming institutionalized within systems. He encouraging each of us to avoid the inclination to “look the other way” and provides 10 strategies aptly designed as action steps.

First published in the early days of the Iraq War, Why Are We at War? is an explosive argument about the American quest for empire that still carries weight today. Scrutinizing the Bush administration's words and actions, Mailer unleashes his trademark moral rigor: "Because democracy is noble, it is always endangered.... To assume blithely that we can export democracy into any country we choose can serve paradoxically to encourage more fascism at home and abroad."

In the summer of 2012, in the dead of night, three peace activists penetrated the exterior of Y-12 in Tennessee, supposedly one of the most secure nuclear-weapons facilities in the United States. A drifter, an 82-year-old nun, and a house painter. And if they had been terrorists armed with explosives, intent on mass destruction? That nightmare scenario underlies the government’s response to the intrusion.

The National Security Agency (NSA) formed a Cybersecurity Directorate in 2019 with the charge to prevent and eradicate threats to the United States’ National Security Systems and critical infrastructure, with an initial focus on the Defense Industrial Base and its service providers. Drawing on the NSA’s rich information assurance legacy, the Cybersecurity Directorate refocused to meet the demands of the present and the future. It integrated key parts of the NSA’s cybersecurity mission into a more public-facing organization determined to raise the cybersecurity bar.

Iran in 2021 is on the threshold of fundamental change. The clerics' supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, finds his regime increasingly weak and in jeopardy following a series of uprisings since 2017, systemic corruption, a bankrupt economy, and an explosive society. Faced with these realities, Khamenei has opted to close ranks and consolidate power in the hands of those absolutely loyal to him. Ebrahim Raisi, a notorious mass murderer, was handpicked by Khamenei, to take on the position of president of the regime.

This essay comes from the NPR series This I Believe, which features brief personal reflections from both famous and unknown Americans. The pieces that make up the series compel listeners to rethink not only what and how they have arrived at their beliefs, but also the extent to which they share them with others.

We often forget that between the US president and all assailants stands a proud, largely unseen force. They protect democracy by defending the president. And, though the Secret Service has been known for its dedication and perfection in the face of unfathomable difficulties, it is now in grave danger. Zero Fail (2021) follows the decline through decades, leadership changes, and game-changing global events.

The People’s Republic of China and the United States are today at war. It is being fought with the use of information, politics, and finance. The Chinese believe that, as in all war, it would be better to win without engaging the enemy on the battlefield or having to resort to the likes of nuclear weapons if it can be avoided. To achieve this, China has engaged in a decades-long campaign to manipulate and corrupt America’s ruling elite.