Horowitz resumes directorship of Penn’s Perry World House
CERL joins the University community in welcoming Dr. Michael C. Horowitz, member of CERL’s Affiliated Faculty, back to his role as director of Perry World House and Richard Perry professor in the Department of Political Science. Horowitz took a two-year service leave to work for the U.S. Department of Defense in standing up the Emerging […]
CERL affiliates urge Secretary Austin to reconsider his invalidation of the GTMO plea deal
In an opinion for Lawfare, CERL’s Prof. Claire Finkelstein, Alberto Mora, and Brig. Gen. (ret.) Stephen N. Xenakis, M.D., urge Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to reinstate the plea deal he revoked just two days after an agreement was reached between U.S. prosecutors and three Guantánamo defendants—Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM), Walid bin Attash, and Mustafa […]
Public perception of IDF campaign against Hamas inconsistent with on-the-ground reality
In a co-authored piece for The Cipher Brief, CERL Advisory Council member Geoffrey Corn and Lt. Gen. (ret.) David A. Deptula discuss insights from a July mission to Israel facilitated by the High Level Military Group to assess the country’s compliance with international law in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Contrary to the […]
Diplomatic talks underway as Iran threat looms
General (ret.) Joseph L. Votel, member of CERL’s Executive Board, appeared on Fox News to discuss mitigating the threat of an Iranian attack against Israel in response to the killing of a top Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh. Central to the deliberations of Iranian leadership are economic factors, he explains. General Joseph L. Votel, U.S. Army […]
Senior U.S. officials urge diplomatic, not military solutions to Israel-Hamas conflict
The safe return of hostages from Gaza will require diplomatic, not military, efforts, CERL Executive Board member General (ret.) Joseph L. Votel told The New York Times. With Hamas suffering significant blows to its leadership and capabilities, continued Israeli military campaigns would do little to advance wartime objectives but would pose a grave risk to […]
What to expect of an Iranian reprisal
General (ret.) Joseph L. Votel, member of CERL’s Executive Board, appeared on CBC to discuss rising tensions in the Middle East and what might be expected of Iran’s military and Israel’s defense capabilities, as well as how the United States and other actors in the region are likely to respond. General Joseph L. Votel, U.S. […]
Gender parity crucial in emerging technologies field
As advancements in artificial intelligence transform the landscape of warfare, having guardrails in place to protect human rights, especially those focused on gender parity in decision-making, becomes all the more critical. The 25th anniversary of Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) is an occasion to take stock of progress toward greater participation of women in the […]
What Ukraine’s advance into Russia could mean for battlefield outcomes
Drawing from historical examples, the authors of an opinion piece for TIME—among them Lt. Gen. (ret.) James Clapper, Emeritus member of CERL’s Executive Board—discuss how Ukraine’s assault on Russia could mark a turning point for the two-year war. The campaign by Zelenskyy could serve to advance morale, shake up Russia’s allocation of resources and troops, […]
Judge’s decision to rule Trump special counsel appointment unconstitutional is ‘profoundly wrong’
CERL’s Claire Finkelstein spoke with media about U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s ruling to dismiss Special Counsel Jack Smith from former President Donald Trump’s classified documents case. Cannon, who was appointed to the bench by Trump, issues her ruling following Judge Clarence Thomas’s recent assertion that the appointment of Smith was unconstitutional: “This stems from […]
Trump shooting presaged by ‘increase in violent rhetoric’ at US political events
CERL’s Professor Claire Finkelstein spoke with Australian Broadcasting Corporation about the recent assassination attempt on former President Trump, and the spike in violent rhetoric at U.S. political events: “We have seen an increase in violent rhetoric around political events of all sorts, and the irony is that President Trump himself has fomented some of this […]
‘Chutkan Has Discretion in Trump Immunity Case. She Should Use It’
In an essay for Bloomberg Law, CERL’s Professor Claire Finkelstein and Professor Richard W. Painter of the University of Minnesota review the Trump immunity case, emphasizing how the immunity ruling has upset checks and balances, but judges retain a role: “Can anything blunt the edge of this decision in Trump v. United States? To address […]
O’Connell weighs in as Chinese student pleads guilty to violating U.S. espionage act
CERL Advisory Council member Mary Ellen O’Connell recently spoke with media about Shi Fengyun, the 26-year-old Chinese student who plead guilty to misdemeanor espionage charges on Monday for taking photographs of U.S. military infrastructure using a drone. Although accidentally capturing photos of military installations while flying a drone isn’t usually persecuted to this degree, O’Connell […]
Term limits and Court expansion: Roosevelt on SCOTUS and Project 2025
CERL Affiliated Faculty member Kermit Roosevelt spoke with MSNBC about the dire ethics and ultraconservative supermajority of the Supreme Court, and the Republican plan to use the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 playbook to prepare for a possible second Trump term: “The only way to take the Supreme Court back in the near term is actually […]
Supreme Court’s Trump immunity decision a ‘blow against accountability for presidents’
CERL’s Professor Claire Finkelstein spoke with media about the Supreme Court’s recent decision to grant former President Donald Trump partial immunity from criminal prosecution on interference charges. The decision, which has essentially “eliminated judicial review for a whole set of presidential actions,” could be disastrous for the accountability of future presidents. Finkelstein asserts that, according to […]
‘Worst-case scenario’: Finkelstein on Trump’s partial immunity
