Summary: Amidst the mad cries for reprisals to the Paris attacks, cries for a wider war and more bloodshed, a few voices speak rationally about the causes of the attacks, our foe’s reasoning, and likely ways to end (rather than expand) the war. This essay by Ahmed Rashid is one of the best I’ve seen. …
Ahmed Rashid explains why ISIS attacked Paris & where they learned to do so Read More »
Summary: As we slide deeper into the Long War with Islam, blindly, urged on by ignorant voices, we do so against the advice of experts like Ahmed Rashid. Here he tells us about ISIS, their origins and their goals. He explains what were doing wrong, and recommends a better course. (First of 2 posts today) …
What the US doesn’t understand about ISIS, & must learn soon Read More »
Summary: Even the war’s supporters paint a gloomy picture of the current situation. Post by Don Vandergriff. Obama’s presidency is now being defined by four intractable problems: Persistent High Unemployment due to the intractable Great Recession a Financial Giveaway that protected rich Wall Street bankers at the expense of the masses who are suffering economically …
Today’s post examines advice to us from historian Steven Pressfield: “The real enemy in Afghanistan isn’t Islamism or jihadism. It’s tribalism. … Can we Westerners impose ‘citizen values’ on a tribal society?” (from his website) Some people say our real enemy in Afghanistan is their religion. Pressfield says our enemy is their form of society. Both sides agree that they cannot …
Advice about our long war – “It’s the tribes, stupid” Read More »
