Summary: Stratfor reports on Trump’s new strategy for the Afghanistan War, showing its low odds of success. It’s a follow-up to my post Why Trump’s plan for Afghanistan will fail. How many US troops will die or be crippled trying to make this doomed plan work? “The United States Sets Its Sights Beyond Afghanistan” Stratfor, 22 August …
Summary: Trump has announced his new strategy for Afghanistan. It got bipartisan applause, except from those who want even larger escalation. Here are the reasons why it will fail. How pitiful that we have learned so little after 16 years of war. This failure to learn is among the worst of our weaknesses, able to offset the …
Summary: Martin van Creveld warns Trump against taking his generals’ advice and invading Syria, repeating Obama’s mistakes in Iraq and Afghanistan. History show that his odds of success are low. “Are You Listening, President Trump?” By Martin van Creveld. From his website, 16 March 2017. Re-posted with his generous permission. Fifty-six years ago, President Kennedy …
Martin van Creveld advises Trump to not repeat Obama’s errors & invade Syria Read More »
Summary: While we begin a new round of wars we still learn about dark aspects of the first round. For example, that psychologists assisted the US torture program in addition to the doctors and attorneys who participated. A book by David Price looks at another group violating their professional standards in join our wars — anthropologists …
Learning from our failure at weaponizing anthropology Read More »
Summary: During the past decade we have deployed our most skilled warriors and most advanced technology in an assassination program with few precedents in history. Result: the Middle East in flames and our foes resurgent. I and others predicted this, the natural result of putting the force of evolution to work for our foes. It’s …
Darwin explains the futility of killing insurgents. It makes them more effective. Read More »
