New Year's Celebration, Baghdad Style - Peter Graff, Reuters
Looking at America - New York Times editorial
RIP: Protest films, E-porn and Bimbos - Jonah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times
Gen. Petraeus: Man with a Message of Hope – London Daily Telegraph editorial
Battle of Ideas – Daniel Davis, Washington Times
Don't Assume Democracy is Best for All - Richard Gwyn, Toronto Star
Bridge this Religious Divide - Oliver Thomas, USA Today
Why We're in the Gulf – Walter Russell Mead, Wall Street Journal
Turkey – U.S. Cooperation – Tulin Daloghu, Washington Times
Afghan Medals Needed – London Daily Telegraph editorial
Crisis in Kenya – Washington Post editorial
Commonwealth Should Take Lead Against Kenya – London Daily Telegraph editorial
Kenya’s Crude Subversion of Democracy – The Independent editorial
A Bitter New Chapter for Kenya – Richard Dowden, London Times
Kenyans Victims of Outrage – Salim Lone, The Independent
Shattered Bhuttos - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
The Future Pakistan Deserves – Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Washington Post
‘Loss of a Very Great Lady' – Harlan Ullman, Washington Times
U.S. Impotent with Pakistan - Patrick Buchanan, Real Clear Politics
Darkness Closes in on Pakistan – Piers Akerman, Sydney Daily Telegraph
Bhutto Killing Caps West’s Year of Failure – Gabor Steingart, Der Spiegel
Diplomats Spurned Bhutto's Pleas - Robert Novak, New York Post
The True Colors of Benazir Bhutto – Imaduddin Ahmed, Boston Globe
Hicks is Guilty until Proven Innocent – Peter Faris, The Australian
The Hicks Fan Club is in Denial – Gerard Henderson, Sydney Morning Herald

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

Where to get thoughtful and balanced analysis and information in the chaos? The international newspapers are timid and getting second-hand info at best. Many of the blogs are obviously partisan.

Kenyan Jurist is a legal practitioner in Kenya with a superbly thoughtful set of posts on the legal reasons and implications of President Kibaki's haste to be re-sworn in, past election cases and the politicization of the courts, legality of media bans, and other legal aspects of the electoral process (here too). This blog is at the top of my reading list this week. (HT: Shakara)

Several of the bloggers on Kenya Imagine are clearly making efforts to see both sides, even when they fall into one camp or the other. Daniel Rubia points out that Raila's behavior has been less than statesmanlike, and it is not helping. Kamale T pleads with Raila and his party to share publicly their evidence of rigging.

The Daily Nation's coverage is demonstrating the strength and independence of the Kenyan media. Let's hope they keep it up. An editorial asks both leaders to come to their senses. Macharia Gaitho tells Raila what he can do to help stop the violence.

Yale graduate student Ryan Sheely has thoughtful daily insights.

Thinker's Room has some interesting commentary on and background to the violence.

Kumekucha is very pro-ODM, but this post is worth viewing for its allegedly doctored vote tally sheer.

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "Kenya on the Brink" »

Sneak Preview: Iraq and the Evolution of American Strategy by Dr. Steven Metz.

Preface

Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement; then it becomes a mistress, and then it becomes a master, and then a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster, and fling him out to the public.

-- Winston Churchill

Like most Americans, I thought little about Iraq before the summer of 1990. Having spent my entire adult life teaching and writing about national security I could not, of course, ignore it entirely. I knew a horrific war took place there in the 1980s but its most intense images were of slaughtered Iranian youth, not the bluster of mustachioed Iraqi generals. Like most Americans, I was perplexed that a regime like the one in Teheran, inured to suffering and driven to barbarity by religious fervor, could exist in the modern world. It was so out of place, almost surreal, an echo of a different time. As a student of the Third World, though, I found Saddam Hussein lamentably familiar and, in Hannah Arendt's word, "banal." I knew of many more like him, from Mobutu to Ceausescu. They littered the world. But even this perception—as wrong as it turned out to be--was only a passing thought. I remained immersed in other regions, other issues, other problems. Iraq was peripheral, best left for Middle East experts (which I am not)...

