Emily Dyer, Fred Grandy, Jose Cardenas, and Bill Gertz

Research Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society EMILY DYER  discusses the findings of her newly released report "Al-Qaeda in the United States." Among the most prominent findings were statistics showing that over half of Al-Qaeda related offenses committed in the US were by citizens, over a third of whom were born in the country. This, and the fact that the majority were also either well educated or employed and not actually on the fringes of society, requires a need to change our perception of terrorists, argues Dyer. The trial of Sulaiman Abu Ghaith in Manhattan comes with a list of factors and serious implications.  Among them is the  inability to gain intelligence from him about his protection and harbouring by the Iranian regime.  That is an opportunity that would be afforded in a military tribunal in Guantanamo Bay.  The Center for Security Policy’s Senior Fellow for National Security Affairs, FRED GRANDY assesses these factors and weighs in on the would-have-been healthy national debate on drone policy. As the drama unfolds for in the wake of the death of Hugo Chavez, JOSE CARDENAS of Vision Americas walks us through the factions of the regime and elements of Cuban influence.  Will U.S. policy makers be able to grasp the state of play in a way that helps them avoid legitimating a legacy of oppression? Is the Asia Pivot cancelled? What has become of our nuclear arsenal and missile defense after the success of Russian diplomacy and the failure of the Reset?  BILL GERTZ of the Washington Times and the Washington Free Beacon covers an array of topics that are crucial "Inside the Ring."