As the Obama administration heightens military and humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, a new briefing paper links the success of national reconstruction to maintaining a demonstrable separation between humanitarian groups and the military. Presenting information collected over several years, Afghanistan: Humanitarianism Under Threat, written by Antonio Donini of the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University, calls for swift action to prevent the misperceptions of local populations that result in violence toward aid workers and volunteers who are working for their benefit.

On March 28, 2009, the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment heard from law enforcement officials and advocacy group leaders about developing an effective domestic intelligence sharing network to prevent terror while building privacy and civil liberties protections into the system.

On March 23 the Obama administration announced appointment of three top Treasury officials: Neal Wolin as Deputy Secretary, Lael Brainard as undersecretary for international affairs, and Stuart Levey to continue as undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. The Levey appointment raises concerns about possible continuation of Treasury's hostile policies toward charities during the Bush administration.

The only remaining case challenging warrantless wiretapping during the Bush administration, Al-Haramain v. Bush, has survived another attempt by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to have it dismissed because it claims key evidence cannot be used without threatening national security. On Feb. 27, 2009 the U.S. Court of the Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected DOJ's request to stay a Jan.