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Melvin A. Goodman is senior fellow at the Center for International Policy and author of Failure of Intelligence: The Decline and Fall of the CIA. He is a professor of international security studies and chairman of the international relations department at the National War College. Goodman worked at the CIA from 1966 to 1990 and was division chief and senior analyst at the agency's Office of Soviet Affairs from 1976 to 1986.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 The Bush/Obama War Against Truth (10 comments)
The harsh treatment of alleged leaker Bradley Manning is part of a broader campaign to silence government whistleblowers, a pattern that began with Vice President Dick Cheney's outing of CIA officer Valerie Plame but has expanded under President Obama.
Saturday, September 11, 2010 The Self-Inflicted Wounds of 9/11 (6 comments)
Although al-Qaeda is no longer a sophisticated terrorist organization capable of launching large-scale operations and is merely one of many jihadist groups based in Pakistan, the United States has thrown itself into the briar patch called Afghanistan.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010 What Eisenhower Could Teach Obama (2 comments)
Fifty years ago, Eisenhower told senior advisers,,"God help this country when someone sits in this chair who doesn't know the military as well as I do." Several months later, he issued his famous warning about the military-industrial complex. Now the U.S. finds itself in a cul-de-sac, with no way out of increased military deployments and expenditures, and no evidence that Obama has a firm hand on the national security tiller.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010 The Military-Industrial Complex's Win
Over the past three decades, despite the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the end of the Cold War, U.S. presidents have done next to nothing to challenge or limit the national security complex, which continues to drain the federal treasury and block any potential political threat to the military-industrial status quo.
Monday, July 5, 2010 What Eisenhower Could Teach Obama (1 comments)
Fifty years ago, President Dwight D. Eisenhower told his senior advisers in the Oval Office of the White House, "God help this country when someone sits in this chair who doesn't know the military as well as I do." Several months later, he issued his famous warning about the military-industrial complex.
Monday, June 28, 2010 The Pentagon's Threat to the Republic
Unfortunately, our most recent presidents in the wake of the end of the Cold War have not been willing to limit the influence of the military and have placed too much power in the hands of the Pentagon. President Obama must take note.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010 Pentagon Tightens Grip on the Obama Administration and the Intelligence Community (1 comments)
President Barack Obama's appointment of retired Gen. James Clapper as the director of national intelligence (DNI) demonstrates the Pentagon's enormous influence over the president and indicates that there is little likelihood of genuine reform of the hidebound intelligence community.
Saturday, May 8, 2010 David Ignatius: CIA's Senior Apologist Strikes Again (1 comments)
With the hiring of Marc Thiessen, a former speechwriter for the Bush administration, the Post now employs the man who wrote speeches for both President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney justifying torture and abuse, secret prisons and renditions. He will certainly try, but not even Ignatius will be able to top the efforts of Thiessen.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 The U.S. and North Korea: The Need for an About Face (3 comments)
N. Korea has been a nagging problem for over 50 years.We have few intel resources on it.Unfortunately, we sent our leading emissary,Christopher Hill, to Iraq as ambassador. Now may be the time to resort to traditional bilateral diplomacy.FDR and Nixon found that the best way to deal with outstanding differences with key nations such as the USSR and China was to break the mold of non-recognition and pursue diplomatic relations.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008 Obama's Mishandling of the Intelligence Community (9 comments)
Thus far, Obama has provided no indication that he is serious about addressing the problems of militarization of the intelligence community and politicization and cover-up at the Central Intelligence Agency. As a result, when Hillary Clinton takes the reins of the State Department, she will soon find that she is up against a military establishment that is opposed to arms control and disarmament.
Monday, December 15, 2008 Obama's Weak National Security Team (1 comments)
President-elect Barack Obama's appointments demonstrate that his focus is on economic policy and that he is willing to put foreign policy on the backburner. His economic team is star-studded and clearly prepared to take on the economic challenges we face. His national security team is comprised of disparate individuals with world views at odds with each other and with Obama.