Continue reading "Sneak Preview: Iraq and the Evolution of American Strategy" »

Terror on the Run - Ralph Peters, New York Post
Iraq: 4,000 Sacrificed to Vindicate 3,000 - Tony Blankley, Washington Times
Prophetic Briefing - F. Andy Messing, Washington Times
A Hunger For America - Moisés Naím, Washington Post
Is Our Aid Making Us Safer? - Jim Kolbe, Baltimore Sun
Speak Subtly to Pakistan - Boston Globe editorial
After Bhutto - Los Angeles Times editorial
Democracy Mustn't Wait in Pakistan - London Daily Telegraph editorial
Open Letter to Bhutto's Son - Los Angeles Times editorial
Bhutto Assassinated Because She was a Women – Pamela Bone, The Australian
No, Things Aren't Falling Apart in Pakistan - Amir Taheri, New York Post
Islamist Expansion in Pakistan - Trudy Rubin, Baltimore Sun
A Patriot's Tragic Death - Cal Thomas, Washington Times
Bhutto Dynasty: Grotesque, Medieval Charade - Tariq Ali, Canberra Times
Peril in Pakistan - John O'Sullivan, New York Post
'Person of the Year' - Helle Dale, Washington Times
Can Pakistan Bring Back Stability? - Ravi Khanna, Voice of America
Sudan: China, Helicopters and Genocide - Los Angeles Times roundtable
Sustainable Peace in Sudan - David Phillips, Boston Globe
Libya's Inconvenient Truth - Mohamed Eljahmi, Washington Post
Kosovo Train-wreck Warnings - James Lyons, Washington Times
Slovenia in the Spotlight - Ian Bancroft, Guardian
We Must do More for Burma - Rosa Davis, Guardian
The Man to push Putin Aside - Giles Whittell, London Times
Stonewalled by the CIA - Kean and Hamilton, New York Times
Precarious Lives of China's Dissidents - Ellen Bork, Weekly Standard
North Korea Stalls - San Francisco Chronicle editorial
North Korea: Getting Out - Will England, Baltimore Sun

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

Ambition and Horror in Kenya - New York Times editorial
Bad Start for Africa - The Australian editorial
Step Back, Kenya - London Times editorial
Kenya's Thwarted Vote for Change - Toronto Star editorial
Kenya's Turmoil: Torn Along Tribal Lines - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
Keeping Kenya Democratic - Boston Globe editorial
Kenya: From Fraud to Tragedy - Guardian editorial
How S. Africa Can Alter Africa - Christian Science Monitor editorial
The Future of African Democracy - David Blair, London Daily Telegraph
Kenya Crisis Years in the Making - Richard Dowden, The Australian
Pakistan's Postponement - Washington Post editorial
Time Out in Pakistan - New York Post editorial
Postponed Elections Will Benefit Musharraf - Bronwen Maddox, London Times
U.S. Needs to Get Tough with Pakistan - Peter Galbraith, Boston Globe
Musharraf Must Go - Bill Richardson, Boston Globe
Pakistan is Not a Pro-Western Democracy - Justine Hardy, National Review
Australia Can Broker in Pakistan - Bruce Haigh, Canberra Times
Dumb And Dumber in Pakistan - Reuben Johnson, Weekly Standard
Inheriting the Bhutto Brand Name - Haroon Siddiqui, Toronto Star
A Dynasty isn't a Democracy - Rosa Brooks, Los Angeles Times
What 'Good Time Charlie' Brought - Robert Scheer, San Francisco Chronicle
Iran's Dangerous Nuke Game - Peter Brookes, New York Post
Unveiling the PKK - Bruce Fein, Washington Times
N. Korea Misses a Deadline - USA Today editorial
Diplomatic Charade with N. Korea - Nicholas Eberstadt, USA Today
Steps Toward Progress, Peace in Colombia - Marifeli Pérez-Stable, Miami Herald
The World in Which We Live - Paul Greenberg, Washington Times
CIA Tapes: Mr. Mukasey's Move - Washington Post editorial
Right Move on the CIA Tapes - New York Times editorial
Torture Lawsuit - Philadelphia Inquirer editorial
No Defence for Military Flaws - Ian McPhedran, Sydney Daily Telegraph
Guns in the Cockpit - Tracy Price, Washington Times

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

Continue reading "Iraq and Afghanistan Briefings" »

The Winter 2007 - 2008 issue of the US Army War College’s Parameters is posted.

