Top ten most popular Lawfire posts in 2018, and more!

A very wide range of national and, really, international security issues confronted the U.S. and the world in 2018, and Lawfire^® readers got a unique perspective on many of them. Here are the top ten posts that most interested readers across the globe in 2018:

1.) Can Presidents ‘fire’ senior military officers? Generally, yes…but it’s complicated.

2.) No, we are not spending “as much on our military as all other countries combined” – and other facts about the defense budget you should know.

3.) What does the law say about putting troops on the border?

4.) Disasters and Emergencies: Legal authorities and the military’s role.

5.) Why we ought to have a military appreciation parade.

6.) Have Presidents ever given the military illegal orders? Yes; the surprising list…and more about the law of military orders.

7.) Yes, the attack on Syria was justifiable, and international law will benefit from it.

8.) Assessing the legal case for the use of force against North Korea: is “armistice law” a factor?

9.) Does the Constitution really require the military to induct everyone who wants to join?

10.) A Life Too Short Leaves a Lesson and Legacy.

Several of the above posts are actually from 2017 or earlier, but remained very popular in 2018. This is encouraging because to Lawfire^® aims to be a blog with ‘staying power’ with posts of long-term interest to you (and perhaps be a starting point for your own research).  Below are 18 of my favorite 2018 posts (in chronological order):  

• No, it isn’t illegal for troops to intervene if Customs and Border Protection personnel are being assaulted.

• Guest Post: BG Pat Huston on “Future War and Future Law”.

• Matthew Whitaker and the ‘Ginsburg Precedent’.

• Six ideas to help move past hate, divisiveness, and tragedy.

• What would the children have said?

• Drones: are we seeing the dawn of a new and threatening era? (Yes!)

• What are JAGs (with Duke Law connections!) doing in Afghanistan? Reviewing $1 billion in requirements and much more

• The wrong reasons to oppose Gina Haspel’s nomination as CIA Director

• Let’s temper the rhetoric about civil-military relations.

• Guest Post: ML Cavanaugh on “What will make great generalship in 2030?”

• Why companies should not sign the “Cybersecurity Tech Accord”

• Do the Syria strikes herald a new norm of international law?

• Servicemembers and public debates: Ideas for navigating today’s rocky political environment

• Does the Constitution permit the death penalty for “kingpin” opioid drug dealers?

• Is Bitcoin targetable?

• Why we should add more “car control” to “gun control” to save teens.

• Should we be asking questions about the retired admirals’ and generals’ “foreign aid” letter?

• The “Bloody Nose” strategy debate: why it’s more complicated than some think.

What topics will be covered in 2019?  Subscribe to Lawfire^® and make sure you don’t miss anything!!!  Joining the Lawfire^® family is a 2019 resolution you can make happen right now!

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All the best to you for the New Year!