Summary: It’s possible to see the true condition of the Af-Pak War, if one puts together the pieces. The resulting picture is not pretty. (1) Facts: “‘Still a long way to go’ for U.S. operation in Marja, Afghanistan“, Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Washington Post, 10 June 2010 — The opening tells the story; the rest of the …
Summary: the McChrystal’s Assesment consists of layers of absurdity, piled high. Future generations will study it as a prime example of early 21st century madness, when such a thing was taken seriously. Essentials of the McChrystal’s Initial Commander’s Assessment of the Af-Pak War, released 30 August 2009. Amnesia is the essential requirement The key strategic element …
Let’s blow the fog away and see what General McChrystal really said Read More »
I enjoyed Ian Fleming’s books about James Bond, and some of the movies too (esp. Casino Royale). But should we base our geopolitical strategyon fielding teams of “00” agents (and special operators) to kill our enemies? Will this make us safer, or make more likely what we most wish to avoid? Consider this: Many (most?) nations …
James Bond is not just our hero, but the model for our geopolitical strategy Read More »
They do this so well, running long-term information operations to deceive America. This drama, written by the US Department of Defense, comes to you in two acts: Convincing the marks The truth comes out, long after nobody cares Running a successful democratic republic requires that we pay attention — better than we do today. Act I: …
Psywar, a core skill of the US Military (used most often on us) Read More »
(#9 in a series)  The recent events in Basra provide a test, allowing comparison of a war blogger’s analysis vs. that of experts. The previous post showed Bill Roggio’s view of the Basra fighting (as a sample of war-bloggers’ reporting). This post looks at both mainstream reporting and expert analysis. In the next few days or …
Experts’ views about the recent fighting in Basra Read More »