Parameters, a refereed journal of ideas and issues, provides a forum for the expression of mature thought on the art and science of land warfare, joint and combined matters, national and international security affairs, military strategy, military leadership and management, military history, ethics, and other topics of significant and current interest to the US Army and Department of Defense.

Here is the line-up:

In This Issue - Parameters Editors

Afghanistan: Regaining Momentum by Ali A. Jalali

On the sixth anniversary of the US-led military invasion, Afghanistan is faced with its worst crisis since the ouster of the Taliban in 2001. There are increasing concerns, both internationally and domestically, that Afghanistan faces the distinct possibility of sliding back into instability and chaos. The country is challenged by a revitalized Taliban-led insurgency, record rise in drug production, deterioration of the rule of law, and weakening national government in the regions outside the major cities.

New Challenges and Old Concepts: Understanding 21st Century Insurgency by Steven Metz

From the 1960s to the 1980s stopping Communist-backed insurgents was an important part of American strategy, so counterinsurgency was an important mission for the US military, particularly the Army. Even when most of the Army turned its attention to large-scale warfighting and the operational art following Vietnam, special operation forces preserved some degree of capability. In the 1980s American involvement in El Salvador and a spate of insurgencies around the world linked to the Soviets and Chinese sparked renewed interest in counterinsurgency operations (as a component of low-intensity conflict). By 1990 what could be called the El Salvador model of counterinsurgency, based on a limited US military footprint in conjunction with the strengthening of local security forces, became codified in strategy and doctrine.

US COIN Doctrine and Practice: An Ally’s Perspective by Alexander Alderson

Until very recently, the four and a half years of military operations in Iraq appeared to have created an obstacle in people’s minds. Rightly or wrongly, reality has subsumed theory, and because of the media coverage Iraq has received, counterinsurgency is now seen as nothing but an indescribably bloody, draining, protracted, and arduous business which makes tremendous demands on popular support, political resolve, and the resources required to sustain the fight. History shows this has always been the case, but perhaps the initial incidences of rapid, decisive, conventional operations misled the public. The fact remains: The cost of counterinsurgency is high. It always has been, depressingly so, and it is largely unrefundable. There is now more than a glimmer of hope, a detectable, increasingly palpable feeling that something may be changing, that there is now what can be best described as “a reasonable degree of tactical momentum on the ground.”

Strategic Realignment: Ends, Ways, and Means in Iraq by Bruce J. Reider

Four years into the war in Iraq, the debate rages over whether there are enough troops deployed to accomplish the mission. Congress and the White House continuously argue over resources and the conduct of the war. Meanwhile, American and Iraqi casualties persist at an unacceptable rate. America’s political and military leaders suggest progress is being made and we should stay the course; after all, it generally requires eight to ten years to defeat an insurgency. From a historical perspective, they are correct. But the situation in Iraq is not just an insurgency, and labeling it as such is a gross oversimplification of the challenges we face.

The Military and Reconstruction Operations by Mick Ryan

The post-Cold War trend of convergence between military and nonmilitary tasks has accelerated over the past six years as western nations seek to defeat the insurgencies in Afghanistan and Iraq. One result of this convergence is an increased role for military forces in the conduct of humanitarian missions previously viewed as the sole preserve of nongovernmental organizations. This transition is reflected in a greater emphasis on reconstruction activities by the military in contemporary operations.

Disarming Rogues: Deterring First-Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction by David Szabo

The United States and its allies invaded Iraq in 2003 with the declared intention of removing Saddam Hussein’s regime. Although it was determined after the war that Iraq did not possess weapons of mass destruction (WMD), removing a regime believed to be in possession of WMD raises the possibility that the post-9/11 US security policy is more willing than previously believed to tolerate the risk of precipitating a WMD exchange. In future crises, policymakers may conclude the risk of WMD use during a preemptive attack or disarming strike is lower than the risk of a terrorist attack utilizing such weapons.

Stabilization and Democratization: Renewing the Transatlantic Alliance by Zachary Selden

The transatlantic disagreement over how to deal with the regime of Saddam Hussein in 2003 gave rise to a spate of warnings about the imminent demise of NATO. To some extent it is easy to discount many of those predictions based on the endurance of the alliance and its ongoing expansion. But there is an underlying concern that should not be ignored: The original mission of the alliance disappeared 15 years ago and nothing has completely taken its place. Throughout the Cold War, NATO was seen as absolutely essential to the core security interests of its members. Regardless of the disagreement, nothing undermined the fundamental necessity of the alliance.

