Rowan Scarborough
Articles by Rowan Scarborough
U.S. leaving Mosul reconstruction to Iraq — potentially creating opening for Iran
The U.S. spent more than $160 billion to rebuild war-wrecked Iraq and Afghanistan, but there appears to be little appetite in Washington to fund a third big reconstruction era for Iraq's ongoing second war. Published November 6, 2016
Radical Islamic jihadists weigh in on U.S. presidential election: They hate both candidates
The two presidential contenders suffer through low approval ratings not only from Americans but also from jihadis. Published November 1, 2016
Judge orders Army to include Palantir in reboot of battlefield intelligence system
Palantir founder Peter Thiel won a battle with the Army when a federal judge ruled it improperly excluded his computer data system from consideration for a new multimillion-dollar contract. Published October 31, 2016
Election poll accuracy in doubt with disparity, outdated methodology
What a difference four years, and perhaps Republican Donald Trump, make. National polls are anything but uniform. Perhaps this disparity was signaled in 2014, when pollsters badly missed in a number of key races by undercounting Republican voters. Published October 30, 2016
Hillary Clinton scandals, FBI ‘politicization’ date back to first lady tenure
Hillary Clinton remains embroiled in email and pay-for-play scandals from her days as secretary of state, but as first lady she also fell into questionable behavior that dogged her husband's first term. Published October 27, 2016
Hillary Clinton embraces George Soros’ ‘radical’ vision of open-border world
Hillary Clinton has aligned herself closely with a vision for America laid out by her benefactor -- left-wing financier George Soros, who talks of "international governance," more open borders, increased Muslim immigration and diminished U.S. global power. Published October 20, 2016
Obama administration sues Peter Thiel; Palantir; conservatives see political reprisal
A bitter struggle between an innovative Silicon Valley software inventor and the Army has shifted from the raging battlefields of Afghanistan to a sedate federal claims court in Washington. Published October 16, 2016
Colin Powell hacked emails packed with political gossip, pop culture banter
The Colin Powell chronicles capture Washington for all it has to offer a retired general, statesman and esteemed member of the ruling class. Published October 13, 2016
9/11 law sparks intense Saudi media backlash
Saudi Arabia's state-controlled media have launched an intense rash of news articles against the United States and the new federal law that allows Americans to sue Riyadh over the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Published October 11, 2016
Marc Turi’s charges dropped in Libya weapons scheme
Whether there is another chapter to tell in the Hillary Clinton-Benghazi chronicles vanished this week in a U.S. District Court in Arizona. Published October 5, 2016
Israel nuclear arsenal estimate was high
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell's recently disclosed estimate that Israel owns 200 nuclear weapons has triggered new interest in the Jewish state's ultimate war plan. Published October 2, 2016
Veterans facing hostility in federal workplace
An Iranian-designed bomb on a route south of Baghdad shattered Patrick Hanley's arm, skull and life on March 29, 2008, sending the Army soldier to shifting addresses on a grueling tour of military hospitals and mental health centers that strive to make service members whole again. Published October 2, 2016
Homegrown terrorists to target concerts, sporting events, DHS warns
The nation's top counterterrorism official testified Tuesday that the world's army of terrorists is "broader, wider and deeper than any point since 9/11," the day al Qaeda attacked America. Published September 27, 2016
Pentagon’s top brass explores Islamic ideology’s ties to terror behind the scenes
U.S. Special Operations Command has privately pressed the staff of the nation's highest-ranking military officer to include in his upcoming National Military Strategy a discussion of the Sunni Muslim ideology underpinning the brutality of the Islamic State group and al Qaeda. Published September 25, 2016
Obama wary of generals, admirals commanding in war
As the four armed forces chiefs testified in the Senate about the national security dangers of mandated budget caps, Sen. Lindsey Graham asked each officer if he had discussed the readiness crisis with President Obama. Published September 18, 2016
Marine Corps’ top brass in Washington silences ‘women in combat’ dissenters
Marine Corps headquarters has sent out a Communications Playbook that says top brass in Washington, not local public affairs officers, will control press statements about women in combat. Published September 15, 2016
Obama administration micromanagement hamstrings air command in ISIS fight
The monthly scorecards issued by U.S. Central Command's Air Force component illustrate how carefully — critics would say how inadequately -- the White House oversees the air war against the Islamic State. Published September 13, 2016
Obama launches first cyberwar against ISIS, cuts recruiting by 75 percent
The Obama administration has launched the first cyberwar against the Islamic State, a war that, coupled with real, not virtual, fighting, is producing one of the most encouraging on-the-ground successes in the conflict -- sharply cutting into the number of foreign fighters sneaking into Syria to join the group's terrorist army and its so-called Islamic caliphate. Published September 12, 2016
Islamic State propaganda machine exposed by MEMRI
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) has carved out a reputation as the premier tracker and exposer of jihadi social media regularly released by various Islamic State media companies. What MEMRI finds is a constant daily drumbeat of Islamic State propaganda. Published September 12, 2016
U.S. special operations troops in ISIS fight frustrated with limited role
Special operations troops say they should be doing more in the war against the Islamic State group, complaining of strict rules of engagement and White House limits on troop numbers in Iraq and Syria. Published September 11, 2016