Defense and National Security: Terrorism & Homeland Security 
Recommended
Osama bin Laden is Dead
This is perhaps the best news Americans have recently heard. Commenting on the issue, Cato Director of Foreign Policy Studies Christopher Preble notes that, on the broader scale, this event allows closure for thousands of Americans. And on the smaller scale, "The details should remind us that some of the most effective counterterrorism techniques do not rely on tens of thousands of troops stationed indefinitely in distant lands." While bin Laden's death will not end terrorism or costly outlays for U.S. military, Preble calls for hope that it might allow U.S. counterterrorism strategy to evolve, better balancing "American security with the need to preserve our essential rights and liberties."
Balancing Liberty and Security in an Age of Terrorism
Cato On Campus will be kicking off the school year with another fantastic speaker series with support from area universities. The D.C. Forum for Freedom will begin its series of monthly events on September 24th, addressing Balancing Liberty and Security in an Age of Terrorism. Students from around D.C. are invited to attend the forum held at the Cato Institute, and students from around the world are invited to attend online. The forum will begin at 4pm (EST) and will be followed by a reception with scholars, students, and other young professionals.
Interested parties must register with the Cato institute to attend the free event.
Why Not Allowing Guns is Bad Policy
Reason editor Jacob Sullum discusses the recent murderous attack at Fort Hood military base by a renegade soldier. Guns are restricted at the base, as is the policy at most US-based military posts. Sullum contents that this policy allowed the attack to be more deadly than it would have been if other soldiers had their weapons and if Nidal Malik Hasan, the attacker, feared he would face resistance. At many highly vulnerable locations guns are regularly restricted, such as at schools, universities and shopping malls; however, as Sullum notes, these often serve as ideal targets for violent attacks because "crazed killers tend not to follow such rules."
Dick Cheney Is Becoming Obama's Enabler
In a recent op-ed, Cato Vice President Gene Healy discusses the recent tour of former Vice President Dick Cheney and writes: "Whatever you think the right policy is regarding enemy combatants, warrantless wiretapping, and "enhanced interrogation," the differences between Obama and Bush are far more stylistic than substantive."
Ilya Shapiro: "Libel Tourism: The Next Front in the War on Terror"
Who: Ilya Shapiro What: Speech on "Libel Tourism: The Next Front in the War on Terror" Where: University of Louisville, Brandeis School of Law Host: The University of Louisville Law Review
Ilya Shapiro: "Libel Tourism: The Next Front in the War on Terror"
Where: North Coast, CA Host: North Coast Federalist Society Lawyers Chapter
Be Wary of Using Military as Police
Cato Vice President, Gene Healy, and Research Fellow in Defense and Homeland Security Studies, Benjamin Friedman, discuss the implications of the Pentagon assigning "active-duty troops to a homeland defense mission" for the first time ever in U.S. history.