The Empty Chair at the Iraq Hearings – James Taylor, Washington Post
The Real Iraqi Miracle – Dean Barnett, Weekly Standard
Turkey’s Iraq Problem – David Phillips, Boston Globe
Iraq’s Next War – Daniel Pipes, Jerusalem Post
My Lost Year in Baghdad - Mokhtar Lamani, Ottawa Citizen
Afghanistan at the Brink – Roger Cohen, New York Times
OEF: The Japanese Navy Heads Home - Ayako Doi, Washington Post
Dangerous Cuba-Iran Kinship – Chris Simmons, Miami Herald
EU: From Payer to Player in Middle East - El - Hassan Bin Talal, Daily Star
Regression in Muslim Brotherhood's Platform? - Amr Hamzawy, Daily Star
Beyond Madrid, Terrorist Threat Remains – London Times editorial
Torture and the Attorneys General – New York Times editorial
Torture in the Senate – National Review editorial
Waterboarding is Torture - I Did It Myself – Leonard Doyle, The Independent
Mukasey's Black Magic on Torture – Rosa Brooks, Los Angeles Times
Dems and Torture: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall – Andrew McCarthy, National Review
Questioning Interrogation – Deroy Murdock, National Review
How to Try a Terrorist – John Coughenour, New York Times
Supreme Court Will Seal Pervez Musharraf’s Fate – Bronwen Maddox, London Times
Playing Sudan’s Game – New York Times editorial
Russia: Democracy Disinvited – Washington Post editorial
Russia: Memory, A Shield Against Terror – Boston Globe editorial
Gary Kasparov, Dissident – Daniel Henninger, Wall Street Journal
Argentina’s Presidential Transition – Jeremy Martin, Washington Times
UK: ‘The Kosher Conspiracy’ – Suzanne Fields, Washington Times
Nuclear India – Richard Halloran, Washington Times
The Meaning of Each Fold – Washington Times editorial
Beersheba’s Message – The Australian editorial

Continue reading "1 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

In the current issue of “Counterpunch”, anthropologist Dr. David Price continues his assault on social scientists assisting national efforts to succeed in Iraq and Afghanistan. This time he impugns the work of anthropologists who helped write Field Manual 3-24, the Counterinsurgency Field Manual that was published by the Army and Marine Corps in December 2006 and republished by the University of Chicago Press in July 2007.

Price’s essay is extensive, but the argument and the tone of the whole can be extrapolated from this paragraph on the first page:

Most academics know that bad things can happen when marginally skilled writers must produce ambitious amounts of writing in short time periods; sometimes the only resulting calamities are grammatical abominations, but in other instances the pressures to perform lead to shoddy academic practices. Neither of these outcomes is especially surprising among desperate people with limited skills-- but Petraeus and others leading the charge apparently did not worry about such trivialities: they had to crank out a new strategy to calm growing domestic anger at military failures in Iraq.

I will attempt to explain the motivation for the project that led to the writing of the Field Manual as I observed it, provide a few words explaining the process of writing doctrine, and then discuss the effects of the Counterinsurgency Field Manual in the field and on the American military. This is not an official response to Price’s essay, and I do not speak on behalf of the Army, General Petraeus, or any of the other members of the team that produced the Counterinsurgency Field Manual, but only for myself...

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See also a response to the response -- David Price's reply in Counterpunch. Published 3 Nov.

Continue reading "“Desperate People with Limited Skills”" »

In response to a SWJ e-mail concerning Dr. David Price’s recent Counterpunch article U.S. Army spokesman Major Tom McCuin:

As Lieutenant Colonel John Nagl stated:

Military Field Manuals have their own grammar and their own logic. They are not doctoral dissertations, designed to be read by few and judged largely for the quality of their sourcing; instead, they are intended for applied use by Soldiers. Thus authors are not named, and those whose scholarship informs the manual are only credited if they are quoted extensively.

The essential point to be made is that the messages contained in the manual are valid, regardless of any discussion of academic standards. Any argument over missing citations should in no way diminish the manual's utility in the current counterinsurgency fight. The emphasis on cultural understanding and increased reliance on non-lethal forms of engagement to achieve military goals represents a giant leap forward in U.S. military doctrine.

Unfortunately, Dr. Price has chosen to focus his disagreement with current American foreign policy on the Human Terrain System. Rather than accept the Army's several offers to enter in a reasoned dialogue on the merits – or lack of merits - of the role anthropologists can play in helping to reduce the use of lethal force to achieve military and political objectives, Dr. Price has chosen to wage a public and increasingly personal media campaign to discredit HTS and the dedicated social scientists associated with it.

The Human Terrain System is recognition of the fact that academic study and applied social science has practical uses, and those who have chosen to devote their time and efforts to exploring non-lethal alternatives to combat are making a vital contribution to the nation's efforts to secure a peaceful, stable and secure future for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan.

The long term by-product of their heroic efforts will be better informed military decisions that minimize casualties and suffering, and ultimately, optimized policy decision making within government that is harmonized with the ethical principles social science values the most.

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“Desperate People with Limited Skills” - LTC John Nagl, Small Wars Journal

Controversy: FM 3-24 Plagiarism "Scandal" – Abu Muqawama

More on 3-24 and the Vanguard of Revolution – Abu Muqawama

FM 3-24 “Scandal”: Nagl Responds – Abu Muqawama

Counterinsurgency Author Hits Back on "Plagiarism" - Danger Room (Wired)

A Surge in Plagiarism? - Harpers Magazine

Nagl Responds to Price - Savage Minds

Anthropologists and a True Culture War - Discuss at Small Wars Council

“Desperate People with Limited Skills” - Discuss at Small Wars Council

Continue reading "Army Response to Counterpunch" »

We interrupt our normally scheduled program on waterboarding and anthropology (1) to bring you this BBC piece concerning one of SWJ’s favorite counterinsurgency experts from down-under - David Kilcullen:

In a frank and outspoken interview, David Kilcullen, who has just become policy advisor to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, outlines his view of the conflict in Iraq and the future of the struggle with militant jihadism.

He tells the BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner that the coalition is achieving success by a radical change in its tactics in Iraq…

More at the link and this BBC article by Hugh Levinson.

Now back to our regularly scheduled program… (2)

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Endnotes:

(1) Everything ever written by everyone who ever wrote about anything.
(2) This information will not be used in the conduct of military operations, planning, wargaming, training, education or doctrine writing.

Continue reading "BREAK, BREAK…" »

How Iraq’s Elections Set Back Democracy - Ayad Allawi, New York Times
Hot Water for Blackwater – Mark Corallo, National Review
Don’t Blame Blackwater – R. J. Hillhouse, Christian Science Monitor
Iraq Media Coverage: “It’s Not the News” – Clifford May, National Review
Anti-war Movies Hurt America - Govindini Murty, New York Daily News
Taliban Bench Warmers – Christian Lowe, Weekly Standard
Who Wants to Kill Benazir Bhutto? - Robert Novak, Houston Chronicle
Diplomats, Pack Your Duffel Bags – Austin Bay, Washington Times
Iran: Carrots and Sticks – Cal Thomas, Washington Times
Europe Must Make Hard Choices on Iran - Timothy Ash, Guardian
Iran: Deterrence vs. Preemption in Collision – Zakaria and Podhoretz, The Australian
California’s New ‘Divest Iran’ Law - de Russy and Huessy, National Review
Bush's Daunting Warning on Terrorism – London Daily Telegraph editorial
The Real Madrid Bombers? - Thomas Joscelyn, Weekly Standard
Chasing Mideast Peace – Diana West, Washington Times
Glimmer of Hope in Africa – New York Times editorial
Mukasay and the Democrats – Wall Street Journal editorial
Mr. Mukasay and Torture – Washington Post editorial
Mukasay’s Fate Rests on Torture – USA Today editorial roundup
A Promising Senate Surveillance Plan - Los Angeles Times editorial
Sea Treaty Needs Safe Passage – Christian Science Monitor editorial

Continue reading "2 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

A good friend and mentor of mine and of the Small Wars Journal community of interest sent along a link to his latest article – Caution: Iraq is Not Vietnam by Ambassador David Passage.

This article appears in the November 2007 edition of Foreign Service Journal.

From the Introduction:

The CORDS Program could not have been
successful in today’s Iraq or Afghanistan.

Over the past year, President George W. Bush and other senior administration officials have on numerous occasions invoked the U.S. assistance program in South Vietnam as an experience that offers lessons for Iraq. Specifically, the Vietnam-era Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support program has frequently been held up as a model for the Provincial Reconstruction Teams currently operating in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The CORDS teams administered both security and development programs at the provincial and district levels in South Vietnam during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Like today’s PRTs, they comprised military and civilian personnel, the former always significantly outnumbering the latter. The civilians came primarily from the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development, augmented by a limited number of direct hires from other agencies (e.g., Commerce, Treasury and Agriculture). There were also a limited number of personnel whom USAID brought on board expressly for CORDS, with no promise of career employment beyond Vietnam.

Yet despite basic similarities and parallels between the CORDS teams and today’s PRTs, there are also important and sharp distinctions. Lest today’s policymakers be misled into assuming that the earlier experience can be replicated today, I believe it is vital to identify several critical differences that affect the Foreign Service’s ability to help Iraq and Afghanistan deal with their internal difficulties and emerge as functioning economies with democratic societies…

Much more and well worth the read.

Links contained within quoted text inserted by SWJ.

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Link

"Iraq is Not Vietnam" - The Belmont Club

Continue reading "Caution: Iraq is Not Vietnam" »

By Dan Green

To enable one country to appreciate what another people really thinks and desires is both the most difficult and the most vital task which confronts us. -- John Bagot Glubb, Britain and the Arabs: A Study of Fifty Years 1908-1958, (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1959), p. 147

As military units prepare for service in the Middle East, it is not uncommon for them to consult the published works of British military personnel and diplomats who played such a large role in the politics of the region in the 1910s to the 1930s. It is already customary for deployers to consult the works of T.E. Lawrence and Gertrude Bell and for those who have read more expansively, perhaps even the writings of Sir Alec Kirkbride, Sir Percy Cox, or even General Aylmer L. Haldane. Collectively, these various authors have taught our military personnel a great deal about working in the region, fighting alongside Arab irregulars, working with tribes, building governments, fostering development, and combating insurgents. The reason I’ve written this brief essay is to bring to your attention another great British soldier and diplomat, John Bagot Glubb, whose experience is as expansive if not more so than many of the aforementioned authors. His robust experience of thirty-six years in the great deserts and Bedouin tents of Iraq and Jordan greatly informs our current operations. I have written a brief biography of Glubb in order to familiarize the reader with his achievements and then compiled a collection of his observations, thoughts, and musings taken from his published writings about working with the Arab tribes, fighting guerillas, service to the nation, and on operating in the Middle East. Glubb’s views are as useful today as when he made them, incorporating them into our operations in the Middle East will greatly improve our chances for victory...

Continue reading "Glubb’s Guide to the Arab Tribes (Part 1)" »

The Petraeus Curve – London Times editorial
AFRICOM: The Next Frontier - Robert Kaplan, The Atlantic
Civilian Agencies: At War But Not War-Ready - Hans Binnendijk, Washington Post
The Disgrace at State - George Packer, The New Yorker
Diplomatic Infighting – Tammy Schultz, Washington Post
Linking Public Diplomacy With Policy – Los Angeles Times editorial
“War Stories”: A Healthy Dose of Reality – Victor Davis Hanson, National Review
Iran: Expect No World War III For Now – Dennis Jett, Miami Herald
OEF: Japan Exits Stage Left – New York Post editorial
That Promised Mideast Peace Conference – New York Times editorial
No Time to Give Up on Democracy – Liz Cheney, New York Post
Oil Prices Enriching the Enemy – Los Angeles Times editorial
When Terror Isn’t Terror – New York Post editorial
Honduras a Blueprint for Building Global Partnerships - Marco Cáceres, Miami Herald
Beacon of Hope in Kenya – James Martin, Washington Times
Britain Should Pay For Its Colonialism - Mukoma Wa Ngugi, Los Angeles Times
Hope and Progress in South Africa – Derrick Jackson, Boston Globe
Unbowed in Burma – Washington Post editorial
A Commonwealth for the New Century – London Daily Telegraph editorial
Are We Just a Satellite of the U.S.? – Matthew Parris, London Times
Mukasey Has my Vote - Dianne Feinstein, Los Angeles Times
The Campaign Against Mukasey – Rich Lowry, National Review
Tortured Logic – Mona Charen, National Review
LOST: A Sinkable Treaty – Wall Street Journal editorial

Continue reading "3 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

This morning’s London Times lead editorial – The Petraeus Curve - boldly goes where few “mainstream media” news outlets dare, stating flat out that serious success in Iraq is not being recognized as it should be.

Is no news good news or bad news? In Iraq, it seems good news is deemed no news. There has been striking success in the past few months in the attempt to improve security, defeat al-Qaeda sympathisers and create the political conditions in which a settlement between the Shia and the Sunni communities can be reached. This has not been an accident but the consequence of a strategy overseen by General David Petraeus in the past several months…

Moreover, The Times recognizes that the “surge” is much more than the number of boots on the ground – it is “what” they are doing that is showing results.