The Moral Equality of Combatants by Carl Ceulemans

According to the Just War tradition a war can only be just if two sets of principles are satisfied. First there is the jus ad bellum. These principles tell us when it is just to start a war. There has to be a good reason or a just cause in order for a war to be morally permissible (self-defense, defense of others, putting a stop to human rights violations). The decision to go to war has to be taken by a legitimate authority. Those who wage war need to be motivated by good intentions (desire to promote a more stable peace). War should not only be a last resort (necessity), it must also offer a reasonable chance of success. Moreover, the good the warring party hopes to obtain should outweigh the evil caused by the war (proportionality). The second set of principles, the jus in bello or the right in the war, focuses on the moral constraints that need to be observed during hostilities. Noncombatants must never be the intentional target of military actions (discrimination), and the military utility of a particular act of war has to outweigh the damage it will cause.

Editor’s Shelf

Review Essay

Book Reviews

Continue reading "Parameters: Winter 2007 - 2008 Issue" »

First up is a Q&A with General David Petraeus at Foreign Policy – Seven Questions on Winding Down the Surge.

Foreign Policy: These days when you speak about the surge, you always highlight positive developments but you also appear very cautious. What are your concerns?

Gen. David Petraeus: We are trying to be cautious as we describe the progress that is taking place in Iraq. It has been substantial. We have seen a consistent reduction in the level of violence—a reduction of 60 percent since June, really to a level not seen since the spring of 2005. There has been a corresponding reduction in the loss of civilian lives, Iraqi, and coalition force casualties. Having said all that, it is a fragile achievement, and there are a number of concerns that we do have. We feel as if we’ve knocked al Qaeda to the canvas, but we know that, like any boxer, they can come back up off that canvas and lend a big, right-hand punch. We also have concerns about the militias and the elements of the [Mahdi Army] militia that have not been honoring Moqtada al-Sadr’s cease-fire pledge…

Next - The Belmont Club on recent trends concerning U.S. and Iraqi war casualties.

US deaths in Iraq are at the lowest 3 month total ever . The three month total for October, November and December 2007 is 93. It's also the first time a 3 month total has dropped below 3 digits.

More at both links.

Next - Jules Crittenden (Forward Movement) on casualties and the Gen. Petraeus Q&A in his post Blood Dividend.

… Fewer Americans and Iraqis are dying. The American and Iraqi deaths and injuries in the first half of 2007 bought this calm. Security within which political solutions may be arrived at is achieved in this manner. It is no frivolous accomplishment and nothing to be dismissed or frittered away, because it was bought with the blood of our people. The bitter lesson of history is that walking away ultimately will cost more, whether in Iraq or elsewhere…

Finally - Small Wars Council member LTC Gian Gentile in an Army Times op-ed that provides another view of the Surge.

A group of battle-hardened enlisted infantrymen from the 82nd Airborne Division wrote an opinion piece for The New York Times recently that provided an assessment of the effectiveness of American operations and prospects in Iraq, based on more than 15 months of hard fighting at the local level.

Their view of the situation on the ground in Iraq was essentially the opposite of other assessments that have come out of Baghdad over the last few months...

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "Iraq: Casualties and the Surge" »

In-sourcing the Tools of National Power for Success and Security

Matt Armstrong

Military operations may neutralize immediate kinetic threats and strategic communications may make promises, but enduring change comes from systemic overhauls that stabilize unstable regions. Security, humanitarian relief, governance, economic stabilization, and development are critical for ultimate democratization. (1) These are the real propaganda of deeds. Without competent and comprehensive action in these areas, tactical operations are simply a waste of time, money, and life.

Bullets and bombs represent short-term tactical responses to a much larger strategic dilemma. Any text worth reading on insurgency or counterinsurgency recognizes and emphasizes the operational and strategic center of gravity is the people. Failing to address grinding poverty and disillusionment in regions creates fertile breeding grounds for extremists, terrorists, and insurgents to attack the national interests of the United States.

