It was an era in which lawmakers and office holders learned that imprecision could actually work to their benefit to allow them to do what they wanted to because there was unclear codification in the law. And so yes, everybody talks about, we have to revise this law or get rid of this law or replace this law. But I want to say, it's not about that. It's about what constitutes a legitimately written, voted upon law. And I think that's something we still haven't countered since 9/11.

Karen Greenberg

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a brief primer on the War on Terror here.

Karen Greenberg is the director of the Center on National Security at Fordham Law, a fellow at New America, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Her new book is Subtle Tools: The Dismantling of American Democracy from the War on Terror to Donald Trump.

Key Highlights Include

• The origin of the AUMF and the Department of Homeland Security
• Karen Greenberg describes the subtle tools
• The link between the War on Terror and President Trump
• How will history view the 2020 election
• Is the United States an illiberal democracy?

Key Links

Subtle Tools: The Dismantling of American Democracy from the War on Terror to Donald Trump by Karen Greenberg

Vital Interests Podcast with Karen Greenberg

Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter @KarenGreenberg3

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