The Week That Was: All of Lawfare in One Post

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Robert Chesney analyzed the legal questions behind the U.S. drone strike that killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

John McLaughlin reflected on the news of the death of al-Zawahiri, concluding that the successful operation was the result of the CIA’s persistent focus on terrorism over the past two decades.

Colin P. Clarke and Barak Mendelson evaluated the possibility of an al-Qaeda revival in light of the death of Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Jen Patja Howell shared an episode of the Lawfare Podcast in which Benjamin Wittes sat down with Scott R. Anderson and Daniel Byman to discuss the death of al-Zawahiri and the international and domestic law of killing al-Qaeda leaders:

Byman also detailed the potential challenges that al-Qaeda’s next leader might face in trying to launch a comeback for the weakened organization.

Chesney also shared a call for papers from the AALS National Security Law Section for their 2023 annual meeting.

Howell shared an episode of Rational Security in which Anderson, Quinta Jurecic, and Alan Rozenshtein sat down with Natalie Orpett to discuss this week’s national security news, including the drone strike that killed al-Zawahiri, the Justice Department indictment of Russian agent Aleksander Viktorovich Ionov, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan:

Howell also shared an episode of the Lawfare Podcast in which Wittes sat down with Sophia Yan, Julian Ku, and Zack Cooper to discuss Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan: 

Jurecic and Molly E. Reynolds discussed the major takeaways from the Jan. 6 select committee and how the committee hearings could influence future investigations.

Howell shared an episode of the Lawfare Podcast in which Jurecic, Orpett, and Wittes sat down with Peter Strzok to discuss their recent Lawfare piece that outlines benchmarks for what to look for in the Justice Department's ongoing Jan. 6 investigation:

Howell shared an episode of the Lawfare Podcast in which Jurecic sat down with Paul Rosenzweig to discuss the legal discipline process to hold lawyers who spread disinformation accountable:

Eugene Linden argued that the Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency drastically limits the agency’s regulatory authority to respond to climate change.

David Priess shared an episode of Chatter in which he sat down with Erin Sikorsky to discuss Sikorsky’s career in government, how intelligence officers look at climate, Hollywood’s role in addressing climate change, and more:

Michael McLaughlin and Harvey Rishikof argued that Congress should create a marketplace of accredited cybersecurity vendors that defense industrial base companies would be required to use to support U.S. national security.

Lennart Maschmeyer responded to a Lawfare post critiquing his theory on the “subversive trilemma” of cyber operations.

Andrew Dwyer and Ciaran Martin argued that the U.K.’s latest position on responsible cyber power lacks ambition and fails to clarify its where the country stands on coercion and non-intervention.

Howell shared an episode of the Lawfare Podcast in which Jacob Schulz sat down with Robert Gorwa and Susan Landau to discuss a proposal from the European Commission to combat online child sexual abuse and the proposal’s implications:

Raquel Leslie and Brian Liu discussed recent U.S.-China technology policy news, including a $1.2 billion fine of Didi Global by a Chinese regulator for violating cybersecurity laws, the Senate’s passage of a bipartisan bill intended to boost U.S. semiconductor chip production, and more.

Jordan Schneider shared an episode of ChinaTalk in which he sat down with Chris Buckley, Xujun Eberlein, and co-host Alex Boyd to discuss Bo Xilai, his rise to power, and what happened to the man who used to be President Xi’s most credible political rival:

Richard Oscar discussed what the potential future implications will be of current sanctions connected to the war in Ukraine.

Antonio Calcara, Andrea Gilli, Mauro Gilli, and Ivan Zaccagnini argued that assessments of drone technology efficacy often neglect the consideration that drones are incredibly vulnerable to air defenses.

And that was the week that was.