CERL’s Professor Claire Finkelstein spoke with media about the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Monday to grant former President Donald Trump partial immunity from criminal prosecution on interference charges. “I believe that this decision is going to go down in the history of the United States Supreme Court as among its worst decisions ever — right there […]
Assange has ‘paid his dues’
CERL Executive Board Emeritus member James Clapper speaks with CNN about the recent plea deal of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and it’s reception among the national security community. Clapper served as director of national intelligence in 2010 when WikiLeaks released classified military and intelligence documents. “I think critical to this was his plea of one […]
‘A great deal for both sides:’ Zaid on the plea deal of Julian Assange
CERL Executive Board member Mark Zaid spoke with John Vause of Chattanooga Local 3 News in light of whistleblower Julian Assange’s recent agreement to a plea deal on Monday. Assange, whose plea deal could allow him to avoid prison time in the U.S. with time served, spent $500,000 to travel to remote U.S. territory Saipan […]
A U.S.-Saudi defense pact is mutually vital
CERL Executive Board member Joseph Votel spoke with Al Majalla about the changing nature of war, terrorists’ use of technology, and the role of the U.S. in the Middle East. General Joseph L. Votel, U.S. Army (Ret.) is the former Commander of the U.S. Central Command. He is a Distinguished Senior Fellow on National Security […]
The U.S. military’s suicide crisis
A new article from Janet Reitman of the New York Times sheds light on the suicide crisis among U.S. soldiers during peacetime, elucidated by the suicide death of active-duty Army soldier Austin Valley. CERL Executive Board member Stephen Xenakis is quoted, discussing how the Army’s operational tempo remains high and it has managed to maintain […]
Jonas breaks down why the AUKUS deal was inevitable
For the Washington Times, CERL Advisory Council member David S. Jonas weighs in on the inevitability of the Australia-United Kingdom-United States alliance (AUKUS), and Australia’s recent decision to acquire nuclear submarines from the U.S. and the U.K. after canceling a significant contract with France. Jonas, with co-author Patrick Rhoads, note that an initially surprising decision […]
CERL intern receives the Sharon Greene Award for Campus Advocacy
CERL 2024 summer intern Noa Fay received the Sharon Greene Award for Campus Advocacy at a recent ceremony. Alongside two other student leaders, Fay was recognized for her commitment to fighting anti-Jewish hate and the impact she has made on behalf of her peers, including addressing a crowd of nearly 300,000 at the March for […]
A 2024 assessment of threats from DHS
CERL Executive Board member Harvey Rishikof recently moderated a talkback which highlighted some of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) key insights from the 2024 Homeland Threat Assessment, addressing threats like foreign and domestic terrorism, immigration, cyber attacks, and the leveraging of AI technologies to create and spread disinformation. The event, hosted by the Standing […]
ICC arrest warrant request calls into question ‘the credibility of the court’
In an opinion piece for the Cipher Brief, CERL Advisory Council member Geoffrey Corn weighs in on the wisdom behind ICC Prosecutor Karm Khan’s recent request to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Geoffrey S. Corn is the George R. Killam, Jr. Chair of Criminal Law and […]
Trump verdict means triumph for the rule of law
In the wake of former President Trump’s recent guilty conviction, CERL’s Professor Claire Finkelstein spoke with media about how the ruling upholds accountability as a core tenet of the rule of law. “We might have believed up until this moment that accountability for a former president was not possible, that presidents were just too powerful ever to be held […]
‘An unstoppable force brought low by the humblest of state laws’: Roosevelt on what sealed Trump’s fate
For TIME, CERL Affiliated Faculty member Kermit Roosevelt pens an op-ed that dives in to what the Trump trial tells us about the strengths and weaknesses of America’s constitutional structure, and what sealed Trump’s fate. “Most Americans are not involved in more than 4,000 lawsuits. They do not overstate their net worth, market questionable training […]
Finkelstein weighs in as Trump becomes the first former U.S. president convicted of a criminal offense
CERL’s Professor Claire Finkelstein spoke with Al Jazeera in light of Donald Trump becoming the first former U.S. president convicted of a criminal offense. Yesterday, Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts in relation to falsifying business records. When asked on what grounds Trump might file for appeal, an intention already proclaimed, Finkelstein explained […]
How Russia and China gained nuclear advantage over the U.S.
In an opinion piece for the Washington Times, CERL Advisory Council member David S. Jonas offers some insight into how the U.S. has arrived at a nuclear disadvantage, specifically in regards to our rivals Russia and China. Jonas, and co-author Patrick Rhoads, base their analysis on an October report from the Strategic Nuclear Posture Committee […]
The ABA presents a ‘crash course’ panel to Congress on AI in the legal profession
CERL Executive Board member Harvey Rishikof served on a recent expert panel on Capital Hill titled AI in the Legal Profession: Crash Course for Congress. The panel, featuring five other distinguished legal scholars with expertise in artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, data privacy, and national security, aimed at briefing congressional staffers and DC area attorneys about […]
ICC Chief Prosecutor’s decision to pursue arrests could mean ‘the end of restraint on Rafah’
In a recent article from Politico, writer Jamie Dettmer examines the legitimacy of the International Criminal Court (ICC), from it’s glacial pace of action since it’s inception in 2002, to it’s jurisprudence-challenging appeal decision in 2018, and much more. CERL Advisory Council member Mary Ellen O’Connell spoke with Dettmer, weighing in on ICC Chief Prosecutor […]