While summarised by the single word “surge” his efforts have not just been about putting more troops on the ground but also employing them in a more sophisticated manner. This drive has effectively broken whatever alliances might have been struck in the past by terrorist factions and aggrieved Sunnis. Cities such as Fallujah, once notorious centres of slaughter, have been transformed in a remarkable time…

Continuing, the editorial rightly cautions that this success does not necessarily guarantee that past difficulties are history.

A weakened al-Qaeda will be tempted to attempt more spectacular attacks to inflict substantial loss of life in an effort to prove that it remains in business. Although the tally of car bombings and improvised explosive devices has fallen back sharply, it would only take one blast directed at an especially large crowd or a holy site of unusual reverence for the headlines about impending civil war to be allowed another outing. The Government headed by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has become more proactive since the summer, but must immediately take advantage of these favourable conditions…

And in conclusion.

Politicians on both sides of the Atlantic have to appreciate that Iraq is no longer, as they thought, an exercise in damage limitation but one of making the most of an opportunity. The instinct of too many people is that if Iraq is going badly we should get out because it is going badly and if it is getting better we should get out because it is getting better. This is a catastrophic miscalculation. Iraq is getting better. That is good, not bad, news.

Related

Not Cricket - Jules Crittenden's Forward Movement

In Iraq, a Lull or Hopeful Trend? - Washington Post

Iraqi Civilian Deaths Plunge - Los Angeles Times

Deaths in Iraq 'Continue to Fall' - BBC

Continue reading "MSM Sign of the Times?" »

In his op-ed, Mr. Nance on waterboarding successfully squared the circle when he wrote: "I have personally led, witnessed and supervised waterboarding of hundreds of people. Waterboarding should never be used as an interrogation tool. It is beneath our values. Is there a place for the waterboard? Yes. It must go back to the realm of training our operatives, soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines."

This professional website is not the place to untangle Mr. Nance's eschatology. Waterboarding has become a tool of political gotcha that demeans serious discussion of the changing values underlying our operational approach to national security. It is politics, not morality, when senators vote their conscience along overwhelmingly party lines...

Continue reading "Waterboarding: A Tool of Political Gotcha" »

By Dan Green

To enable one country to appreciate what another people really thinks and desires is both the most difficult and the most vital task which confronts us. -- John Bagot Glubb, Britain and the Arabs: A Study of Fifty Years 1908-1958, (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1959), p. 147

Continue on to Part 2 of Glubb’s Guide to the Arab Tribes...

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Glubb’s Guide to the Arab Tribes (Part 1)

Meet Glubb - Jules Crittenden's Forward Movement

Continue reading "Glubb’s Guide to the Arab Tribes (Part 2)" »

Continue reading "Beersheba Sunday" »

'We Band of Brothers’ – Jennie Yabroff, Newsweek Magazine
Iraqi Parliament: Reconcilable Differences – Frederick Kagan, Weekly Standard
Congress’s Unused War Powers – George Will, Washington Post
Mideast: Talking the Talk - Arnaud de Borchgrave, Washington Times
Lessons From Failed Camp David Talks – Moshe Amirav, Daily Star
Peace Talks: Ignore the Spoilers – Naomi Chazan, Jerusalem Post
Noun + Verb + 9/11 + Iran = Democrats’ Defeat? - Frank Rich, New York Times
How to Rein in Iran Without War – Jim Hoagland, Washington Post
Attacking Iran Makes No Sense – Joseph Galloway, Miami Herald
Bellicose Bush Pushing Iran to Arms – Mark Bowden, Philadelphia Inquirer
The Future War on Terror – Oliver North, Washington Times
Iraq Assignment Divides Diplomatic Corps – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
Of Diplomats and Men - William Kristol and Dean Barnett, Weekly Standard
Public Diplomacy: Selling America – New York Times editorial
End of the Karen Hughes Era – Stephen Hayes, Weekly Standard
Orwell Matters – Los Angeles Times commentary series
Rice: Why Her Dreams Crashed – Fred Kaplan, Washington Post
David Miliband and King Abdullah II – Rod Liddle, London Times
A Lesson on Muslim View – Jonathan Last, Philadelphia Inquirer
Britain’s Love Affair with the Saudi Kingdom – Jemima Khan, London Daily Telegraph
Pakistan’s State of Emergency – Washington Post editorial
Bhutto May Regret Bargain with Musharraf - Pramit Pal Chaudhuri, Daily Star
India’s New Untouchables - Asra Nomani, Washington Post
What Burma Must Fear – U Gambira, Washington Post
Appease the Druse – Gil Sedan, Jerusalem Post
Cuba: My Father’s ‘Crime’ - Yan Valdes Morejon, Boston Globe
A Hero in Castro’s Gulag – Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe
Colombia: Time to Trade - Barbara Bowie-Whitman, Washington Times
The Perils of Petrocracy – Tina Rosenberg, New York Times
Two for Mukasey – Washington Post editorial
Drowning in Questions - Dan Ephron and Michael Isikoff, Newsweek Magazine
Tortured Justice – Linda Chavez, Washington Times
Waterboarding Used to be Illegal – Evan Wallach, Washington Post
Harper Blurs Canada’s Global Image – Gordon Barthos, Toronto Star
The Globe, Politically Corrected - Geoffrey Wheatcroft, Washington Post
Compensate our Soldiers – London Times editorial
Immunity for Wiretap Assistance is Right Call – Lee Hamilton, Baltimore Sun

Continue reading "4 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Abu Muqawama; a blog dedicated to issues related to contemporary insurgencies, and counterinsurgency tactics and strategy; spins off from their recent COIN Reading List post with a new feature titled COIN Book Club. AB’s first pick is a good one, David Galula’s Counterinsurgency Warfare: Theory and Practice.

This slim volume has probably had more effect on the way in which Abu Muqawama views counterinsurgency warfare than any other book or article. FM 3-24 is great doctrine, but Galula gives his reader a feel for counterinsurgency warfare in a way the field manual does not. It is also very short, and to-the-point. Which is why, over the past few years, Abu Muqawama has taken to mailing photocopies of this book to friends in the field. One friend, an infantry company commander outside of Baghdad, read the book a little over a year ago while deployed to Iraq and had this to say:

Just finished reading Galula's book. What a great read! It's so common sense, so right, so easy to understand, it begs the questions: Why haven't I heard of it before, and Why aren't they teaching this stuff at the Advanced Course?

Bernard Fall; author of Street Without Joy and prominent war correspondent, historian, political scientist, and expert on insurgencies and COIN; called Counterinsurgecy Warfare the best "how-to" guide.

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "Abu Muqawama Says: Read Galula" »

Pakistan Emergency - Wall Street Journal editorial
Musharraf's Latest Coup - Washington Times editorial
Crackdown in Pakistan Leaves U.S. in Quandary - USA Today editorial
Pakistan in Peril – London Times editorial
Terror in Pakistan – The Australian editorial
Pakistan: Desperate Act of Weak and Rattled President – The Independent editorial
A Second Coup in Pakistan - Ahmed Rashid, Washington Post
Pakistan: When an Anti-Terror Ally Fails – Christian Science Monitor editorial
Pakistan, The Heart of a Global Crisis – William Ress-Mogg, London Times
Musharraf’s Mini-Martial Law – Ali Eteraz, Guardian
Pakistan: A Plea for Moderation - Noreen Ahmed-Ullah, Chicago Tribune
Musharraf Has Lost His Marbles - Asma Jahangir, The Independent
Legal Loopholes in Iraq - New York Times editorial
This Won’t be the Iraq Election – Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek Magazine
Is Maliki's Corruption Worth American Lives? - Henry Waxman, Los Angeles Times
Turkey Under Fire - Washington Times editorial
Turkish Threat - Boston Globe editorial
Turks and Kurds – David Warren, Real Clear Politics
Kurdistan's Hope for Talks - Nechirvan Barzani, Washington Post
Turk-Kurd Turmoil Tripwires - Kenneth Timmerman, Washington Times
The Future of U.S.-Turkey Relationship – Bilal Cetin, Turkish Press
Lessons From Turkey’s Strife – Nicole Abadee, Canberra Times
Crisis in Turkey Only About PKK? – Khaled Salih, Daily Star
All Still Quiet on the Syria Bombing - Jackson Diehl, Washington Post
An Arab Initiative to Avoid a Failed Conference – James Zogby, Daily Star
Middle East: Enough of ‘Enough’ – Barry Rubin, Jerusalem Post
Nukes on the Nile – San Francisco Chronicle editorial
Iran: Nuclear Meltdown - Kurt Anderson, New York Magazine
The Don Quixote of Darfur – Romesh Ratnesar, Time Magzine
Balfour at 90 – Jerusalem Post editorial
Bolivia: No Crime, No Punishment - Roger Noriega, Miami Herald
Uncle Sam on the Line - John Ashcroft, New York Times
Confirm Mukasey -- and Stop Torture - Los Angeles Times editorial
Mukasey Should Espouse American Principles - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
Mukasey's America - Nat Hentoff, Washington Times
When Does Coercion Become Torture? - Richard Saccone, Baltimore Sun
Torture Moral Preening - Mona Charen, Washington Times
Interrogation Abuses Undercut Moral Authority - Cynthia Tucker, Baltimore Sun
U.N. Should Clean its Own House - Claudia Rosett, Philadelphia Inquirer
Strategic Airlift on Artificial Life Support - Jim Saxton, Washington Times

Continue reading "5 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Westhawk cuts to the quick in his analysis on the roles and missions implications behind the Air Force’s recent attempt to be designated the “executive agent” for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Shot down by the Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, the Air Force is apparently not giving up - taking their appeal to Congress. An excerpt from the Westhawk post:

The U.S. Air Force’s attempt to seize control over all unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that fly above 3,500 feet is just a glimpse at what will very likely become the most important battle over military roles and missions in sixty years. The maturation of aerial drone technology has already revolutionized reconnaissance in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. But this is just the beginning. Drones will introduce very-long endurance capabilities and, as drone costs decline, something approaching an “everywhere” presence on the battlefield. These are new qualities not possible when aircraft required human crews. It is the arrival of these qualities that will shake up the allocation of roles and missions among the Air Force, Navy, Army, and Marine Corps.

The fact that all of the services are rapidly expanding their drone fleets and experimenting with even more exotic models is the strongest proof of the success of battlefield UAVs. Fearing a gutting of its relevance and thus its budget, the U.S. Air Force, led by its Chief of Staff General Michael Moseley, attempted to take command of all UAVs that fly above 3,500 feet. The Air Force argued that consolidating medium- and high-altitude UAVs under one “executive agent” would ensure efficiencies in research and procurement, and would deliver system-wide compatibility. The other services, particularly the Army, retorted that the Air Force’s power grab would stifle innovation, and leave the ground forces vulnerable to a possibly unresponsive Air Force, both in development and on the battlefield.

Much more at Westhawk.

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "Unmanned Aerial Vehicles" »

Iraq: A False Choice

Dr Adam Cobb

The real choice before the American people is much starker than whether to act on General Petraeus’ advice to Congress. Bottom-line: we have to accept the current situation and be realistic about fixing it or we cut our losses and get out.

America’s enemies and competitors watch fascinated as Washington turns on itself over Iraq. Gen Petraeus’ plea for just a little bit more time underscores the dilemma the US faces. On average, successful counterinsurgencies take over a decade to resolve. The US needs many more years to attempt to achieve a stable, self governing, Iraq. With growing opposition in Congress, including senior Republicans, the Administration is running on incrementalism. Bold policy options are needed, anything else is weakness.

Those who hope for US failure in Iraq know that they win when they do not lose. The deciding factor therefore is time, something America’s enemies inside Iraq have in abundance. Time provides the space in which the low flame of insurgency can continue flickering against both US will, and the increasingly dislocated politics of Iraq...

Continue reading "Iraq: A False Choice" »

In response to a Daily Kos screed…

Unfortunately, no one seems to be calling our elected officials or the traditional media on this nonsensical idea that the "Petraeus strategy" should be credited with stanching the flow of blood. No one seems to notice that, as with everything else in Iraq, the Iraqis are going to do what they want, when they want. When al-Sadr lays down his arms, there will be relative peace. When he takes them up, Americans will die in dozens.

Regardless, the fortunes of Iraq will turn on Iraqi decisions made in Baghdad and Najaf, not in Washington, D.C. and the halls of Congress. As this situation shows, peace in Iraq lies in the hands of Iraqis. It cannot—and will not—be forced by Americans at the point of a gun.

… the folks at Blackfive respond with a lesson on counterinsurgency and MNF-I strategy.

The Surge is not our strategy and he is correct that it is not responsible for the tremendous success in Baghdad, the surrounding belts, Al Anbar, Diyala and now even in some of the Shia tribal areas as well. Our strategy is Counter-Insurgency (COIN) and the additional troops, known as the Surge, are simply part of that effort along with every other military member and civilian over there. Read LTC Kilcullen for an elegant primer on COIN in the Small Wars Journal.

