Tag: Iraq

Chelsea Manning, the U.S. Army whistleblower sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking more than 700,000 classified U.S. State Department and military documents in 2010 regarding the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, is coming home.

Fifteen years after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, America's War on Terror has expanded drastically, and with it, the interpretation of the Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF), which gave the president the initial power to mobilize US Armed Forces against those responsible. Yet, America is no closer to ending that open-ended war than when it began, and its endless state is prompting serious questions about the legality of the recent initiatives waged against ISIS, and whether safeguards are in place to prevent a single person—President Obama or his successors—from committing America to perpetual warfare.

Nathan Michael Smith, an US Army Captain, is suing President Obama because he believes the war against ISIS is unconstitutional. The war, which began in August 2014, has never been authorized by Congress. But Obama remains adamant that he has the legal authority to fight ISIS, citing authorizations from 2001 and 2002 related to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

Published earlier this month by Dubai-based public relations firm ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller, the study found that the overwhelming majority of Arab youth reject ISIS’ message and its tactics. The survey drew responses from hundreds of young Arab men and women from across the Middle East.

"It is not the refugee outflows that cause terrorism, it is terrorism, tyranny and war that create refugees."

Boots on the ground.

"If this is worth fighting ISIS, and I believe it is, it's worth having Congress do its job."

It’d hardly be a surprise if a large chunk of the American public had no idea Congress last week debated President Barack Obama’s authorization for a war he’s already fighting.

"Americans get played for chumps."

Sotloff's purported death comes two weeks after American journalist James Foley was beheaded by ISIS.