FM newswire for July 19, interesting articles about geopolitics

Today’s links to interesting news and analysis. If you find this useful, please pass it to friends and colleagues.

Recommended: absurdity of this History Channel series about “WWII”
Preparing for peak oil: “Sustainable Energy Security: Strategic Risks and Opportunities for Business“, Chatham House, June 2010
If this continues, we must go to code red: “Trending Toward Deflation“, Paul Krugman, blog of the New York Times, 11 July 2010
“How Iran Can Build a Bomb. It’s harder — and more time-consuming — than you’d think“, Joseph Cirincione and Elise Connor, Foreign Policy, 1 July 2010
Today’s news media madness: “WSJ Tries to Tie Farmers to Bank Reform, Fails“, Ryan Chittum, Columbia Journalism Review, 14 July 2010 — Silly article title; these disinformation efforts always have an incremental effect.
Be very afraid: “When an entire political party moves to Bizarro World“, Steve Benen, Washington Times, 14 July 2010
Making up numbers to feed our fears: “Seduction, Slavery and Sex“, Nicholas D. Kristof, op-ed in the New York Times, 14 July 2010 — From 4 examples, he extrapolated to hundreds of thousands of child prostitutes (citing unnamed studies).
We’ll crash because many Americans no longer understand simple math: “Carter, Reagan, Revenue“, Paul Krugman, blog of the New York Times, 15 July 2010 — The Reagan tax cuts reduced Federal revenue.
Long-warned effects of our long war: “‘Scary’ growth of gangs in war zones“, Chicago Sun-Times, 18 July 2010 — “Chicago cop who served in Afghanistan and Iraq has warning: Gang members are coming home with military training”
More making up numbers to feed our fears, to support our wars: “Counting al Qaeda – Leon Panetta’s numbers aren’t to be trusted“, Bill Roggio and Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Weekly Standard, 19 July 2010 — Every rumor and guess gets marked up as a reliable estimate. In the absence of a real organization to fight, our goal should be everyone “loyal to al Qaeda” must die.
“End of the Establishment – Where have all the serious Republicans gone?“, Jacob Heilbrunn, Foreign Policy, July/August 2010

Today’s feature: the Pentagon brass work 24-7 to make our Navy more effective

(12) “Navy takes aid on sex assaults”, Marine Corps Times, 26 July 2010 — Under the guise of reducing the number of sexual assaults, feminists in the Navy implement unrelated policy measures.

Sailors face a handful of policy changes as the Navy continues its crackdown on sexual assaults. Among the changes: Bystanders will be held accountable for not stopping an assault, and base visits by scantily clad cheerleaders will be more closely scrutinized.

“We’ve raised the bar of intolerance,” said Rear Adm Dan Holloway, director of manpower, personnel, training and education for the chief of naval personnel. A March 16 Defense Department report said sexual assaults involving service members rose by 11% in fiscal 2009.

Beginning in January, all of the sexual assault prevention and response program definitions and reporting requirements will be on advancement exams, and sailors will be taught to intervene safely and early to defuse tense situations.

At the 23rd annual Women’s Leadership Symposium, held June 2-3 in Washington, many Navy women voiced their displeasure with base visits by and photo ops with “cheerleaders and Hooters girls.” “If you are going to have someone come on the base for a photo opportunity that in any way, shape or form degrades young women, that needs to be kept off base,” Holloway said.

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