Obama’s Shadow Wars

Missile-wielding drones and elite Special Forces units are the new face of American power, and the White House is increasingly relying on them to fight terror in the farthest corners of the globe.

MARCH/APRIL 2012

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which finds most of its safe havens in Yemen, has evolved into arguably the most deadly of the infamous terrorist organization's "franchises." As a result, U.S. policy toward Yemen is viewed almost exclusively through the prism of counterterrorism.

Here, U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, Navy Adm. Eric Olson, and Air Force Gen. Duncan McNabb prepare to testify during a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee March 17, 2010, in Washington. Petraeus, now the CIA director, addressed U.S. efforts in Yemen, Pakistan, and the creation of a "Cyber Command" to defend the United States from computer attack.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images