The U.S. must in-source the tools of national power that support and compliment reconstruction and stabilization efforts to pacify and stabilize regions. The National Security Strategy declares the need to bring all of the elements of America’s national power to bear to build the “infrastructure of democracy” and to be a champion of “human dignity”. But, instead of consistent, coherent, and coordinated, operations, the U.S. relies on ad hoc reconstruction and stabilization solutions heavily dependent on outsourcing in lieu of any substantial internal capacity. This outsourcing of national power also relies on ad hoc solutions as companies quickly assemble teams that too often operate outside of existing military and other governmental operations in the region. We all know this is a fundamental requirement, even if we do not realize it. Consider the discussions surrounding the “Phase IV” planning for Iraq that recalled the Marshall Plan for post-war Europe. Too frequently lost in those discussions was the strategic and operational planning by the U.S. in the years prior to the collapse of Germany, as well as the civil and humanitarian aid that followed the American and British forces in the march to Germany.

Today the U.S. State Department’s Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS) is a solution to address the structural problems of America’s response to unstable regions. Based on a “whole of government” approach, this office will in-source the most essential tools of national power while centralizing the ability to effectively partner with private sector providers. However, this civilian-based requirement of “winning” the post-conflict struggle cannot move forward because of a combination of misunderstanding and domestic posturing...

Continue reading "In-sourcing the Tools of National Power for Success and Security" »

Iraq: Democrats in Denial - Michael Gerson, Washington Post
Haditha: Defining 'Atrocity' - Diana West, Washington Times
Why U.S. Iran Policy is Crumbling - Marc Lynch, Christian Science Monitor
Charlie Wilson's Zen Lesson - Boston Globe editorial
Pressure in Pakistan - Baltimore Sun editorial
Crooked Roads to Democracy - Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post
Bhutto Elimination Boost for al-Qa'ida - Nathan Gardels, The Australian
Bhutto’s Deadly Legacy - William Dalrymple, New York Times
Pakistan Demands New U.S. Policy - Trudy Rubin, Philadelphia Inquirer
Dream that was Benazir - Shahid Mahmood, Guardian
Bilawal Bhutto's Limitations - Con Coughlin, London Daily Telegraph
Absurdistan? - Arnaud de Borchgrave, Washington Times
Pakistan: Dangers Ahead - Samina Yasmeen, Canberra Times
Musharraf Responsible for Chaos - Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Miami Herald
Saudi Arabia’s Promised Reforms - New York Times editorial
Calming Kenya - Washington Times editorial
First Aid for Kenya - Los Angeles Times editorial
Re-run Kenya's Elections - London Daily Telegraph editorial
Kenya: Fatally Rose-tinted View - Ben Macintyre, London Times
Kenya Crisis Years in Making - Richard Dowden, The Australian
Ambition and Ruthlessness in Kenya - Richard Beeston, London Times
Democracy Endangered in Kenya - Travis Kavulla, National Review
Kenya Drowns in Blood and Tears - Jeevan Vasagar, Canberra Times
Dealing With the Dragon - Paul Krugman, New York Times
N. Korea: Waiting for Mr. Kim - Washington Post editorial
Burma: Dispiriting Anniversary - The Independent editorial
Colombia: FARC Rebel Deal Dashed - Miami Herald editorial
Putin Ploy Puts Nation in Check - Paul Abelsky, Toronto Star
War, or Crime, in Cyberspace - Austin Bay Washington Times
Handling the CIA Tapes Case - Los Angeles Times editorial
CIA Tapes: Give Durham a Chance - USA Today editorial
CIA Tapes: Who Knew? - Philadelphia Inquirer editorial
CIA Tapes: Appoint a Special Counsel - John Conyers, USA Today
Underperforming Defense Center - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial

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

Several recent additions to the US Army War College Strategic Studies Institute web page we thought might be of interest to SWJ readers.

Sustaining the Peace after Civil War. Authored by Dr. T. David Mason.

Since the end of World War II, there have been four times as many civil wars as interstate wars. The introduction of peacekeeping forces, investment in economic development and reconstruction, and the establishment of democratic political institutions tailored to the configuration of ethnic and religious cleavages in the society also affect the durability of peace after civil war. In applying these propositions in an analysis of the civil war in Iraq, what can be done to bring the Iraq conflict to an earlier, less destructive, and more stable conclusion?

Overcoming the Obstacles to Establishing a Democratic State in Afghanistan. Authored by Colonel Dennis O. Young.