COIN is completely different than the nation-building and national institution-building that we had been doing since toppling Saddam and up until the beginning of this year. We had hunkered down on the FOBs heading out on patrols and then back inside the wire. Now we cleared areas and then stayed and lived side by side with the Iraqis, and once they saw that we were staying they "awakened" and determined that al Qaeda brought death and destruction and the Americans brought electricity and water, not to mention security.

More at Blackfive.

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "Blackfive: COIN Primer on Impending Victory" »

The Dark Side of Iraq’s Good News – Phillip Carter, Slate
Foreign Service Officers Have an Obligation - Miami Herald editorial
Iran Wants Bomb So It Can Use It - Daniel Hannan, London Daily Telegraph
The Great Iran Divide - Ronald Brownstein, National Journal
Turkey-PKK: Mandatory Restraint - London Times editorial
Turkey's Unified Front - Tulin Daloglu, Washington Times
For Turkey, the War is Real - James Carroll, Boston Globe
Turkey, the PKK and Regional Security – Ahmet Evin, Daily Star
The Pakistan Mess - New York Times editorial
Working With a Dictator - Washington Post editorial
Pakistani Coup de Grâce - Los Angeles Times editorial
Musharraf's Power Grab - Baltimore Sun editorial
Storm over Pakistan - New York Daily News editorial
Pakistan on the Brink - Washington Times editorial
Musharraf Clinging to Power - Boston Globe editorial
Musharraf Risks Pakistan's Ruin - Toronto Star editorial
Pakistan: “State of Emergency” – National Review editorial
Nightmare Scenario in Pakistan - Ottawa Citizen editorial
U.S. May be Stuck With Military Rule - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
Musharraf Does Not Deserve Our Support - London Daily Telegraph editorial
Democracy Under Fire in Pakistan – Canberra Times editorial
Grim Possibilities for Pakistan – Stanley Kurtz, National Review
At Last, Final Sign of Sense From Musharraf - Bronwen Maddox, London Times
Musharraf Shows Dictators How it's Done - Mona Eltahawy, Los Angeles Times
Musharraf's Misdirected Wrath - Arif Rafiq, Baltimore Sun
Military Ruler’s Last Gasp - Ramesh Thaku, The Australian
Musharraf Plays his Hand Craftily - Haroon Siddiqui, Toronto Star
Pakistan: The Second Coup – Bill Roggio, Weekly Standard
Pakistan Peril - Rich Lowry, New York Post
Weakened Pakistan is Taliban's Playground – Ahmed Rashid, Sydney Morning Herald
Musharraf’s End? – Sumit Ganguly, National Review
Perils of Pakistan - Arnaud de Borchgrave, Washington Times
Musharraf Exposes U.S. as Weak Partner - Richard Gwyn, Toronto Star
Pakistan Closer to Chaos - Hassan Abbas, Miami Herald
The Annapolis Summit - Ziad Asali, Washington Times
The General's Second Coup - Ahmed Rashid, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Long Struggle, But War Against Terror Can be Won - London Times editorial
Picking Up After Failed War on Terror - Andrew Bacevich, Los Angeles Times
Isolationism Isn't the Answer - Christopher Hitchens, Slate
Democracy's Strength: Safety in Numbers – Allan Stam, Sydney Morning Herald
Kosovo: If You Give Separatists an Inch – David Young, Christian Science Monitor
Socialist Oil Death Spiral - Richard W. Rahn, Washington Times
Venezuela's Useful Idiots - Anne Applebaum, Washington Post
Cuba: A 'Tropical Gulag' Indeed - Mauricio Claver-Carone, Miami Herald
The View From the Waterboard - Washington Post editorial
Waterboarding Has its Benefits – Deroy Murdock, National Review
Self-Inflicted Wounds - Alberto Mora and John Shattuck, Washington Post
Waterboarding and Hiroshima - Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal
Hollywood's 'Anti-War' Doesn't Sell - Jonah Goldberg, USA Today

Continue reading "6 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Regular readers here are aware that Dr. David Price is an ardent critic of the “pilfered scholarship” behind FM 3-24, COIN. There are many nuances to that discourse, and I don’t doubt that I am about to bludgeon them into one dimension. But a core issue Dr. Price consistently raises is that of attribution. Or more accurately, non-attribution. Non-attribution seems to be the big proton-like nucleus issue around which the electron issues of plagiarism, shoddiness, informed consent, ethics, dim-wittedness, speed-to-press, and pesky utility to the warfighter seem to spiral in infinite relativistic velocity.

The COIN authors’ counter to the Counterpunch article, et al, has fairly consistently been that it is a manual, not an academic work. Not so fast….

Continue reading "Ivory Tower? Or Glass?" »

The Abuse of Military History: An Introduction to the Problems of Victor Davis Hanson

I am a soldier, first and foremost, and this is as it should be. But I am also an academic historian.

As a member of two cultures, I find that they have much in common, at least in theory. Foremost among those is an inclination to distrust the first report, and to privilege the written word. In my historical writing, however, I seek to create a thesis for the reader which accurately represents a synthesis of facts and ideas that come from sometimes quite disparate sources. In developing that thesis, I am bound by the facts. This, also, is as it should be. But there is something else my two professions share. In short, members of both professions hate liars and those who twist the truth around.

My book on the events at No Gun Ri in 1950 devotes fully half of the text to understanding how lies worked their way into the historical record and people's understanding of what took place near that small South Korean village more than 50 years ago. The bottom line is that I have a strong sentiment against people putting falsehoods into the record...

Continue reading "The Abuse of Military History" »

Assignment Iraq: Halfhearted at State? - John Carey, Washington Times
Army Officers: Over Hill and Dale - Baltimore Sun editorial
In Pakistan, Echoes of Iran - David Ignatius, Washington Post
Musharraf’s Martial Plan - Benazir Bhutto, New York Times
In Pakistan, the Army is Key - Shuja Nawaz, Boston Globe
Pakistan Tumults - Helle Dale, Washington Times
Pakistan’s General Anarchy - Mohammed Hanif, New York Times
Pakistan’s Path – London Times editorial
The Prince of Islamabad – James Robbins, National Review
Musharraf's Power Play Beginning of the End? – Hassan Abbas, Daily Star
The General vs. The Bush Doctrine – Rich Lowry, National Review
Musharraf Doesn't Need Any More Enemies – Con Coughlin, London Daily Telegraph
Pakistan’s State of Denial - Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, National Review
One-On-One With Iran’s Opposition – John Hughes, Christian Science Monitor
Rice: It’s About Iran – David Brooks, New York Times
Dithering Diplomats as Iran Options Fade – John Bolton, New York Post
The Iranian Challenge – Trita Parsi, The Nation
A Chance for Nuclear Leadership - Deepti Choubey, Washington Post
Whose Road Map? – Jeff Halper, Jerusalem Post
Gaza Doesn't Need Aid: Has £2bn Gas Field – Tim Butcher, London Daily Telegraph
Abandoning Sderot – Jerusalem Post editorial
Egypt's Race Between Education and Catastrophe - David Arnold, Los Angeles Times
Good News and Bad News From Abizaid - Rami Khouri, Daily Star
Muslim Young Too Easy to Exploit - Zia Haider Rahman, London Daily Telegraph
Nazis and Islamists - Paul Belien, Washington Times
Islam and the West: Keep Yardstick to Yourself – Yasser Kalil, Daily Star
Sir Ian Blair Didn't Mastermind 2005 Bombings – Jan Moir, London Daily Telegraph
Turkey and the EU: Patronising and Mistimed Report – The Independent editorial
Dragging Out The Torture Debate – Massimo Calabresi, Time Magazine
Giuliani Unplugged: Torture and Terrorism - Matthew Continetti, Weekly Standard
Democrats and Waterboarding - Alan Dershowitz, Wall Street Journal
Help for Mexico - Washington Post editorial
Unstable Future for China - Michael Fragoso, Baltimore Sun
A Veterans Day With Purpose - Kathy Roth-Douquet, USA Today

Continue reading "7 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Ex-Navy Instructor Promises to Hit Back If Attacked on Torture

Spencer Ackerman of TPM Muckraker on an interview with SWJ Blogger Malcolm Nance...

Continue reading "House Panel: The Effectiveness and Consequences of “Enhanced” Interrogation" »

New Thinking on a ‘New Deal’ for Post-Conflict Countries?

By Greg Mills and Terence McNamee

Two weeks after Sierra Leone’s people went to the polls this September to choose a new president, the opposition leader Ernest Bai Koroma was sworn in as the country’s new leader. He won 54.6% of the final vote against Vice-President Solomon Berewa's 45.4% in a tense run-off.

Five years after its devastating civil war came to an end, the country’s largely peaceful and fair election marks an important step forward in its democratic development. But this election occurred against an alarming backdrop – extreme unemployment, declining health and education services, and infrastructure as decrepit as anywhere in Africa. Understanding what’s gone wrong, why peace and stability has done nothing to alleviate crushing poverty, is important not just for Sierra Leone’s new President.

There are critical lessons for the international community, too, which go beyond Sierra Leone to other post-conflict states in Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere...

Continue reading "New Thinking on a ‘New Deal’ for Post-Conflict Countries?" »

America’s image and influence are in decline around the world. To maintain a leading role in global affairs, the United States must move from eliciting fear and anger to inspiring optimism and hope.

In 2006, CSIS launched a bipartisan Commission on Smart Power to develop a vision to guide America’s global engagement. This report lays out the commission’s findings and a discrete set of recommendations for how the next president of the United States, regardless of political party, can implement a smart power strategy.

Continue reading "Conversation with Richard Armitage and Joseph Nye" »

IEDs on Home Turf – Washington Times editorial
Jihadland: Clear and Present Danger – New York Daily News editorial
Open Borders Create Peril for U.S. – Washington Examiner editorial
Home Front: A War We Are Still Losing – Terrence Jeffrey, Washington Times
Religious Radicals at Saudi Academy in Virginia – Stephen Spuiell, National Review
Some Can’t Afford Victory in Iraq – Jonathan Gurwitz, San Antonio Express-News
Iraq Economy Muddles Along – Richard O’Hanlon, Washington Times
Would Tehran do the Unthinkable? - Gregory Scoblete, Real Clear Politics
Gathering Storm in Pakistan – New York Times editorial
Pakistan’s War on Democracy Advocates – Los Angeles Times editorial
Musharraf: Part of Solution or Problem? – The Australian editorial
For India, A Worrisome Drama in Pakistan – David Broder, Washington Post
Musharraf’s Coup: What to Do – Amir Taheri, New York Post
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Musharraf – Roger Cohen, New York Times
Don’t Forget Enemy’s Barbarism – Meghan Cox Gurdon, Washington Examiner
If This Peace Process Fails – Jackson Diehl, Washington Post
Russia is Becoming our Enemy Again – Michael Weiss, Weekly Standard
Burma’s Junta Plays to Win – Connie Levitt, Sydney Morning Herald
Saving Civilization from Itself – Arthur Herman, Wall Street Journal
No Tenure at Columbia for Hatred – Joel Mowbray, Washington Times
Torture: The New Abortion – Rosa Brooks, Los Angeles Times

Continue reading "8 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

The American Anthropological Association’s full-court press against the Pentagon’s Human Terrain System in general - and anthropologists’ Human Terrain Team participation in particular continues.

On October 31, 2007, the American Anthropological Association’s Executive Board passed a statement concerning ethical aspects of the U.S. Military’s Human Terrain System (HTS) project. The project, which has received widespread national and international media coverage, embeds anthropologists and other social scientists in military teams in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ethical and procedural concerns regarding anthropologists working with U.S. Military and Intelligence agencies have been under investigation by an ad hoc commission of the AAA. The Commission will submit their final report on this subject—which extends beyond the particulars of the HTS project—during the AAA’s Annual Meeting in Washington DC.

Hmm, under investigation – I wonder what their findings might reveal? Something along the lines of: ... anthropologists embedded in HTTs facilitates cultural awareness of local populations by US Forces thus enabling cross-cultural dialogues and informed actions that directly contribute to mitigating misunderstandings thereby reducing the potential of lethal encounters?

Don’t hold your breath...

