The Week That Was: All of Lawfare in One Post

Cody Poplin and I shared the Senate Armed Services and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence’s hearings on worldwide threats. And I also summarized the U.S. Intelligence Community’s worldwide threat assessment released this week, so you didn’t have to read about the world’s impending doom.

Paul Rosenzweig asked: “what does Norway think?” He compared Norway’s threat assessment to United States’ report.

Laura Dean released Dispatch 5 and Dispatch 6 of her series, Syria Displaced, observing the Aksaray and Fatih neighborhoods in Istanbul and taking a look at the “smugglers’ table.”

Jack Goldsmith shared his thoughts on the impending humanitarian catastrophe in Aleppo.

Benjamin Wittes shared two recent Brookings events on Syria on Omphalos.

Susan Hennessey responded to Just Security’s Ross Schulman’s argument that the NSA’s new reorganization will nix the Information Assurance Directorate. Susan says Schulman is wrong and that the NSA’s reorganization presents an “opportunity to challenge pervasive myths about the work of ‘offensive and defensive’ intelligence.” Nicholas Weaver responded, arguing that the problem with the NSA’s reorganization is one of trust and perception.

Paul Rosenzweig outlined President Obama’s new national cybersecurity plan.

Robert Chesney provided us the link to the livestream of day two of the Strauss Center at the University of Texas-Austin conference on the legal and policy dimensions of cybersecurity.

Doron Hindin asked whether export controls could tame cyber technology and looked at an Israeli approach.

Paul Rosenzweig also asked how concerned we should be about the Internet of Things’ vulnerability.

Herb Lin reflected on an Army combat exercise in Hawaii and how it could play down the cyber threat.

Andrew Keane Woods commented on the new U.S.-U.K. data deal. He argued that the deal could have easily been entitled “U.S. and U.K. Take Important Step for Internet Privacy.”

Stewart Baker released the 100th episode of the Steptoe Cyberlaw Podcast, interviewing David Kris.

Cody Poplin issued the latest Lawfare Podcast outlining defense strategies for the next president.

Elina Saxena watched the 7th Republican Presidential Debate and outlined the sections relevant to Lawfare readers.

John Bellinger highlighted Gil Avriel’s article in the Harvard National Security Law Journal on the need for new terminology to describe terrorist groups that become territory-holding groups.

In Sunday’s Foreign Policy Essay, Marc Hecker outlined the difficulties that a disunited Europe faces against transnational terrorism.

Robert Chesney dove into whether Umm Sayyaf will walk free despite her role in American aid worker Kayla Mueller’s death.

David Phillips and Kelly Berkell argued the case for delisting the PKK as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

Daniel Severson analyzed the French constitutional amendment on emergency powers.

Stephen Haggard shared his thoughts on North Korea’s recent nuclear test and satellite launch.

The Lawfare team released the latest version of Water Wars highlighting a “calm before the ASEAN-Summit Storm.”

Herb Lin also commented on how drones and the standing rules of engagement regarding self defense apply to one another.

Paul Rosenzweig featured Bruch Scheirer’s new worldwide survey of cryptographic systems and gave us the “CliffNotes” version. He also detailed the supposedly arbitrary detention of Julian Assange. Speaking of Assange, Benjamin Wittes objected to the New York Times editorial on the same subject, wondering if the Times had gone soft on rape in its zeal to protect someone who had published U.S. secrets.

Cody Poplin linked to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board’s new Recommendations and Assessment Report.

Ryan Scoville highlighted his interview with Celeste Pino Canales and how he got a sense for international law from a Cuban perspective.

David Ryan flagged the Fourth Circuit’s decision to affirm the dismissal of several Alien Tort Statute.

Ellen Scholl renewed her Hot Commodities roundup of the latest energy news showing that last year’s problems will shape this year’s news.

Cody detailed what was in the CIA’s “note to the reader” on the Torture Report.

Ben issued the latest edition of Rational Security dubbed the “Things Could Possibly Get Much Worse Edition.” Rational Security also had its first canine listener, and you bet we have a picture him!

John Bellinger flagged Brian Egan’s confirmation as Legal Adviser of the State Department.

From the Department of the Petty: The ACLU’s principal technologist called Ben a "horrible person," and Ben asked if the ACLU stands by its employee's claim.

Ben also updated us on his Estonian e-Residency conquest. On Thursday, he travelled to the Estonian Embassy, collected his digital identity card, and interviewed Kristjan Kurrme, the embassy's third secretary for political affairs.

Matthew Waxman congratulated Steve Bellovin, who was appointed as the first Technology Scholar of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.

And that was the week that was.