American policy makers have failed to implement this strategy outside of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The result has been a growing threat from the Gulf of Aden region, where two of al Qaeda’s franchises—al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Yemen and al Shabaab in Somalia—have established safe havens. (INCLUDES VIDEO)

The new government in Yemen has extracted several of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s cronies from the country’s power structure, including demotion of Saleh’s half-brother Mohammed al Ahmar and nephew Tareq Mohammed Saleh, the former heads of the Air Force and Presidential Guard, respectively.

Yemenis voted on Tuesday February 21st, and after thirty-three years of authoritarian rule, Ali Abdullah Saleh was replaced as head of state by current Vice President Abdurabu Mansur Hadi. It remains to be seen whether the winner of this one-man contest will cooperate with the United States on counter-terrorism.

Ahead of their next debate November 22, the Republican presidential candidates are getting executive briefings on hot-button foreign policy and national security issues. But you don’t have to run for president to get a speed-read.

In failing to describe the context in which African Union forces operate, a recent Washington Post article misrepresented their brave efforts to respond to attacks by al-Shabab.

The region's ability to police its own waters can come only after governments in the region have stabilized, are capable of managing militaries, and are able to fight piracy.

At this event, panelists discussed Al Qaeda's expansion beyond Afghanistan and Pakistan and the growing threat to the United States.

Tension between Iran and the United States flared on December 28, 2011, when Habibollah Sayyari, commander of Iran’s navy, threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, the 34-mile-wide passage through which more than one-third of the world’s oil tanker traffic travels.