Continue reading "The AAA’s Alternate Universe" »

Continue reading "Recent MNF-I Iraq Briefings" »

Recasting Long War as Joint Sino-American Venture – Thomas Barnett, Esquire
The Marines: Premier Expeditionary Warriors - Frank Hoffman, FPRI E-note
How to Stop IEDs - Gian Gentile, San Francisco Chronicle
Last Chance for Public Diplomacy – Clifford May, National Review
Rebel Diplomats – Fred Gedrich, New York Post
Blackwater’s Impunity – Los Angeles Times editorial
Pakistan Upheaval Rouses U.S. Concerns – USA Today editorial roundup
Musharraf’s Latest Pledge – Washington Times editorial
Time’s Up, Mr. Musharraf – The Economist editorial
Pakistan-U.S. Relationship is Bankrupt – London Daily Telegraph editorial
Marcos… Pinochet… Musharraf? – Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post
The Real Musharraf – Asma Jahangir, Washington Post
Musharraf's Grip Looking Unbreakable – Haroon Siddiqui, Toronto Star
Pakistan on the Brink – Diana West, Washington Times
An India-U.S. Alliance? – Austin Bay, Washington Times
Why Europe Won't Sanction Iran - Robert Maginnis, Human Events
Italy’s Immigration Agita – Gerald Robbins, Weekly Standard
Deal With Colombia – Washington Post editorial
Frontline Troops Spending Must be Increased – London Times editorial
Al Qaeda’s Generational Split – Gregory Johnsen, Boston Globe
Radical Islam Behind Bars – Stephen Schwartz, Weekly Standard
The War Against Women in Congo – Kevin Sites, Chicago Tribune
Kiwi Terror Law Debate - New Zealand Herald opinion question
TSA “Working Diligently” – Kip Hawley, USA Today
A Post-Iraq G.I. Bill – Jim Webb and Chuck Hagle, New York Times
Who Saw the Latest Anti-War Movie? – Jonah Goldberg, Miami Herald

Continue reading "9 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Sunday matters. Or, more particularly, this coming Sunday matters.

It does not matter to me because of the football games that will be played or the tailgating that will occur. Nor do I care overmuch about the regularly scheduled worship services that some religions will hold on this day. The weather will not affect the importance of this coming Sunday for me. Nor should it for you. What matters is that this coming Sunday is Veterans Day.

It is difficult to make the connection, perhaps, for most people. Almost all of our First World War veterans are gone now, and the news reports tell me that the men who fought World War II are dying at the rate of 1,000 a day. More modern veterans are fading as well, while the current military is made up of less than one half of one percent of the American public. But on this day, perhaps, we might appeal and ask that those who have given the last full measure of their devotion, be faithfully recalled by their nation.

They are honored so elsewhere...

Continue reading "Remember Us" »

232 Years and Counting…

Guest Blogger Andrew Lubin

Tomorrow, 10 November. is the 232nd birthday of the Marine Corps. It’s the day when Marines throughout the world – both active service and former – will be attending celebrations and galas. Young Marines in their first set dress blues, accompanied by their equally young girl friends stuffed in their old high school prom dresses, will proudly rub elbows with the Captains, Majors, and other senior officers under whom they serve.

In many cases, being a Marine is a family tradition. There are many Birthday Balls where sons, fathers, uncles, and cousins attend en-masse – a family fire-team, or Arty Battery, if you like, and they’ll tell you, if asked, that becoming a Marine was one way of following in Dad’s footsteps. In many cases, becoming a Marine was something they’d wanted to be since they were little boys...

Continue reading "232 Years and Counting…" »

While not all inclusive, here are some of the items that caught my eye and interest this week...

Continue reading "9 November SWJ Odds and Ends" »

Executing Winning Strategy in Iraq – Kimberly Kagan, Weekly Standard
Fort Irwin: ‘Ghanzi Province’ Lessons – Sarah Holewinski, Washington Post
How to Win the War of Ideas – Robert Satloff, Washington Post
Pelosi’s Prescription for Failure in Iraq – New York Post editorial
Attached to Iraq – James Cannon, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Teaching America About Our Heroes – William Bennett, National Review
Pakistan and the Bush-Biden Doctrine – Wall Street Journal editorial
Iran’s Mullahs Puzzled Putin – Amir Taheri, New York Post
Pakistani Poker – London Times editorial
Pakistani Make-Believe – Boston Globe editorial
Pakistan’s Plan B Deficiency – Gary Sick, Los Angeles Times
Assessing Pakistan – Charles Krauthammer, National Review
Our Pakistan Challenge – Daniel Twining, Weekly Standard
Musharraf's Gamble Cannot Succeed – David Warren, Ottawa Citizen
Musharraf Has Failed the Country – Trudy Rubin, Miami Herald
Dictators and Democrats – Victor Davis Hanson, National Review
The U.N.’s Campaign to Demonize Israel – U.N. Watch, Miami Herald
Making a Two-State Solution Happen – David Horovitz, Jerusalem Post
Israel: Why Go To Annapolis? – Uri Dromi, Miami Herald
Chances of Middle East Breakthrough - Shibley Telhami, Baltimore Sun
Middle East Peace: Time for Modesty – Richard Haass, Daily Star
Guantanamo by the Numbers - Bowker and Kaye, New York Times
Gitmo Observation Deck – James Jay Carafano, National Review
Hugo Chavez’s Criminal Paradise - Moises Naim, Los Angeles Times
Roses and Reality in Georgia – New York Times editorial
Tragedy in Georgia – Ralph Peters, New York Post
On Timor’s Hard Road – Phillip Adams, The Australian
‘Peace’ Movement Passé? - L. Brent Bozell III, Washington Times
The Real Drug War – Los Angeles Times editorial
“Shipriders” on the Great Lakes – Colin Kenny, Ottawa Citizen

Continue reading "10 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

More...

Continue reading "Veterans and Remembrance Day Sunday" »

Continue reading "Afghanistan Briefing" »

More...

Continue reading "Mattis Takes Helm at JFCOM" »

In the Nation’s Defense – New York Post editorial
How Soon We Forget – New York Daily News editorial
Reward for Military Service – Washington Post editorial
Thanks for the Troops – Elizabeth Robbins, Washington Post
Still in Iraq’s Grasp – William Quinn, Washington Post
Vietnam Remembered – Jan Scruggs, Washington Times
Country Worth Fighting For – London Daily Telegraph editorial
Pause to Honour Those Who Fought – Toronto Star editorial
Lest We Forget – David Cameron, London Daily Telegraph
Lest We Forget – Harriet Cooper, Toronto Star
Lest We Forget – Jseche Lam, Toronto Star
Call on All Americans to Serve – Peter Kauffmann, New York Daily News
U.S.-Turkey Alliance Too Valuable to Jeopardize – Norman Stone, Wall Street Journal
Diversity Roiling Muslim World – Thomas Friedman, New York Times
Finishing the Job in Afghanistan – Hans Binnendijk, Wall Street Journal
Define the War on Terror – Los Angeles Times editorial
Intelligence: Curveball, Swing and a Miss – George Will, Washington Post
Musharraf Must Go – Washington Post editorial
Musharraf Goes Splat – Jim Hoagland, Washington Post
Musharraf’s Second Face – Martin Schram, Washington Times
Not for Miliband to Sort out Pakistan’s Mess – Simon Jenkins, London Times
Picking Through Pakistan’s Clichés - Haroon Siddiqui, Toronto Star
Nuclear Flashpoints Made in Pakistan – Frantz and Collins, Washington Post
Tense Daily Grind for Palestinians – Robert Cotton Fite, Chicago Tribune
Dueling Over Darfur - Newsweek Magazine debate
Hugo Chavez’s Coup – Oliver North, Washington Times
Hasta La Vista, Colombia – Jan Thomson, Washington Times
Sanctions and Rouges – William Hawkins, Washington Times
Ordinary Law Can’t Deal With Terrorists – Alistair Palmer, London Daily Telegraph
Stuart Herrington on Waterboarding – Tom Ricks, Washington Post
Waterboarding No Big Deal – Jack Kelly, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Spy Who Wants Israel to Talk – David Ignatius, Washington Post

Continue reading "11 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Veterans Deserve Better – USA Today editorial
Veterans' Sacrifice - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
Plight of American Veterans – New York Times editorial
Over There, Gone Forever – Richard Rubin, New York Times
Life After Wartime – Bob Greene, New York Times
Sacrificing in Silence – Daniel Davis, Washington Times
Pelosi’s Iraq Surrender Date – Washington Times editorial
Iraq: ‘Surge’ and Go – Los Angeles Times editorial
Pelosi at War With Reality – New York Daily News editorial
Democrats’ Surge Problem – William Kristol, Weekly Standard
America Needs to Watch Al Jazeera – Roger Cohen, New York Times
Thirty Years War – London Times editorial
Primitive Impulses of War – James Carroll, Boston Globe
AF-PAK Border: New Terrorist Nexus - Arnaud de Borchgrave, Washington Times
Perilous Pakistan – Washington Times editorial
A New Course on Pakistan – Joseph Biden Jr., Baltimore Sun
Pakistan: Democracy vs. Reality - Charles Krauthammer, Seattle Times
Everyone’s an Expert on Pakistan – Mark Steyn, National Review
Iran: The Anti-Democracy - Akbar Ganji, Los Angeles Times
Understanding the Iranian Threat - Barry Rubin, Jerusalem Post
Jordan and the 'Last Chance Conference' - Oraib Al-Rantawi, Daily Star
Egypt and Hamas - Jerusalem Post ediorial
Again and Again in the Balkans – New York Times editorial
Dictatorial Chavez: Bye-bye, Liberties - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review editorial
A Rescuer for the U.N. – and Burma – Fred Hiatt, Washington Post
New Jersey’s Counterterror Farce – Emerson and Flatow, New York Post
Dem’s Terror Tantrum – Joseph Lieberman, New York Post
Drop Charges Against Israel Lobbyists – Wall Street Journal editorial
Waterboarding is Torture - Joseph Galloway, Miami Herald
The Berlin Wall Came Tumbling Down – Suzanne Fields, Washington Times

Continue reading "12 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

The SWJ has been invited by the Washington Post to participate in one of their regular online discussion sessions tomorrow. Here are the details via The Post:

Join editor Dave Dilegge and publisher Bill Nagle of Small Wars Journal on Tuesday, Nov. 13 at noon ET to discuss the debate in Washington among government, military and intelligence officials over what course to follow in Iraq.

Submit your questions and comments before or during the discussion.

More coverage of The War Over the War

War Over the War discussion transcripts

Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "SWJ: The War Over the War" »

Have We Turned the Corner in Iraq? - Los Angeles Times online debate
Tough Military Budget Choices - New York Times editorial
Faith in End of Violence Alive in Baghdad – Johnson and Crittenden, Boston Herald
Lawrence of Arabia Out of Place in Iraq – Anthony Bubalo, Financial Times
Slandering the American Soldier - Mackubin Thomas Owens, National Review
Iran Strike May be One Too Many - Dombey, Sevastopulo and Ward – Financial Times
Is World War III on Hold? - Patrick Buchanan, Real Clear Politics
Respect Iran's Independence - HE Manuchehr Mottaki, Miami Herald
Welcome to the Iranian Air Force - Reuben Johnson, Weekly Standard
Turkey, Terrorism and Double Standards - Bruce Fein, Washington Times
Pakistan's Pinstripe Revolt - USA Today editorial
The Answer in Pakistan - Pickering, Hills and Abramowitz, Washington Post
Being Pervez Musharraf - Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal
Pakistan: Long March or Wrong March? – Bronwen Maddox, London Times
What Musharraf Could Not Abide - HDS Greenway, Boston Globe
Will Chavez Pull the Oil Trigger? - Rowan and Schoen, Los Angeles Times
What's Latin America Worth? - Carlos Alberto Montaner, Miami Herald
Australia’s Terror Laws on Trial – The Australian editorial
Invest Terror Free - Frank Gaffney Jr., Washington Times
Asymmetric Cyber Threat - James Lyons Jr., Washington Times
Waterboarding Illegal? - USA Today editorial
Severe Interrogations Work - Trent Franks, USA Today
UK Stills Needs Nuclear Deterrent – Oliver Kamm, London Times
“Hard-headed Internationalism” for UK – Rachel Sylvester – London Daily Telegraph
Islam and the Nation-State – Caroline Glick, Jerusalem Post
Salafi Islam Fighting Modernity - Joshua Sinai, Washington Times
The Dilemma of Democracy in Lebanon – Saab and Al-Chaer, Daily Star
The Urgency of Annapolis Peace Talks – M.J. Rosenberg, Jerusalem Post
Syria and the Illusion of Pursuing Peace in Annapolis - Mohammad Habash, Daily Star
The Curse of Being Number 2 in Israel – Yoel Marcus, Haaretz
The Other Refugees - Jillian Bandes, Weekly Standard
The New Face of Al Jazeera – Kristen Gillespie, The Nation
Crisis in Georgia - Washington Post editorial
Georgia's Leap Backward - Anne Applebaum, Washington Post
To Save Africa: A Missing Step - Mukoma Wa Ngugi, Christian Science Monitor
Defeat the Law of Sea Treaty - Washington Times editorial

Continue reading "13 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

While not all inclusive, here are some of the items that caught my eye and interest so far this week...

