Issue in Brief

what's up

The war on terror gave rise to a new kind of foe - the "enemy combatant." Not quite prisoners of war, but not run-of-the-mill criminals either, these "enemies" are being held in a legal limbo state - mostly at Guantanamo - that's causing strains in international relations and at-home politics.

The central debate of combatants is over the kind of trials and due process rights they are entitled too, but word of actions in Gitmo and at secret prisons have also kicked up a debate over torture.

Congress tried to smooth out the trial issue - by passing legislation in October 2006, but they left a trail of legal wrinkles in their wake. Not only were civil libertarians dissatisfied with the new rules for combatant tribunals, they also don't like the fuzzy line the administration drew between legit interrogation methods and torture - or that fact that enemy combatants lost their right to habeas corpus (that is, the right to go to court).

Facts

With the fall of the Soviet Union and the break down of traditional warfare, terrorism has become the international security threat of the 21st century. Terrorist groups have been around for a while, but 9-11 and other strikes of similar magnitude have made terrorism a major national security threat to countries worldwide.

Facts

There's no issue more on Americans' minds. Everyone wants to combat terrorism, but few agree on how. Defense funding, the PATRIOT Act, upped security around the country, new methods of gathering intelligence, revamping Homeland Security, the war in Afghanistan and intelligence leadership changes are all pieces in the combating terrorism puzzle.

What, exactly, is terrorism?

There's no universal definition, but a few working definitions are...