The Week that Was: All of Lawfare in One Post
Your weekly summary of everything on the site.
Published by The Lawfare Institute
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Jen Patja Howell shared an episode of the Lawfare Podcast on the electoral defeat of President Trump, in which Benjamin Wittes, Scott Anderson, Quinta Jurecic, Jacob Schulz and Susan Hennessey discussed the upcoming transition to a Biden administration:
Benjamin Wittes announced that Alexander Vindman, former Army lieutenant colonel and National Security Council staffer, has joined the Lawfare team.
Robert Chesney and Steve Vladeck shared an episode of the National Security Law Podcast featuring a conversation about the U.S. election:
Wittes assessed the president’s ability to overturn a U.S. election that he unambiguously lost.
Susan Hennessey discussed how Michael Ellis, a Trump loyalist, came to be named as general counsel of the National Security Agency and presented paths forward for a Biden administration to deal with the appointment.
Howell shared an episode of the Lawfare Podcast entitled “Firings, Transitions and Staffing, Oh My!” in which Benjamin Wittes sat down with Steve Vladeck, Susan Hennessey and Scott Anderson to discuss President Trump’s recent removal of staff in his administration: Tia Sewell shared the Senate Judiciary Committee’s fourth oversight hearing on the Crossfire Hurricane Investigation, in which former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe testified.
Jen Patja Howell shared an episode of Rational Security: “The Peaceful(ish) Transfer of Power Edition.” Recorded before a live audience as part of Lawfare Live, it featured questions from the audience:
Video of the event, available to members of Lawfare Live, is available here:
Rohini Kurup shared a complaint from a U.S. district court charging a man in connection with threatening on social media to kill protestors, law enforcement officers and politicians in retaliation for the U.S. presidential election.
Robert Chesney and Steve Vladeck shared this week’s episode of the National Security Law Podcast featuring discussion and debate on the law governing the General Services Administration and support for presidential transitions and TikTok talk, among other things:
Jacob Schulz dissected a new charge against Nicolas Sarkozy, the former president of France, in connection with alleged campaign contributions from the Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
Lester Munson shared an episode of Fault Lines featuring conversation on the first 100 days of foreign policy under a Biden administration:
Adam Mount and Pranay Vaddi examined proposals to revise nuclear authorization procedures and argued that the U.S. should establish better policies to consult with allies and assess strike legality.
Matthew Waxman discussed how the U.S. Constitution allocates power to launch cyberattacks against American adversaries.
Jen Patja Howell shared an episode of the Lawfare Podcast featuring an interview with Kori Schake, who leads the foreign policy and defense policy team at the American Enterprise Institute, on the president’s recent firings at the Pentagon:
Valentin Weber explained how China’s efforts to disincentivize encryption in order to further control information in the state have created cyber vulnerabilities for Beijing.
Yaya J. Fanusie warned that China’s launch of a new blockchain network poses a unique threat to U.S. interests.
Lindsay Gorman presented a path forward for U.S. policy on TikTok.
Howell shared this week’s episode from the Lawfare Podcast’s "Arbiters of Truth" series on disinformation, in which Evelyn Douek and Quinta Jurecic spoke with Marietja Schaake about Europe and the regulation of tech platforms:
Muhammad Fraser-Rahim argued that Nigeria’s #EndSars campaign led by the country’s youth is about more than one police unit’s misconduct and explained why the movement seems likely to continue for the foreseeable future.
Stewart Baker shared this week’s episode of the Cyberlaw Podcast, featuring an interview with Dr. Peter Pry of the EMP Commission on North Korea’s nuclear capabilities, among other things:
Loqman Radpey assessed whether Kurds seeking self-governance in northern Syria are protected by international law.
Javid Dharas explained how the Excepted Foreign States provision of CFIUS offers a new lever for the U.S. to enhance its economic security through cooperation with allies.
And that was the week that was.