Continue reading "13 November SWJ Odds and Ends" »

Stay or Go in Iraq? – Los Angeles Times online debate
Quiet Victory in Iraq – Rich Lowry, National Review
Victory in Iraq – Tony Blankley, Washington Times
GOP Finds Solid Ground on Iraq War - Bresnahan and Kady, Politico
Send the State Department to War – Max Boot, New York Times
The Sunni in Iraq’s Leadership – Christian Science Monitor interview
Defector “Curveball” and OIF – Peter Wehner, National Review
Iraqi Defector "Curveball" as a Con Man – George Will, Miami Herald
Iraq and Australia’s Elections – Bruce Grant, Canberra Times
Is Canada Failing Afghan Captives? - Toronto Star editorial
Transfer of Detainees Complicity in Torture - Michael Byers, Toronto Star
GWOT: Bad Name, Worse Idea – Harlan Ullman, Washington Times
No Easy Answers to al-Qaeda Threat – Mary Jo White, USA Today
Australian Terror Laws Vital to Protection – The Australian editorial
Ahmadinejad Enriched by Bickering Critics – Bronwen Maddox, London Times
Iran Teeming With Hypocrisy - Akbar Ganji, Sydney Morning Herald
Blind Eye on Iran's Nukes - Amir Taheri, New York Post
Musharraf Digging a Hole – New York Times editorial
Musharraf's 10 Days - Toronto Star editorial
Musharraf’s Electoral Farce – Benazir Bhutto, Washington Post
Aunt Benazir’s False Promises – Fatima Bhutto, Los Angeles Times
Pakistan: Democracy or Jihadist Rule - Paul Shrivastava, Philadelphia Inquirer
Renew U.N. Support for Two-State Solution – Brian Siegal, Miami Herald
Why Pulling Lebanon From Brink Matters - Trudy Rubin, Philadelphia Inquirer
Pyongyang Cloud Cover – Bruce Klingner, Washington Times
Determined Spirit Guides Grozny – Ruth Daniloff, Boston Globe
Geopolitics at $100 a Barrel – Robert Samuelson, Washington Post
Prince Walid bin Talal and His Plane – New York Times editorial
Burma: Arrests Speak Louder – Washington Post editorial
Violence Drags on in Sri Lanka – Boston Globe editorial
Hugo Chavez No Buffoon – Jeremy McDermott, London Daily Telegraph
Chavez Expresses Himself as Tyrant - Andres Oppenheimer, Boston Herald
Europe: Old Fears, New Threats – Uriya Shavit, Wall Street Journal
Georgia's Troubles - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
America’s Partners – Helle Dale, Washington Times
Is Israel a Jewish State? – Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe
USN: Don’t Give Up the Ships – Seth Cropsey, Weekly Standard
Reject the Law of Sea Treaty - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review editorial
Torture Doesn’t Work – Alison Brysk, Christian Science Monitor
Save JROTC for the Children - Debra Saunders, San Francisco Chronicle

Continue reading "14 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

The Islamist Tide in Iraq – Los Angeles Times online debate
When No News is Good News – Victor Davis Hanson, Real Clear Politics
Strategic Drift on Iraq - Podesta, Korb and Katulis, Washington Post
What Has Become of the “Iraqitects” – Kurt Campbell, New York Times
Blackwater’s Loopholes – Jeremy Scahill, Los Angeles Times
No Good at Nation Building – Robert Novak, Washington Post
Don’t Blame Democracy – Peter Wehner, Weekly Standard
Democracy is Working in Latin America - Angel Gurría, Miami Herald
Untold Tale of Refugees – Haroon Siddiqui, Toronto Star
Balancing Liberty with Counterterrorism – London Daily Telegraph editorial
Actions Speak Loudest to Terrorists – Michael Burleigh, London Daily Telegraph
Iran: No More Nightmares – Daniel Gallington, Washington Times
Musharraf’s Opposition – Washington Times editorial
Musharraf Blocking Democracy - San Francisco Chronicle editorial
Pakistan: A Risk for the West – Paul Moorcraft, Washington Times
Musharraf is the Wrong Friend – Rosa Brooks, Los Angeles Times
Pakistan's Brave Lawyers - Francisco Angones, Miami Herald
Musharraf Borrows from Bush Playbook - Robert Scheer, San Francisco Chronicle
What About Hamas? - Baltimore Sun editorial
Kosovo Wants Independence – Agim Ceku, Wall Street Journal
The Kind of People Ruling Russia – Boston Globe editorial
Don’t Turn on Ethiopia – Huddleston and Nagy, New York Times
Mr. Chavez’s Coup – Washington Post editorial
Burma’s Repression Rubies – Los Angeles Times editorial
X-Band Radar for Defense – James Hackett, Washington Times
UK: The Cost of Trident – Nigel Griffiths, London Times

Continue reading "15 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Featured Articles

Fighting Identity: Why We Are Losing Our Wars – Dr. Michael Vlahos

The “American Way of War” enshrines triumph through military “transformations.” They are divine tokens of our superiority. Even better, “like-us” challenges from others are met by all-out U.S. out-performance. German combined arms innovation between the world wars led to “Patton beats Rommel.” Ditto Japanese carrier aviation. Ditto Soviet atomic rock¬ets. Ditto too the Soviets’ vaunted “military-technical revolution.” How we outdid them! But our paradigm of military “revolution” is steadfastly both technology-driven and self-focused. The American way of war is all about “like-us” or “kin-enemies” also doing like us. We always win out in the end, and win big.

Today’s transformation, however, has nothing to do with us, except per¬haps in how the new innovators take on our technologies—and target our vulnerabilities. The innovators here are emerging societies and alternative communities—not “kin-enemies” but aliens, “strang¬er-enemies.” They drive this transformation of war.

More...

Continue reading "Military Review: November - December 2007 Issue" »

The 600-lb gorilla in the living room of the improved security situation in Iraq is national reconciliation. Washington Post’s Tom Ricks (Iraqis Wasting An Opportunity, U.S. Officers Say) addresses the ever-growing concern of U.S. military commanders that the window may be closing and the Iraqi government is wasting away an opportunity to take advantage of the sharp decline in attacks against U.S. forces and Iraqi civilians...

Continue reading "Last Call: An Opportunity is a Terrible Thing to Waste" »

One of our favorites, ThreatsWatch or shoud we say The Center for Threat Awareness, has a new look, new content and new contributors. Check out the new ThreatsWatch today.

Last week, the Center for Threat Awareness was officially launched at BlogWorld & New Media Expo in Las Vegas. The decision was both apropos and easy considering the nature of the event and our disposition as Think Tank 2.0™. On Sunday it will have been two years since ThreatsWatch – the Center’s public face - first appeared. And thanks to the attention we have received since those early, uncertain days, we had reached a point where a corporate enterprise was not only required, but essential for future growth. From the beginning we had intended to build an organization that would work to make the key issues, events and trends relating to the threats we all face more accessible to a broader audience. The Center will ensure that we can continue to provide a venue for reasoned and knowledgeable discourse on the ideas, principles, events and challenges impacting each of us today, as well as offering us further opportunities for research and outreach beyond the scope of ThreatsWatch.

Great job guys and best to you...

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "Check it Out, Now" »

U.S. Alliances in Ruin? – Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post
John Bolton Pulling No Punches – Clifford May, National Review
U.S. as Beacon to the World? – Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal
Where are Iraq’s Leaders? – Los Angeles Times online debate
U.S., Sheikh Efforts Bear Fruit - Kevin Ferris, Philadelphia Inquirer
Congress Irresponsible on War Funding – Washington Times editorial
Iraq: Democratic Fantasyland – National Review editorial
Iraq’s Inconvenient Truth – The Australian editorial
Coping with Victory in Iraq – James Ceaser, Weekly Standard
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Iraq – E.J. Dionne, Real Clear Politics
A Radical Reversal in Iraq? – Victor Davis Hanson, National Review
U.K.’s Covenant with the Armed Forces – Con Coughlin, London Daily Telegraph
Prosecuting Blackwater – New York Times editorial
Note on a Bomb – Austin Bay, Washington Times
Iraq’s WMD: Final Piece of the Puzzle – Mark Goldblatt, National Review
Hamas Losing Hearts and Minds – Frida Ghitis, Miami Herald
What Not to Do in Pakistan – Boston Globe editorial
Musharraf's Fictions - Chicago Tribune editorial
Let’s Stand with Pakistan’s Heroes – William Neukom, Christian Science Monitor
Pakistan’s Long Political Farce – Gwynne Dyer Canberra Times
True Face of Musharraf Regime – Asma Jahangir, Miami Herald
Calling out Chavez – Washington Times editorial
Nicaragua After Felix – Miami Herald editorial
Miliband’s World – London Times editorial
Airport Security Blues – Linda Chavez, New York Post
A Vote About the Rule of Law - San Francisco Chronicle editorial
Fixing the Surveillance Law – Russ Feingold, Washington Times
Gorbachev’s Baggage – New York Times editorial

Continue reading "16 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Democrats Find Voice on Iraq War – New York Times editorial
Baghdad and Beyond - Los Angeles Times online debate
Iraq: No News is Good News – Victor Davis Hanson, Washington Times
Diplomacy in the Post-9/11 Era – David Rivkin Jr., Wall Street Journal
Ideology Biggest Threat to Security – Charles Moore, London Daily Telegraph
Pakistan’s One-Man Calamity – Nawaz Sharif, Washington Post
Musharraf in Shah’s Footsteps? – Claude Salhani, Washington Times
What to Do About Pakistan – Stanley Kurtz, National Review
Indonesia’s Middle East Peace Role – Greg Sheridan, The Australian
Hamas Shooting at Arafat’s Legacy – Boston Globe editorial
The Broken Promises of Military Rule - Banki and Abbas, Boston Globe
War Pictures Imperfect - Megham Daum, Los Angeles Times

Continue reading "17 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Ann Scott Tyson of the Washington Post reports today (Petraeus Helping Pick New Generals) that, in a move described as “unprecedented”, the US Army has recalled a general from a war zone to preside over a promotion board.

The Army has summoned the top U.S. commander in Iraq back to Washington to preside over a board that will pick some of the next generation of Army leaders, an unusual decision that officials say represents a vote of confidence in Gen. David H. Petraeus's conduct of the war, as well as the Army counterinsurgency doctrine he helped rewrite.

General Petraeus will be presiding over a board that includes the selection to brigadier general (approximately 40 slots) from a pool of over 1,000 colonels...

Continue reading "Next Generation of US Army COIN Leadership? (Updated)" »

Frank Hoffman on civil-military relations, Dorothy Fall on husband Bernard, and John Nagl and Sarah Sewall on Counterinsurgency Field Manual 3-24 / Marine Corps Warfighting Publication 33.3.5...

Continue reading "More for the Weekend" »

Continue reading "Be Careful Sunday..." »

Baghdad Comes Alive - Rod Nordland, Newsweek Magazine
Iraq’s Narrow Window – Washington Post editorial
Bin Laden’s Iraq Quagmire – Jack Kelly, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Cop Turns Army Nurse, Iraq Insights – Mark Bowden, Philadelphia Inquirer
British Hostages in Iraq: “No One Cares” – London Times editorial
U.S. Must Welcome More Iraqi Refugees – Daniel Byman, New York Post
A Mullah Dies, War Comes Knocking - Sarah Chayes, Washington Post
State of the Ground Forces - Reed and Flournoy, Washington Times
Know Your Enemy - Arnaud de Borchgrave, Washington Times
‘Security’ Does Not Make Us Safer – Jenny McCartney, London Daily Telegraph
Terror: The Soft Underbelly of Europe – Mark Helprin, Wall Street Journal
Dems: ‘See No Terror Evil’ – Michael Goodwin, New York Daily News
The Recognition Sham – Jerusalem Post editorial
No Political Will for Middle East Peace - Avishai and Bahour, Los Angeles Times
Peace of the Weak and Exhausted - Michael Ignatieff, Toronto Star
Mideast Meeting Defined by Fear – Trudy Rubin, Philadelphia Inquirer
Moscow: Key to Peace in Damascus – David Kimche, Jerusalem Post
Don’t Play Fatah Off Against Hamas - Rami Khouri, Daily Star
Palestinian Peace Partner? – Dos-Lehtinen and Berkley, Jerusalem Post
The PA Cannot Remain Transitional - Ghassan Khatib, Daily Star
Barack Obama and Iran – Thomas Friedman, New York Times
Idle Chat With 'Real' Iranians - Boston Herald editorial
Pakistan’s Collapse, Our Problem – Kagan and O’Hanlon, New York Times
Pakistan’s Options – Ed Royce, Washington Times
What to Do About Pakistan – Pickering, Hill and Abramowitz, Miami Herald
Pakistan’s Problems Start at the Top - Pervez Hoodbhoy, Los Angeles Times
Musharraf: Friend or Foe? - Levy and Scott-Clark, San Francisco Chronicle
Democracy’s Last Stand in Lebanon – Trudy Rubin, Miami Herald
Darfur: Don’t Bow to ‘Muslim Street’ - James Kirchick, Los Angeles Times
Kosovo is Ready to Bolt - Maciej Zaremba, Washington Post
Two Sides of Mr. Sarkozy – New York Times editorial
Croatia’s Red Shadow - Jeffrey Kuhner, Washington Times
We Must Honour Debt to the Army – London Daily Telegraph editorial
U.K. Armed Forces Safe in My Hands – Des Browne, London Daily Telegraph
General Casey’s Legacy – Oliver North, Washington Times
DOS: Revolt of the Whiners – New York Post editorial
Left Talking Point: Vet-as-Victim – Dean Barnett, Weekly Standard

Continue reading "18 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Cultural knowledge, security cooperation, USMC Irregular Warfare Center, understanding the urban environment, more on Bernard and Dorothy Fall, COIN reading, and AQ’s Pakistani insurgency…

Continue reading "Even More for the Weekend" »

Ohio State Selects Petraeus Aide as Military History Chair

Colonel Peter R. Mansoor is influential advisor in shaping “surge” strategy in Iraq.

