Today's Headlines and Commentary

President Obama announced yesterday that the United States will send military advisers to Iraq. CNN has the details of President Obama’s announcement, and accompanying video. It seems Congress is going to take a step back and allow President Obama to act, without securing further statutory backing. Evan McMorris-Santoro of Buzzfeed points out that the reaction in Congress to President Obama’s announcement yesterday has been relatively subdued. Rep. Barbara Lee (D–CA) introduced an amendment to the fiscal 2015 Defense appropriations bill, which would have prohibited the funding of any U.S. military action in Iraq. It was easily defeated late last night. The Hill has the story. Meanwhile, Sunni militants, affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), continue their violent rampage through Iraq. The Washington Post informs us that the militants have seized a former chemical weapons facility just over thirty miles northwest of Baghdad.  Though the facility no longer has the infrastructure necessary to produce chemical weapons, a CIA report explains that “stockpiles of chemical munitions are still stored there” Iraq’s Kurds see a possible silver lining in the cloud of violence descending on the country: the chaos may yet unite Kurdish minorities in Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran, and help them to create their own nation. The New York Times reports on this---and on the political challengers now seeing to replace the Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, a Shiite seen as divisive. And for those still generally confused about what exactly is ongoing in Iraq---and ISIS's emergence in particular---Vox offers a terrific explainer, “16 things about ISIS  and Iraq you need to know." The Times Editorial Board refocuses our attention on political turmoil brewing in Afghanistan. The outcome of last weekend’s presidential runoff vote has yet to be announced, and one of the candidates, Abdullah Abdullah, is slowing the process even more.  It's a move, Board argues, that could turn out to be catastrophic for Afghanistan’s political stability. The Times covers how Ahmed Abu Khattala, a man suspected of playing a major role in the attack on the American embassy in Benghazi in 2012, came into U.S. custody, and the steps that the FBI is taking to interrogate him. Apparently, the FBI is focusing first on extracting information from the suspect---and only then on the coming criminal case. Apropos of Abu Khattalla, there’s been a lot of discussion here on Lawfare, in favor of a civilian trial.  Writing in the Times, a former Chief Prosecutor at GTMO, Morris Davis, agrees:

Given the controversy surrounding what happened at Benghazi, it is especially important for the Abu Khattala case to be presented in the sunlight of a federal court, where the public can see and hear the evidence and draw its own conclusions. Rather than languishing for years and being obscured by the opaque standards that plague the military commissions at Guantánamo, this case deserves the certainty, the efficiency and the clarity that our federal courts provide.

The Post Editorial Board also offers its opinion on the Abu Khatalla case. While the Post piece argues that a civilian trial is the right call, it also says we must realize that our “criminal system alone is not sufficient.” The U.S. also needs to update rules for interrogating detainees, the Board argues. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees released a report today.  It contains this drastic figure: there are more than 50 million displaced people in the world right now. That number exceeds the previous high---which was recorded during World War II. The Post has more. The Pentagon offered its views on the developing defense budget. Reuters reports that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel tried to convince a Senate appropriations committee to accept the Pentagon’s plan to cut down on the number of active U.S. military troops; the idea is to ensure better training and preparedness. Congress has resisted many of the proposed cuts thus far. The House surprised many, when it passed an amendment last night that would (among other things) block intelligence agencies from querying, through use of a "U.S. person identifier," intelligence information collected pursuant to Section 702 of FISA. The amendment to the fiscal 2015 Defense appropriations bill was passed by a vote of 293-123. The Hill has more. The U.S. has imposed military and aid sanctions on Uganda, in response to a Ugandan law imposing harsh penalties on homosexuality. The White House explained yesterday that the sanctions will not directly impact HIV/AIDS or food programs---and that the move is meant to signal serious disapproval. The Guardian has the story. The Times Editorial Board offered its take on continued tensions in the South China Sea. The Board calls China out on its efforts to establish sovereignty in the region, arguing that an over-aggressive China is in no one’s best interest---least of all China's. Email the Roundup Team noteworthy law and security-related articles to include, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for additional commentary on these issues. Sign up to receive Lawfare in your inbox. Visit our Events Calendar to learn about upcoming national security events, and check out relevant job openings on our Job Board.