Today's Headlines and Commentary

The Malaysian government has turned to the United States for help in solving the mystery of missing flight MH370. The New York Times reports that Malaysia has asked the F.B.I. to help recover data from a flight simulator that one of the pilots of the jet had built in his home, in the hopes that it might help reveal some---any--much needed information. The Times says that it is unclear if the Malaysian authorities have asked for any other help from the American government, and that, until now, the Malaysian government was keeping all American law enforcement agencies at arm’s length. A troubling U.N. report from the United Nations Human Rights Council reveals that both sides of the Syrian conflict are targeting civilians. The report also criticizes the wider international community for a lack of response to the ongoing crisis. The Times has the story, while Al Jazeera focuses on the increased number of war criminals identified in the report. The United States has ordered Syria to close its embassy in Washington. The order came on the third “anniversary” of the start of the Syrian civil war; Washington has not fully cut off diplomatic relations with President Assad’s government, despite the closure order. The Los Angeles Times has more. Syria isn’t the only country coming under criticism for its record of human rights abuses. China is the subject of international scrutiny at the UNHRC, for its treatment of human rights activists. The Chinese government has been accused of attempting to silence those who speak out against it; and also lambasted for, among other things, its censorship practices. You'll find more at the Guardian. The BBC has a deeply upsetting but important piece on the current situation in the Central African Republic. The BBC’s Tim Whewell reports on regular incidents of large scale “ethnic cleansing” of Muslim citizens. Human Rights Watch reports that the country has become a “nightmare” for Muslims. In another disturbing report, the Pentagon has revealed that the September shooting at the Washington Navy Yard was preventable. The document, the result of an independent review of the event, outlines areas where the Department of Defense could have been stricter in its regulation and screening of employees. Politico has more. NPR explores why President Obama’s foreign policy record has been so poor, compared to other second-term presidencies. Between the situation in Crimea, crumbling relations with Egypt, and  a loss of credibility in Syria, it seems as though the president has been dealt an exceptionally tough hand. Speaking of Crimea, the AP considers how the annexation of the peninsula by Russia impacts the current Ukrainian government. The latter finds itself stuck in a somewhat helpless situation, even though the majority of the international community agrees that Russia’s actions have contravened at least the spirit of international law. The Ukrainian government has not recognized the referendum declaring Crimean’s secession. Still, Ukraine has very few options for non-violent retaliation and worries about the Crimea situation's impact on other parts of Russian-speaking, Eastern Ukraine. And the Guardian reports that pro-Russian “self-defense forces” have entered Ukraine’s naval Black Sea headquarters. Russian flags are now raised against the military compound in Sevastopol, in keeping with an announced policy that “all Ukrainian military installations on the peninsula … are now illegal and the soldiers must leave.” Four former Abu Ghraib detainees have asked a Virginia appeals court to reopen their case against a U.S. military contractor, the Guardian reports. Baher Azmy, the lawyer representing the four former detainees, urged the court to reopen the previously closed case against CACI Premier Technology Inc, arguing that dismissing the case on the grounds of Kiobel vs Shell/Royal Dutch Petroleum precedent was inappropriate. Benjamin Weiser of the Times tells us that Judge Lewis A. Kaplan has precluded 9/11 plotter Khalid Sheikh Mohammed from testifying in the trial of Sulaiman Abu Ghaith. Judge Kaplan ruled that the defense’s claims that KSM could provide legitimate testimony was “entirely baseless” on the merits. The Afghan presidential elections are fast approaching. The AP reports that, for the first time, a crucial voting bloc in the upcoming April election will consist of women. Women are expected to turn out in droves this year, more than before.  (Afghan women have had the right to vote since 2001.) As such, candidates are appealing to female voters more than ever before. One candidate, Habiba Sarabi, has a strong chance of becoming Afghanistan’s first female vice president and thus making history. Yesterday, President Obama presented the Medal of Honor, the United States’ highest military honor, to twenty-four veterans, twenty-one of them posthumously. The Los Angeles Times explains that the veterans receiving the awards had previously been passed up for the prestigious award because of their race, religion or ethnicity. They were reconsidered for the award after a 2002 bill called for a review of war records to determine if veterans were denied military awards because of those immutable characteristics. Email the Roundup Team noteworthy law and security-related articles to include, and follow us onTwitter and Facebook for additional commentary on these issues. Sign up to receive Lawfare in your inbox. Visit our Events Calendar to learn about upcoming national security events, and check out relevant job openings on our Job Board.