COLUMBUS -- The Mershon Center for International Security Studies and the Department of History at The Ohio State University are proud to announce that they have selected Col. Peter R. Mansoor as the next Raymond E. Mason Jr. Chair of Military History.

Mansoor, currently serving as executive officer to Gen. David Petraeus in Iraq, will begin his duties at Ohio State in September 2008. He will assume a joint appointment between the Mershon Center and the History Department, teaching classes, conducting research, and organizing speaking and conference events in the fields of military history and national security studies.

More...

Continue reading "OSU Press Release: Mansoor a Buckeye" »

Looking at Iraq in Macro-Time – Michael Barone, Real Clear Politics
How to Erode Kurdish Terror - Didem Cakmakli, Christian Science Monitor
Allow Prosecution of Blackwater Guards - Miami Herald editorial
A False Choice for Pakistan – Salman Ahmad, Washington Post
Pakistan in a Tough Spot - Stanley Kurtz, National Review
Musharraf, Nukes Must Go - Han Park, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Democrats Iran Dilemma – Robert Novak, Washington Post
Dems Must Confront Iran - Koch and Lancman, New York Daily News
Diplomacy with the Devil – Danielle Pletka, New York Times
Israel, Palestine, Crab Cakes – Roger Cohen, New York Times
Seeing Light in Darkness of Middle East – Richard Halloran, Real Clear Politics
Middle East: Combat ‘Westophobia’ – Barry Rubin, Jerusalem Post
Darfur in Peril – Washington Times editorial
Chavez and the King – Jackson Diehl, Washington Post
Georgia: Unfulfilled Expectations - Tsotne Bakuria, Washington Times
N. Korea: Tell Truth on Forged Dollars - John Cooley, Christian Science Monitor
Path to Victory - Donald Rumsfeld, National Review
The Politics of Irrational Ideology – Suzanne Fields, Washington Times
Asian Path to Assistance - Steinberg and Rieffel, Washington Times
Public Diplomacy Isn't PR - Price Floyd, Los Angeles Times
Britain’s Quiet Diplomacy – London Times editorial
U.N. Remains Powerful, When Members Allow It – Joseph Nye, Canberra Times
Attorney General Mukasey – Nat Hentoff, Washington Times
Rendition, Torture and Accountability – New York Times editorial
Sharpen Airport Security - Los Angeles Times editorial
Terror in the Skies – Linda Chavez, Washington Times
Remember the War on Drugs? – New York Times editorial
CBS' Bogus Vet-Suicide Stats - Michael Fumento, New York Post

Continue reading "19 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

LtCol Tim Grattan, Deputy Director of the newly formed Marine Corps Training and Advisory Group (MCTAG), was by my ‘day job’ office today and I was able to go through his briefing on the Group’s ‘way ahead’ to include the proposed table of organization and equipment, basic concept of employment and many other issues associated with training and advising foreign military forces. While I cannot go into any details, I can say I came away quite impressed and hopeful that the Marine Corps has a solid plan to meet future training and advising requirements. A recent Marine Corps News item on MCTAG follows...

Continue reading "USMC forms MCTAG" »

While Veterans Day is a week past, the following came via e-mail today and we would like to share it with the Small Wars Journal community...

Continue reading "Ambassador Ryan Crocker on Veterans Day" »

Anthropology Goes to War - Ann Marlowe, Weekly Standard
SOF: The Tribal Option in Pakistan - Peter Brookes, New York Post
Losing Afghanistan, One Civilian at a Time - Bergen and Tiedemann, Washington Post
Congress Must Keep Pressure to End War - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
The Big Picture in Iraq - Michael Barone, Washington Times
Iraq War's Collateral Damage - Anne Applebaum, Washington Post
U.S.-Iran Collision Course Calls for Diplomatic Brakes - USA Today editorial
Iranian Bomb 'Intolerable' - Joshua Muravchik, USA Today
What if the U.S. Bombed Iran? - Joel Brinkley, San Francisco Chronicle
Gen. Musharraf Is the Problem - Washington Post editorial
Musharraf Cannot be Part of the Solution - Ramesh Thakur, Toronto Star
Compromise: Last Real Hope for Pakistan - Mohsin Hamid, Sydney Morning Herald
My Hopes for Annapolis Talks – Gershon Baskin, Jerusalem Post
Waiting for Annapolis – Moshe Arens, Haaretz
Israelis and Palestinians Appear Serious – London Times editorial
Annapolis: Facing a Common Enemy - Boston Herald editorial
Annapolis Talks: Not Much Promise – Bronwen Maddox, London Times
The Annapolis Fiasco - Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal
Brokering Mideast Peace - Tulin Daloglu, Washington Times
More Hype than Hope for Summit - Richard Gwyn, Toronto Star
Mideast Meeting Defined by Fear - Trudy Rubin, Baltimore Sun
Iran and Annapolis – Jerusalem Post editorial
This Time the IDF Favors Syria – Amir Oren, Haaretz
Hamas Muddling Through Gaza Apathy - Taghreed El-Khodary, Daily Star
Mistaking Unity for Democracy in Lebanon - Rayyan al-Shawaf, Daily Star
Lebanon's Fatal Showdown - Amir Taheri, New York Post
John Bolton: Surrender Not an Option – Jonathan Tobin, Jerusalem Post
Renouncing Empire - Bruce Fein, Washington Times
Why Ditch Blairite Foreign Policy? - David Aaronovitch, London Times
Security and the War without End – Canberra Times editorial
Time for Indonesia to Face Truth about Baliboa – James Dunn, Canberra Times
First Kosovo, and Then What? - Boston Globe editorial
Keeping Faith With Colombia - Barry McCaffrey, Washington Post
How Not to Bring Liberty to Cuba - Paolo Spadoni, Christian Science Monitor
Chavez: President for Life? - Washington Times editorial
Fight Chávez's Petro-Recession - Michael Rowan, Miami Herald
Release Justice’s Secrets - Katzenbach and Schwarz, New York Times
Hezbollah Spy: A Real Travesty - Joel Mowbray, Washington Times
Jihad Jane's Poison Family - Debbie Schlussel, New York Post
The U.N.'s Slick Accomplice - New York Post editorial
Al Jazeera English: No Nonsense News - Andrew Stroehlein, Boston Globe
The Not-So-Great Generation - WIlliam Kristol, Weekly Standard

Continue reading "20 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Continue reading "18 and 19 November Iraq Briefings" »

Having just read (for the second time today) Ann Marlowe’s Weekly Standard article Anthropology Goes to War I feel compelled to take exception publicly to the overall tone of her piece and in particular several items she misrepresented, intentionally or otherwise. I do this as a card-carrying member of what Marlowe terms the "Army of the Small Wars Journal"...

Continue reading "On Anthropology Goes to War" »

In Iraq, Sings of Hope and Peril – David Ignatius, Washington Post
Debating Iraq’s Transition – Thomas Friedman, New York Times
Iraq: What Went Right – Ralph Peters, New York Post
Iraq’s Savage Ironies – Victor Davis Hanson, National Review
Iraqis Returning Home – London Times editorial
Why American Troops Belong in Kurdistan – Lionel Beehner, USA Today
Learning to Fight a Long War - David Warren, Ottawa Citizen
Iran: The German Question - Christian Science Monitor editorial
5 Reasons to Bomb Iran Now - Michael Freund, Jerusalem Post
Gen. Musharraf is the Problem – Washington Post editorial
Where We Went Wrong in Pakistan – Michael Gerson, Washington Post
The Pakistan Problem – Bill Roggio, Weekly Standard
Pakistanis Must Fix Pakistan - Dan Simpson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Annapolis Summit - Baltimore Sun editorial
Palestinian-Israeli 'Normalization' Needed - Walid Salem, Daily Star
The Perils of Engagement – Jeff Robbins, Wall Street Journal
Mushroom Soup on Road to Annapolis - Rami Khouri, Daily Star
The Limits of Deterrence – Beres and Ben-Israel, Washington Times
Failed Leaders Cannot Bring Peace – David Blair, London Daily Telegraph
A Powder Keg in Lebanon – Milton Viorst, Los Angeles Times
Brutal Saudi Sentence - Toronto Star editorial
Jihad Can’t Break Our Cold War Addiction – Washington Times forum
Democracy vs. Security - Pat Buchanan. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Thanks a Counterterrorist Today – Deroy Murdock, National Review
Give Burma a Chance - Canberra Times editorial
Building a Solution for Burma – Walter Lohman, Washington Post
Kosovo Voters Signal Desire for Independence - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
Free Kosovo, Without a Fight - Nik Steinberg, Christian Science Monitor
Chavez Under Fire – Helle Dale, Washington Times
Democracy and Justice Under Siege - Paul Belien, Washington Times
The Wheels Come Off in Georgia – Michael Weiss, Weekly Standard
The Failed Madrid Verdicts – Kenneth Anderson, Weekly Standard
Limiting Power’s ‘Natural Tendencies’ – New York Times editorial

Continue reading "21 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

The SWJ asked Lieutenant Colonel Robert M. Cassidy if he would be so kind as to share his professional reading list with our community. He agreed and we are pleased to post it here, as well as a listing of Cassidy’s publications.

Robert Cassidy is a U.S. Army officer. He is a member of the Royal United Services Institute and a fellow with the Center for Advanced Defense Studies. He has a Ph.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and the Diplome d' Étude Supérieure de Défense from the French Joint Defense College. He is the author of Peacekeeping in the Abyss: British and American Peacekeeping Doctrine and Practice after the Cold War and Counterinsurgency and the Global War on Terror: Military Culture and Irregular War.

His articles on small wars and military culture have appeared in Parameters, the RUSI Journal, Small Wars and Insurgencies, Military Review, the Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, and Defense Concepts. ..

Continue reading "Robert Cassidy’s Reading List" »

"Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."

"Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks, for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation, for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war, for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed, for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us."

"And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions, to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord. To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and Us, and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best."

"Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789."

--President George Washington, 3 October 1789

And a news item reflecting what those of us here at SWJ are giving thanks for today and everyday: US Reports ‘Phenomenal’ Drop in Iraq Violence - Stephen Fidler, Financial Times.

Violence in Iraq has fallen at a rate that has surprised military commanders and even one of the architects of the “surge” that boosted US troop numbers in the country this year, according to figures gathered by the US.

The figures show the numbers of suicide attacks, roadside bombings, mortar and other attacks on US forces and on the Iraqi population have more than halved since 30,000 extra troops in June...

What the Pilgrims Saw in 1620 – Wall Street Journal editorial
Worthy to Be Remembered – Washington Times editorial
Celebrating a Uniquely American Holiday – Miami Herald editorial
For Which We Give Thanks - New York Post editorial
A Soldier's Thanksgiving Overseas – Matthew Strasser, Miami Herald
Pause to Bless - Michelle Malkin, New York Post
A Soldier's Thanksgiving - Gary Bauer, Human Events
American Foreign Policy - Tim Montgomerie, London Times
The Art of (Hip-Hop) Diplomacy – John Ferguson, Christian Science Monitor
The Kosovo Conundrum – London Daily Telegraph editorial
Musharraf and the Con Game – Robert Kagan, Washington Post
Trying to Save Lebanon, Again – New York Times editorial
Spark in Lebanon – Washington Post editorial
Ian Smith Has Sadly Been Proven Right - Graham Boynton, London Daily Telegraph
The Skeleton in ASEAN’s Closet – Boston Globe editorial
Let Them Eat JDAMs – William Arkin, Washington Post
The United Nations is Always Right – Maggie Gallagher, Real Clear Politics
U.N. Further Weakens Human Rights Council - Brett Schaefer, Human Events
Putin’s Version of Democracy – Simon Tisdall, Guardian
Human Rights at Risk – Joshua Rubenstein, Boston Globe

Continue reading "22 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Anne Flaherty of the Associated Press offers a sneak preview on the remarks retired US Army Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez will make in this Saturday’s weekly Democratic radio address.

“Retired Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top commander in Iraq shortly after the fall of Baghdad, said this week he supports Democratic legislation that calls for most troops to come home within a year…

“The improvements in security produced by the courage and blood of our troops have not been matched by a willingness on the part of Iraqi leaders to make the hard choices necessary to bring peace to their country…

“There is no evidence that the Iraqis will choose to do so in the near future or that we have an ability to force that result.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office issued a media advisory on Sanchez’s remarks yesterday. Here are the excerpts authorized for immediate release.

“The keys to securing the future of Iraq are aggressive regional diplomacy, political reconciliation and economic hope. Yet, as our current commanders in Iraq have recently noted, the improvements in security produced by the courage and blood of our troops have not been matched by a willingness on the part of Iraqi leaders to make the hard choices necessary to bring peace to their country. There is no evidence that the Iraqis will choose to do so in the near future or that we have an ability to force that result…

“Our Army and Marine Corps are struggling with changing deployment schedules that are disrupting combat readiness training and straining the patience and daily lives of military families. It will take the Army at least a decade to repair the damage done to its full spectrum readiness, which is at its lowest level since the Vietnam War. In the meantime, the ability of our military to fully execute our national security strategy will be called into doubt, producing what is, in my judgment, unacceptable strategic risk…

“The funding bill passed by the House of Representatives last week, with a bipartisan vote, makes the proper preparation of our deploying troops a priority and requires the type of shift in their mission that will allow their numbers to be reduced substantially.”

