Portside

After the January 6 attack, federal surveillance programs expanded to counter white supremacist violence have made Black and brown communities their main target.

The House passed a bill that sounds good, but doesn’t end Washington's failed, militarized approach or get to root problems.

Western counterterrorism policy in the Sahel has failed, being both over-militarized and ineffective. All suggest, in slightly varying language, that policy must be “rebalanced” or “rethought” to emphasize diplomacy and good governance.

Counterterrorism tools have been misused for decades, but no administration has abused them more than Trump’s. Last week outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo used the Foreign Terrorist Organizations list to attack Cuba, Iran, and Yemen’s Houthis.

On any given day, about 8,000 special operators -- from a command numbering roughly 70,000 -- are deployed in approximately 80 countries.

The ramifications of the Obama speech and Holder letter will be felt in the weeks ahead.