What We're Reading

Hello Lawfare Patreon Subscribers,

Here is what we’re reading this week:

Editor in Chief Benjamin Wittes strongly recommends Adam Klein’s latest piece for Lawfare, “What I Found in 19 FISA Applications.”

Executive Editor Scott R. Anderson read Ronan Farrow's detailed account in the most recent issue of The New Yorker of the beleaguered state of the State Department in the wake of the Trump administration. As it was his first Father's Day as a father, Anderson also listened to the New York Times podcast of Nicholas Casey's incredibly touching 2018 article New York Times Magazine article about his idiosyncratic relationship with his own largely absent father and how it affected his intellectual development and sense of identity.

Chief Operating Officer David Priess has focused before on the ways, fair and foul, that presidents have been removed from office. So, naturally, he is now enjoying the new book “Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service” by Carol Leonig. Stay tuned to the Lawfare Podcast in the coming weeks for David's in-depth discussion with Carol about the protection around the president—and the persistent problems with the institution primarily responsible for it—in an episode that Lawfare's Patreon supporters will be able to listen to ad-free.

As senators negotiate over whether or how to move forward with HR1, Senior Editor Quinta Jurecic is thinking about this proposal in Wired by J. Scott Babwah Brennan and Matt Perault to rescue a provision buried deep in the original bill: criminalizing voter suppression, which Brennan and Perault argue would be "the first US federal law to include criminal penalties for spreading misinformation online." She also recommends The New Yorker's archive of writing by Janet Malcolm, the legendary writer who died this past week and whose sharp and unsparing work is justly famous among journalists.

Contributing Editor Alan Rozenshtein has been listening to a fantastic history of the fall of the Assyrian empire.

Managing Editor Jacob Schulz is reading Quinta Jurecic's 2019 Lawfare piece about news outlets publishing leaked explicit pictures of then-Congresswoman Katie Hill. There's been another incident of a news outlet publishing explicit material of a political figure, and Quinta's piece remains an excellent guide to thinking about the troubling dynamic.

Fellow in Cybersecurity Law Alvaro Marañon is reading a New Yorker story that describes the process of negotiating with ransomware hackers and how this criminal industry has both changed and evolved over the years.

Associate Editor Rohini Kurup is reading this article in Slate, adapted from an episode of the new season of Slow Burn (the subject of an episode of the Lawfare Podcast), about the chaotic run-up to Colin Powell’s infamous 2003 speech to the U.N. where he presented the Bush administration’s rationale for war in Iraq based on sketchy evidence. She is also reading this investigative story in the AP about military firearms that were lost or stolen in 2010, some of which resurfaced in violent crimes.

Associate Editor Bryce Klehm is reading Peter Martin’s new book on the history of China’s diplomatic corps, “China’s Civilian Army: The Making of Wolf Warrior Diplomacy.” The book covers the development of China’s Foreign Ministry since 1949 and explains the historical roots of the diplomats’ sometimes oddly aggressive behavior.

Lawfare’s Quote of the Week

From “Sexual Violence and the War in Tigray” by Hilary Matfess: "As researchers and activists continue to document and analyze sexual violence in Tigray, it is important to bear in mind that sexual violence in war is a wrenching development, not an inevitable one, and that the collection of evidence and testimonies is an important part of holding responsible parties accountable."

From the Lawfare Vault

July 26, 2018: “Treaties and Irrelevance: Understanding Iran’s Suit Against the U.S. for Reimposing Nuclear Sanctions,” by Elena Chachko

June 7, 2018: “Congress Should Oversee America’s Wars, Not Just Authorize Them,” by Richard Fontaine and Vance Serchuk

Thank you for reading!