More on Saturday...

Continue reading "Sanchez to Give Dem Radio Reply" »

On Iraq, A State of Denial – Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post
The Democrat’s Iraq Quagmire – Kenneth Timmerman, Washington Times
None Dare Call it ‘Victory’ – Cal Thomas, Washington Times
Iraq Improving, Will Neocon Ideas Return? – Victor Davis Hanson, Real Clear Politics
Iraq Refugee Flow to U.S. Increases - to a Trickle – USA Today editorial
Injustice in the Line of Duty – Washington Times editorial
Afghanistan’s Slow Gains – Bill O’Reilly, New York Post
Digging in Deeper in Pakistan – New York Times editorial
Harper’s Pakistan Push – Toronto Star editorial
Careful Thinking on Pakistan - Viola Herms Drath, Washington Times
Musharraf and Bhutto Must Work Together – London Times editorial
Beirut is Not Tehran – Exum and McInerney, Washington Post
Place Hariri Trial on Fast Track – Michael Young, Daily Star
Needed: A Cease-Fire with Hamas, Now - Yossi Belin, Washington Post
Why Annapolis Peace Talks Raise Hopes – Bronwen Maddox, London Times
A Stronger Abbas? – Jerusalem Post editorial
Sense on Settlements – Jerusalem Post editorial
Israel’s Most ‘Moderate’ Arab – Evelyn Gordon, Jerusalem Post
Bahrain Feels Heat from Iran – Con Coughlin, London Daily Telegraph
How to Save Darfur – William Reed, Washington Times
China and Sudan - Atallah and Shapiro, Washington Times
Talking to Ourselves on China – William Hawkins, Washington Times
Bangladeshi Human Rights – Diana West, Washington Times
Buffeted in Bangladesh – Greg Victor, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Spain and Latin America – Barry Casselman, Washington Times
Cambodia’s Delayed Justice – New York Post editorial
Manned and Unmanned in the Air – Austin Bay, Washington Times
British Army Needs and Deserves More Money – London Daily Telegraph editorial
What Should We Call the Enemy? – Timothy Garton Graft, Guardian

Continue reading "23 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Dr. Marcus Griffin on the American Anthropological Association Executive Board’s Statement on the Human Terrain System Project - Andrew Exum and Stephen McInerney on Lebanon - BBC interview with Dr. Dave Kilcullen - tons on the new Pakistan COIN strategy from Bill Roggio, Phil Carter and Westhawk - more on LTG Sanchez’s Democratic radio address - ZenPundit’s new home and look - John Robb now officially a Best and Brightest - and Max Boot on Army promotions…

Continue reading "Black Friday SWJ Odds and Ends" »

It’s the Tribes, Stupid! – Robert Kaplan, The Atlantic
Don't Dismiss Arab Public Sentiment - Rami Khouri, Daily Star
The War in Washington – Chicago Tribune editorial
How Goes the War? – Paul Greenberg, Washington Times
Benching Iraq Benchmarks – Charles Krauthammer, National Review
Through Iraq’s Cloud Cover – Victor Davis Hanson, Washington Times
Thinking Beyond Annapolis Peace Conference – New York Times editorial
Feint Hopes for Middle East Peace – London Daily Telegraph editorial
Making this Mideast Summit Worthwhile - Los Angeles Times editorial
Annapolis: Low Expectations for Peace – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
A Separate Peace with Syria – Boston Globe editorial
Middle East Peace Remains Elusive - Shlomo Ben-Ami, Daily Star
America Holds Key to Mideast Peace - Anatol Lieven, Financial Times
Careful Wishing on Pakistan - Viola Herms Drath, Washington Times
Looking Toward Zimbabwe’s Future – Michelle Gavin, Washington Post
The Colombia Comeback – Rich Lowry, National Review
Venezuela's Path to Self-Destruction - William Ratliff, Los Angeles Times
Brown Must Think Again About Military – London Times editorial
Defence Underfunded for Years – Charles Guthrie, London Daily Telegraph
Let Gaddafi Pitch His Tent – London Times editorial
A World without Nukes - Inderfurth and Riedel, Boston Globe
Railroading a Journalist in Iraq – Tom Curley, Washington Post

Continue reading "24 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

In an earlier post we linked to a Fredericksburg Free Lance Star interview with Colonel Dan Kelly, Director of the new Marine Corps Center for Irregular Warfare. At that time we could not locate a web page for the CIW – this morning we did. From the index page:

Mission

The Center for Irregular Warfare (CIW) is the central Marine Corps agency for identifying, coordinating, and implementing irregular warfare capability development initiatives across all elements of DOTMLPF in order to increase, improve, and enhance Marine Corps capabilities and capacities to conduct operations across the spectrum of war against irregular threats.

Intent

USMC CIW improves IW and related capabilities across the entire operational spectrum with particular emphasis on the irregular operational challenges by researching best practices, supporting doctrinal development, providing subject matter expertise to leaders and organizations, and by coordinating and supporting improvement and integration of IW tenets into training and education programs and curricula. CIW conducts outreach to other military and civilian entities with a shared interest in irregular warfare and non-kinetic effects operations.

Be sure to check out the IW 101 slide presentation. Other material includes the CIW Charter, the IW Joint Operating Concept and the QDR Roadmap. It appears the CIW will also begin producing a monthly newsletter in the near future.

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "Marine Corps Center for Irregular Warfare" »

Continue reading "Food for Thought Sunday" »

The Case for Facing Facts in Iraq - Charles Peters, Newsweek Magazine
Let’s Hear it for the Good News from Iraq – Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe
Democrats in Denial on Iraq - Jack Kelly, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Afghanistan Too Easy to Forget - Bill O'Reilly, Boston Herald
Mideast Appointment in Annapolis – Washington Post editorial
Annapolis: ME Peace in Reach – Gershon Baskin, Baltimore Sun
Bush Leaves it Late for Palestine – Con Coughlin, London Daily Telegraph
Annapolis: Dose of Realism Would Help - Haroon Siddiqui, Toronto Star
America’s Great Palestinian Illusion – Efrain Inbar, Jerusalem Post
Annapolis: Israelis Are Not Suckers - Uzi Benziman, Haaretz
Case for Illegal Mingling in the ME – Thomas Freidman, New York Times
Jaw-Jawing with Iran - Boston Herald editorial
Iran’s Future – Jonathan Last, Philadelphia Inquirer
Lebanon’s Controlled Chaos - Karim Makdisi, Guardian
Back to the Brink in the Balkans – Richard Holbrooke, Washington Post
Kosovo: Birth of a Nation – Anna Di Lellio, Guardian
Dismantling Democracy - James Zumwalt, Washington Times
Ian Smith's Obstinacy Cost Zimbabwe - David Dimbleby, London Daily Telegraph
It is Proper to Challenge Islam – Jemima Khan, London Daily Telegraph
How Condescension Benefits Terrorism – Nick Cohen, Guardian
Congress Should OK Colombia Trade Deal - Barry McCaffrey, Miami Herald
Cubans Cling to Faith - Jorge Mas Canosa, Miami Herald
Shameful Dereliction of Duty – London Daily Telegraph editorial
Thanksgiving at Turtle Bay – Oliver North, Washington Times
McCain’s NWC Homework – Matt Welch, Los Angeles Times
Guantanamo's Newest Critic – Boston Globe editorial

Continue reading "25 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Continue reading "Baghdad Briefing 21 November 2007" »

Reports and commentary over the last several months have indicated that signs (benchmarks) of Iraqi national political reconciliation would include movement on legislative initiatives such as the oil framework law, revenue sharing, and de-Baathification reform. Yesterday the New York Times reported that military success of late has outpaced Iraqi political gains resulting in the U.S. administration lowering its expectations of political settlement and instead focusing on more achievable near-term goals.

Steven Lee Meyers and Alissa Rubin - U.S. Scales Back Political Goals for Iraqi Unity.

… administration officials say they are focusing their immediate efforts on several more limited but achievable goals in the hope of convincing Iraqis, foreign governments and Americans that progress is being made toward the political breakthroughs that the military campaign of the past 10 months was supposed to promote.

The short-term American targets include passage of a $48 billion Iraqi budget, something the Iraqis say they are on their way to doing anyway; renewing the United Nations mandate that authorizes an American presence in the country, which the Iraqis have done repeatedly before; and passing legislation to allow thousands of Baath Party members from Saddam Hussein’s era to rejoin the government. A senior Bush administration official described that goal as largely symbolic since rehirings have been quietly taking place already.

… administration officials have not abandoned their larger goals and emphasize the importance of reaching them eventually. They say that even modest steps, taken soon, could set the stage for more progress, in the same manner that this year’s troop “surge” opened the way, unexpectedly, for drawing Sunni tribesmen to the American side.

Voice of America reported that Iraq's parliament began discussing a draft law Sunday that would ease job restrictions on former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath party. But a political faction loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr jeered and raised objections that halted the presentation of the bill. It is the first time this year that Iraq's parliament has debated a major bill that Washington hopes will promote reconciliation among Shi'ites, Sunnis and Kurds. The proposed law would make it easier for former Baathists, many of them Sunnis, to apply for jobs in the Iraqi government.

Zaid Sabah and Sudarsan Raghavan have more at the Washington Post.

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "US Sets New Political Goals for Iraq" »

Unheralded Military Successes – Robert Kaplan, Los Angeles Times
Promoting Innovation in the US Army - Fred Kaplan, Slate
Protecting American Freedom in Wartime – Nat Hentoff, Washington Times
Iraqi Homecoming - New York Post editorial
Democrat’s Iraq Denial – Donald Lambro, Washington Times
The Surge against the Surge - Noemie Emery, Weekly Standard
Iraqi: Beyond the Drop in Violence - Amir Taheri, New York Post
Australia Exits Coalition of Willing - The Nation editorial
Obama Is Right on Iran - Shelby Steele, Wall Street Journal
What Pakistan Needs – Oakley and Yaphe, Washington Post
Start Normalizing – Jerusalem Post editorial
The Annapolis Summit – Washington Times editorial
The Middle East’s Middle Ground – Christian Science Monitor editorial
Annapolis: Bush’s Best Hope – Roger Cohen, New York Times
Obstacles and Opportunities for ME Peace – James Carroll, Boston Globe
A Small Mideast Step - Peter Brookes, New York Post
Annapolis is Just the First Step - Aaron David Miller, Los Angeles Times
Annapolis: The Cost of Failure – Henry Siegman, New York Review of Books
Don’t Ignore Hamas – Yossi Beilin, Christian Science Monitor
Syria: Bull in the China Shop – Barry Rubin, Jerusalem Post
Middle East is Moscow’s Ticket - Konstantin Eggert, Daily Star
An Egyptian Makes the Case for America - Mona Charen, Creators Syndicate
Lebanon Looking into the Abyss – Michael Young, Daily Star
Where Boys Grow Up to be Jihadis – Andrea Elliott, New York Times
The Hair of the Balkan Dog – Ed Morrissey, Captain’s Quarters
Russia: The Net Tightens – Washington Post editorial
A Comeback for Communism – Steve Chapman, Real Clear Politics
Murtha’s Mistake was Slandering Marine Corps – Christian Lowe, Weekly Standard

Continue reading "26 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Continue reading "26 November Iraq Briefing" »

Links:

US Africa Command

General William E. Ward - Commander, US AFRICOM

Ambassador Mary C. Yates - Deputy Commander for Civilian-Military Activities

Admiral Robert T. Moeller - Deputy Commander for Military Operations

Continue reading "Conversation with General William Ward, U.S. Africa Command" »

