Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-Va.) has long been on almost everyone's short list for the Republican vice presidential nomination. But now McDonnell's national security credentials have come into question, thanks to his mishandling of a bill passed by the Virginia General Assembly.

Prohibiting their bond trading will seriously weaken banks and the markets that banks supply with liquidity.

A terror attack assembly line manages would-be terrorists from the time they are recruited until days before they execute an attack, and al Qaeda and its affiliates, such as the Pakistani Taliban, depend on safe havens abroad to operate this assembly line.

President Obama’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops is the mother of all disasters.

Pakistani demands to suspend the drone campaign and curtail the presence of American operatives in Pakistan will degrade U.S. efforts in the region. The end result is likely to reflect the fact that neither side possesses a viable alternative to begrudging cooperation.

Defeating al Qaeda in Yemen cannot be achieved solely through the removal of its top leadership. Conditions in Yemen, even before the outbreak of the Arab Spring, are favorable for al Qaeda’s operations. Ten years after 9/11, al Qaeda in Yemen is stronger and perhaps better positioned to attack the United States.

In the wake of the recent events in Afghanistan, sentiment is growing to speed the U.S. military exit. Half of the American people now want to get out faster, and Obama administration officials are reportedly debating doing just that. Which raises a critical question: What would happen if we pulled out of Afghanistan?

Panelists discussed an AEI Critical Threats Project report, "Al Qaeda's Operating Environments: A New Approach to the War on Terror," which assesses the different environments where al Qaeda and its franchises operate and their importance to developing a comprehensive US strategy for winning the war on terror.