Summary: It has been five months since the fighting in Basra, which I described as a test of the accuracy of US-based experts vs. on-the-scene war bloggers. Who did a better job of reporting and analysis? My preliminary scoring suggested a clear win for the war-bloggers (see here and here). Here we give a final …
Summary: Here are two stories about Iraq. One by Ralph Peters, which says we are winning. One by Gary Brecher, which says we are losing. Can anyone tell us which is correct? Ralph Peters writes “Success in Iraq: a Media Blackout“, New York Post (20 May 2008) — Excerpt: Do we still have troops in …
Two stories about Basra and Sadr City – you decide who is winning Read More »
“After the Iraqi Offensive“, An address by Colonel H. R. McMaster (US Army), sponsored by the American Enterprise Institute (13 May 2008). Reported in the Army Times: “O-6: No question about Iran role in violence” (14 May 2008) – Excerpt: McMaster also said that the Iraqi thwarting of the recent uprising in Basra, which officials have …
English-language sources have reported little about Basra since the fighting burned down, but what little I see supports the war-bloggers’ narrative more than that of the US-based area experts. That is, the fighting does appear to have strengthened the position of the central government vs. al Sadar’s Mahdi Army. This article strongly supports this theory, …
Here is a comment from Bill Roggio about these posts about war bloggers, posted with his permission. The series you have run here is valuable. I am very interested in seeing how this plays out. I certainly appreciate both the tone and nature of your postings, and your willingness to have a civil and productive …
Bill Roggio comments on this series about “war bloggers” Read More »