America’s Image: Persuading Them – James Traub, New York Times
At Peace with Pax Americana – Jonah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times
To Win the Peace, Restore the Peace Corps - Obermayer and Quigley, Baltimore Sun
Dems March Backwards on Foreign Policy – James Kirchick, Politico
Ideology Was Bush's Undoing - Patrick Buchanan, Real Clear Politics
The Real Goal at Annapolis – Mohamad Bazzi, Christian Science Monitor
Condi’s Road to Damascus – Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal
Bush’s Clarity – Jerusalem Post editorial
Annapolis: Just Keep Talking – London Times editorial
Middle East Muddle - New York Post editorial
The Syrian Peace Track – Baltimore Sun editorial
Beyond the Reach of Annapolis – Richard Cohen, Washington Post
No Lasting Peace - Ralph Peters, New York Post
Annapolis Summit Requires Willpower – Tim Butcher, London Daily Telegraph
The Day after Annapolis – Dennis Ross, USA Today
Making History in the Middle East – H.D.S. Greenway, Boston Globe
Farce in Annapolis – Andrew McCarthy, National Review
Mideast Summit Success Could Pay - Emily Hauser, Chicago Tribune
Annapolis: Set Realistic Aims – Ghassan Khatib, Daily Star
Gang Rape in Annapolis – Frank Gaffney Jr., Washington Times
Bush’s Big Moment in Annapolis - Zev Chafets, Los Angeles Times
Give Annapolis a Chance? – National Review Q&A
Give Peace Summit a Chance - Raafat Dajani, Daily Star
Fire and Water in Gaza - Maher Najjar, Washington Post
Peace Parks and Pipe Dreams – Dan Diker, Jerusalem Post
Democracy Myth, Fantasy Pakistan – Stanley Kurtz, National Review
Justice, Saudi Style – USA Today editorial
Desperate Somalia – Washington Post editorial
Darfur's Path to Peace - Shane Bauer, San Francisco Chronicle
Venezuela's Future in the Balance - Miami Herald editorial
Corruption Rooted in Cuban Society - Oscar Espinosa Chepe, Miami Herald
Covering Customs in Turkey - Tulin Daloglu, Washington Times
Exit, Russian Democracy – New York Times editorial
Putin’s Potemkin Election – Christian Science Monitor editorial
Russia’s New Old Dissidents – Anne Applebaum, Washington Post
Globalization: Follow the Fundamentals – David Brooks, New York Times
No Defence for Des Browne – Liz Hunt, London Daily Telegraph
Howard’s End – National Review editorial
John Howard's Great Run - New York Post editorial
Howard: Another Bush Ally Out - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
Australia: Defence and Environment – Nicholas Stuart, Canberra Times
John Bolton: Principled Public Servant - Sol Schindler, Washington Times
A Muslim Belongs in the Cabinet – Mansoor Ijaz, Christian Science Monitor
Iran: Columbia’s Concern – John McCormick, Weekly Standard
Anti-America Americans - Carlos Alberto Montaner, Miami Herald

Continue reading "27 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Lieutenant General Ricardo S. Sanchez, U.S. Army (retired) served as the commander of coalition forces in Iraq (CJTF 7 / MNF-I) from June 2003 to June 2004. He delivered the weekly Democratic radio address this morning. We begin with the transcript of Sanchez's address and follow with some background and what we term a "quick-look" reaction.

Transcript

“Good morning, this is Lieutenant General Ricardo S. Sanchez, U.S. Army, retired.

“I speak to you today, not as a representative of the Democratic Party, but as a retired military officer who is a former commander of the Multi-National Force Iraq. In that capacity, I saw firsthand the consequences of the Administration’s failure to devise a strategy for victory in Iraq that employed, in a coordinated manner, the political, economic, diplomatic, and military power of the United States. That failure continues today. At its base is the mistaken belief, despite years of evidence to the contrary, that victory can be achieved through the application of military power alone.

Much more..

Continue reading "Sanchez Delivers Democratic Party Weekly Radio Address (Updated)" »

By Captain Tim Hsia, U.S. Army

Years from now after the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have ended; historians will pore over the operations and tactics of the U.S. Army during both campaigns. They will likely applaud the all-volunteer force and the courage of the individual soldier; just as likely, however, they will criticize the lack of information sharing and management between the militarily and civilian departments of the U.S. government. Specifically, they will note the military’s poor record in information management, accessibility of intelligence gathered, and the inability to apply years of accumulated intelligence to current battlefield operations. A way to patch the current intelligence gap within the U.S. government would be to adopt an information collection program that accumulates data similar to major internet stock market trackers. Market trackers absorb information continuously, rigorously track trends, and enable traders to formulate decisions based off the latest news combined with historical data. The ability of market trackers to store and quickly recall historical data should be mimicked by the U.S. government so that commanders and diplomats possess relevant records that enable them to make decisions which take into account the economic, historical, cultural, political, anthropological, and environmental aspects of the region they are operating within...

Continue reading "Intelligence Collection and Sharing (Updated)" »

Confronting Iran
Securing Iraq’s Border:
An Irregular Warfare Concept

By Brigadier General David L. Grange (U.S. Army ret.) and Scott Swanson, MSI

Special to Small Wars Journal

Contributions by Major General John Singlaub (U.S. Army ret.), Billy Waugh (U.S. Army Special Forces ret.), Rowdy Yeats (U.S. Army Special Forces ret.) and Chuck de Caro (U.S. Army Special Forces ret.)

Excerpt

Background

Iran is intentionally employing disruptive, anti-US activities that complicate the peace process in the Iraqi Freedom Theater of operation. Iran's actions kill US personnel, drain resources, and compromise stability in the region. While these actions – particularly cross-border activities into Iraq – are a significant menace, international attention to Iran's destabilizing efforts has largely been overshadowed by concerns about its uranium enrichment program, which has garnered the priority for debate, diplomacy, and sanctions. The US could, however, confront Iran’s hostile actions in Iraq by addressing their illegal border movements with a regional special operations strategy that can work in conjunction with the nuclear proliferation conflict. Findings from some historical successes and challenges in Special Operations Forces (SOF) efforts during previous conflicts offer possible solutions for the Iraq/Iran border today that can be expanded to other border issues with Iraq/Turkey, Afghanistan/Pakistan, and Iraq/Syria. These border issues are related to Iran’s regional influence capabilities and offer an excellent platform for the US to deter some key Iranian endeavors...

Continue reading "Confronting Iran: Securing Iraq's Border (Updated)" »

Remarks as Delivered by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, Manhattan, Kansas, Monday, November 26, 2007

Full Transcript – Department of Defense

Video - Kansas State University

Audio - Kansas State University

Excerpt (SWJ Links and Bolded Emphasis Inserted)

… In 1968, the first full year I lived in Washington, was the same year as the Tet offensive in Vietnam, where American troop levels and casualties were at their height. Across the nation, protests and violence over Vietnam engulfed America’s cities and campuses. On my second day of work as a CIA analyst, the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia. And then came the 1970s - when it seemed that everything that could go wrong for America did.

Yet, through it all, there was another storyline, one not then apparent. During those same years, the elements were in place and forces were at work that would eventually lead to victory in the Cold War - a victory achieved not by any one party or any single president, but by a series of decisions, choices, and institutions that bridged decades, generations, and administrations…

Continue reading "SECDEF Gates Address at Kansas State University" »

6 Questions for Macgregor on Iraq and the “Surge” – Ken Silverstein, Harpers
The Failures of Lt. Gen. Sanchez – Jack Kelly, Real Clear Politics
Caution: Taliban Crossing – Arthur Keller, New York Times
U.S. and Iran - Vallely and Gedrich, Washington Times
Iran: No Profit from New Cold War - Ali-Asghar Kazemi, Daily Star
An Opening in Annapolis – Washington Post editorial
Starting from Annapolis – New York Times editorial
Make Annapolis Work - Jerusalem Post editorial
After Annapolis – Boston Globe editorial
Annapolis Lays Ground for Progress – USA Today editorial
Handshakes and Empty Words at Annapolis – National Review editorial
Give Peace a Chance – The Australian editorial
Oasis or Mirage? – Thomas Freidman, New York Times
Another Piece Summit – Cal Thomas, Washington Times
How Annapolis Helps – David Ignatius, Washington Post
What's Plan B? - Daoud Kuttab, Daily Star
Mideast Policies – Harlan Ullman, Washington Times
Annapolis and History of Abject Failure – Gideon Rachman, Financial Times
Annapolis: The Cost of Failure – Henry Siegman, New York Review of Books
Annapolis: Madrid on Tranquilizers - Rami Khouri, Daily Star
Still Time for Mideast Peace – Aaron David Miller, Canberra Times
Knotty Issues at Annapolis – Helle Dale, Washington Times
Grooming the Next Ahmad Chalabi – Alan Weisman, Los Angeles Times
Saudi Arabia: Crime and Punishment - Schwartz and Al-Alawi, Weekly Standard
Ghosts of Rwanda – Michael Gerson, Washington Post
PRC – Taiwan: Peace through Confusion – Paul Greenberg, Washington Times
Venezuela Veers Towards Dictatorship – Los Angeles Times editorial
Venezuela: Comeback for Communism – Steve Chapman, Washington Times
Give Venezuela Credit - Angelo Rivero Santos, Los Angeles Times
Youth of Venezuela Rise Up – Christian Science Monitor editorial
Ensure Transparency in Terrorism Trials - Miami Herald editorial

Continue reading "28 November SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Answer the following six questions concerning Iraq and the “surge” then head on over to Harpers Magazine to read Colonel Douglas Macgregor’s (US Army, ret.) reply to these questions as posed by Ken Silverstein.

1. How big of a change has there been in recent months in the military situation in Iraq?

2. Has the “surge” in troop levels played an important role here as well?

3. So is the problem in Iraq one of refining counterinsurgency tactics?

4. How will this play out in terms of Iraqi political reconciliation?

5. What’s the likelihood of a future full-out clash between Iraqi Sunnis and Shiites?

6. What’s Iraq going to look like five years down the road?

Douglas Macgregor is a retired Army colonel and a decorated Persian Gulf War combat veteran who was an active duty officer (and Pentagon advisor) until 2004. He has authored three books on modern warfare and military reform. His latest is Transformation under Fire: Revolutionizing the Way America Fights. He is also authored Breaking the Phalanx: A New Design for Landpower in the 21st Century.

Macgregor writes for the Straus Military Reform Project at the Center for Defense Information in Washington, D.C. He recently replied by email to a series of questions about the current situation, and future prospects, in Iraq.

Hat tip to Small Wars Council member LTC Gian Gentile for the pointer.

His [Macgregor] answers are not of the "matrix" and as usual challenge conventional wisdom. Considering the MG Scales Op-Ed on culmination, Macgregor's answers offer up a different conceptualization of the war in Iraq and the way ahead.

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Continue reading "Six Questions for Doug Macgregor" »

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ZARQA, Jordan (Army News Service, Nov. 28, 2007) - Arabic cultural-awareness training from Third U.S. Army/U.S. Army Central and the Jordanian Armed Forces is now available to all American service-members...

Continue reading "Arabic Cultural-Awareness Training Now Available" »

Noah Shachtman's Wired article - How Technology Almost Lost the War: In Iraq, the Critical Networks Are Social — Not Electronic.

The future of war began with an act of faith. In 1991, Navy captain Arthur Cebrowski met John Garstka, a captain in the Air Force, at a McLean, Virginia, Bible-study class. The two quickly discovered they shared more than just their conservative Catholic beliefs. They both had an interest in military strategy. And they were both geeks: Cebrowski — who'd been a math major in college, a fighter pilot in Vietnam, and an aircraft carrier commander during Desert Storm — was fascinated with how information technologies could make fighter jocks more lethal. Garstka — a Stanford-trained engineer — worked on improving algorithms used to track missiles.

Over the next several years, the two men traded ideas and compared experiences. They visited businesses embracing the information revolution, ultimately becoming convinced that the changes sweeping the corporate world had applications for the military as well. The Defense Department wasn't blind to the power of networks, of course — the Internet began as a military project, after all, and each branch of the armed services had ongoing "digitization" programs. But no one had ever crystallized what the information age might offer the Pentagon quite like Cebrowski and Garstka did. In an article for the January 1998 issue of the naval journal Proceedings, "Network-Centric Warfare: Its Origin and Future," they not only named the philosophy but laid out a new direction for how the US would think about war...

And yet, here we are. The American military is still mired in Iraq. It's still stuck in Afghanistan, battling a resurgent Taliban. Rumsfeld has been forced out of the Pentagon. Dan Halutz, the Israeli Defense Forces chief of general staff and net-centric advocate who led the largely unsuccessful war in Lebanon in 2006, has been fired, too. In the past six years, the world's most technologically sophisticated militaries have gone up against three seemingly primitive foes — and haven't won once.

How could this be? The network-centric approach had worked pretty much as advertised. Even the theory's many critics admit net-centric combat helped make an already imposing American military even more effective at locating and killing its foes. The regimes of Saddam Hussein and Mullah Omar were broken almost instantly. But network-centric warfare, with its emphasis on fewer, faster-moving troops, turned out to be just about the last thing the US military needed when it came time to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan. A small, wired force leaves generals with too few nodes on the military network to secure the peace. There aren't enough troops to go out and find informants, build barricades, rebuild a sewage treatment plant, and patrol a marketplace...

Much more, well worth the read...

Discuss at Small Wars Council

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The Gates Critique – Boston Globe editorial
Iraq Must Seize Precious Opportunity – Anthony Cordesman, Financial Times
Bush Isn’t the Only Decider on Iraq – Bruce Ackerman, Los Angeles Times
Iraq Accountability Due – David Limbaugh, Washington Times
Public Sees Progress in War – Pew Research Center
Good News on Bush’s Watch? – Rosa Brooks, Los Angeles Times
Al Qaeda’s Emerging Defeat – Austin Bay, Real Clear Politics
Rewarding One's Friends - Robert Scheer, San Francisco Chronicle
Military Readiness and Waging War – John Brinkerhoff, Washington Times
A Few Good People – Victor Davis Hanson, Real Clear Politics
A Tribute to Howard – Greg Sheridan, <