Brookings: Latest From Brookings

The Jobs Report for January 2010

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:05:00 GMT

The Bureau of Labor Statistics employment report for January contains mixed signals about the job market’s emergence from the recession. The household survey showed a sizeable drop in unemployment. Gary Burtless believes that the fall in unemployment cannot be explained by a rise in the number of discouraged workers or any further decline in the labor force participation rate.

Javier Solana, Former NATO Secretary General and European Foreign Policy Chief, Joins Brookings

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:46:00 GMT

Javier Solana, former secretary general of NATO, European Union high representative for common foreign and security policy and secretary-general of the Council of the European Union, is joining Brookings as a distinguished senior fellow, Brookings President Strobe Talbott announced.

Fractionalized, Armed and Lethal: Why Somalia Matters

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:10:00 GMT

Because of its fragile nature and the fact that it is small and poor, Somalia has been grossly underestimated in its capacity to destabilize its surrounding region and to engage in extremely costly activities to the international community. At present, there are no well-coordinated international efforts to rebuild this state. Yet this country—or better yet, its various factions—possesses the potential to inflict major global damage, and could be the next hotbed for international terrorism.

The Courts' Shifting Rules on Guantánamo Detainees

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:29:00 GMT

President Obama's decision not to seek additional legislative authority for Guantánamo detentions, along with Congress's lack of interest in taking on the subject, means that judges must write the rules governing military detentions of terrorist suspects, write Benjamin Wittes and Robert Chesney. The result is that a detainee's likelihood of prevailing in his habeas suit will be largely a function of which judge hears his case.

Go Negative: Fighting Al Qaeda in Pakistan

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:07:00 GMT

In recent Hill testimony, directors of U.S. intelligence agencies stated a new terrorist attack against the United States is possible in the next six months. Although groups like al Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula are rightly claiming the attention of U.S. national security officials, Dan Byman argues that Pakistan remains the locus of terrorist activity and that any solutions have to begin there.

Disrupt Al Qaeda's Core

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:56:00 GMT

In recent Hill testimony, directors of U.S. intelligence agencies stated a new terrorist attack against the United States is possible in the next six months. In response to this forecast, Bruce Riedel explains why the Obama administration should increase pressure on al Qaeda's core in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Yemen.

Budget 2011: Driving Innovation Despite the Budget Cap

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:49:00 GMT

Mark Muro examines President Obama's proposed innovation investments in the federal budget, and finds that though the top-line numbers are lacking, the budget would provide a major increase to civilian research and development. Muro writes that these investments could lead to technology will be a key part of creating jobs and increasing American energy independence.