Today's Headlines and Commentary

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the New Year’s shooting in an Istanbul nightclub, which killed at least 39 people, The New York Times reports. Turkish police are still in search of the shooter, though fourteen people have been detained; authorities have released a photograph of the suspect and indicated that he may be from Kyrgyzstan or elsewhere in Central Asia. It is not yet clear whether the attack was genuinely linked to or inspired by the Islamic State, which usually does not claim credit for attacks within Turkey in an effort to sow chaos without precipitating a government crackdown.

Coming two weeks after the assassination of Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, the attack both capped a violent year for Turkey and signaled that the violence may continue in the year to come. The Times writes that the country may be headed toward an even greater degree of censorship and authoritarianism as the government struggles to respond to the threat of violence.

As the inauguration grows closer, President-elect Trump shows no sign of detaching himself from his Twitter account, tweeting on Monday in response to response to Kim Jong Un’s announcement that Pyongyang is nearing a test-launch for an intercontinental ballistic missile. Trump wrote that the ICBM test launch “won’t happen” and complained that China “won’t help with North Korea.” With the meaning of Trump’s tweet unclear, South Korea chose to interpret the statement as a “clear warning” to Pyongyang, while Beijing emphasized its recent support for U.N.-imposed sanctions against North Korea. The Post has more.

The Times takes a look at efforts by General James Mattis, Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense, to halt the use of torture at an Iraqi detention center run by Marines in 2003. In response to the death of an Iraqi prisoner who had been beaten badly by interrogators, Mattis convened an inquiry and banned the further use of such interrogation techniques. Mattis’s opposition to torture appeared to come as a surprise to President-elect Trump, who has voiced his support for reinstituting waterboarding and “a hell of a lot worse,” after the first meeting between the two.

Syrian rebels have suspended talks on peace negotiations with Moscow in response to repeated ceasefire violations by the Syrian regime, Reuters reports. The moderate Free Syrian Army declared that further territorial advances by the regime, which rebels accused of seeking to recapture a strategically important area north of Damascus, would bring an end to the ceasefire entirely.

As the battle for Mosul continues, civilians are fleeing the city in greater numbers. Roughly 116,000 civilians have left the city since the beginning of the offensive twelve weeks ago. With food growing increasingly scarce, residents are beginning to take flight not only from Mosul’s east, where Iraqi troops are pushing in, but from the Islamic State-held west. Reuters has more.

At least 64 people were killed in a series of five car bomb attacks claimed by the Islamic State in Baghdad on Monday, the Post writes. The attacks targeted Sadr City, a Shiite area that is often the target of Sunni militants. The bombings followed two other ISIS-claimed attacks in the previous two days, both taking place in and around Baghdad. ISIS’s continued use of such attacks during the ongoing campaign on Mosul emphasizes the group’s ability to pose a threat even following a major loss of territory, the Times tells us.

Despite earlier reports that computer systems belonging to a Vermont utility had been breached by Russian hackers, the Post now reports that the Burlington utility’s systems were not the target of Russian attack and may not have been under attack at all. The Post’s initial story raised questions about the security of U.S. electrical infrastructure and Russian aggression.

ICYMI: Last Week, on Lawfare

Elena Chachko unpacked U.N. Security Resolution 2334, condemning Israeli settlements.

Orde Kittrie also considered the resolution’s significance.

Quinta Jurecic posted the Lawfare Podcast, featuring a discussion on deterring Russian cyber intrusions.

Paul Rosenzweig reflected on the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Susan Hennessey and Quinta reviewed Lawfare’s 2016, rounding up our coverage of the South China Sea, the presidential transition, and Section 702 and “going dark,” and finishing with a roundup of all of Lawfare’s regular features.

J. Dana Stuster updated the Middle East Ticker.

Andrew Kent weighed in on Hernandez v. Mesa, the cross-border shooting case. Steve Vladeck responded, and Andrew provided further comments.

Herb Lin noted the release of China’s National Cybersecurity Strategy.

Dana flagged topics to watch in the Middle East for 2017.

Benjamin Wittes alerted us that a federal judge ordered the SSCI report to be preserved under seal with the D.C. District Court.

Susan and Quinta noted the Obama administration’s announcement of sanctions against Russia in response to the Kremlin’s election interference, and provided the FBI and Department of Homeland Security’s joint report on the subject.

Herb asked what would make for a sufficiently strong response to Russian hacking.

Chris Mirasola provided a new edition of Water Wars.

Ingrid Wuerthe noted a new “Art Museum Amendment” to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.

Ariel Teshuva asked why the EU has made so few adequacy determinations.

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