The author outlines potential solutions to the problematic and challenging situation in Afghanistan today. The difficulties facing U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan are endemic and will require a long-term commitment of time, money, and resources to overcome these obstacles in order to stabilize and democratize this nation.

Jordanian National Security and the Future of Middle East Stability. Authored by Dr. W. Andrew Terrill.

The United States and Jordan have maintained a valuable mutually-supportive relationship for decades as a result of shared interests in a moderate, prosperous, and stable Middle East. In this monograph, the author highlights Jordan’s ongoing value as a U.S. ally and considers ways that the U.S.-Jordanian alliance might be used to contain and minimize problems of concern to both countries.

Intrepidity… And Character Development within the Army Profession. Authored by Dr. Don M. Snider.

How many Army soldiers, particularly Leaders, who just read the title of this opinion piece, knew the meaning of the first word; how many brought to their reading an accurate understanding of the term? More importantly, how many Army Leaders could place a true meaning of the word into the context of the Army as a unique profession producing, for the security of the American people, fighting forces for effective land combat? Where does intrepidity fit in what the Army produces and how does the profession develop such a thing?

Force and Restraint in Strategic Deterrence: A Game-Theorist's Perspective. Authored by Dr. Roger B. Myerson.

This monograph is a short nontechnical introduction to the use of game theory in the study of international relations, focusing is on the problem of deterrence against potential adversaries and aggressors. The author uses game models to provide a simple context where we can see more clearly the essential logic of strategic deterrence.

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "SSI Recent Additions" »

Turkish Fright - Boston Globe editorial
West Must Cut Musharraf Loose - Cameron Stewart, The Australian
The Duty My Wife Left Us - Asif Ali Zardari, Washington Post
Benazir Who Flirted and Purred - Isambard Wilkinson, London Daily Telegraph
Bloodshed in Kenya Must be Stopped - IFHR, Miami Herald
Kenya Has Run Out of Steam - Binyavanga Wainaina, Guardian
Kenya Carries on Stolen Tradition - Martin Meredith, Los Angeles Times
Rehabilitating Libya - New York Times editorial
Georgia's Way Back - Washington Post editorial

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

Rocky Blogger Major Andrew Olmsted Killed in Iraq - David Montero, Rocky Mountain News.

Army Major Andrew Olmsted, a blogger for RockyMountainNews.com, died Thursday in Iraq. His mission was to teach members of the Iraqi Army how to defend their country and provide security for their people. He was a veteran blogger and he was determined to make a difference in Iraq.

He was the first casualty for 2008 in Iraq. And a small part of Maj. Andrew Olmsted likely would've chuckled at that fact. It would be droll and play into his sense of self-deprecation.

Major Olmsted’s Rocky Mountain News Blog – From the Front Lines

Major Olmsted's final post on AndrewOlmsted.com.

"I am leaving this message for you because it appears I must leave sooner than I intended. I would have preferred to say this in person, but since I cannot, let me say it here."

- G'Kar, Babylon 5

"Only the dead have seen the end of war."

- Plato

This is an entry I would have preferred not to have published, but there are limits to what we can control in life, and apparently I have passed one of those limits. And so, like G'Kar, I must say here what I would much prefer to say in person. I want to thank hilzoy for putting it up for me. It's not easy asking anyone to do something for you in the event of your death, and it is a testament to her quality that she didn't hesitate to accept the charge. As with many bloggers, I have a disgustingly large ego, and so I just couldn't bear the thought of not being able to have the last word if the need arose. Perhaps I take that further than most, I don't know. I hope so. It's frightening to think there are many people as neurotic as I am in the world. In any case, since I won't get another chance to say what I think, I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. Such as it is.

Bound for War, Set to Blog - David Montero, Rocky Mountain News (23 June 2007)

Maj. Andrew Olmsted has had to grow a mustache. He has learned to take off his sunglasses when speaking to Iraqis. But he knows that, despite his training, he'll face the unexpected in Iraq - and he plans to write about it.

Slideshow Tribute to Major Olmsted - Rocky Mountain News

Continue reading "Major Andrew Olmsted, US Army" »

My So-Called “Greatest” Generation

By Captain Timothy Hsia

This past Veteran’s day, several politicians and news outlets discussed the current generation of men and women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan as the “next greatest generation.” By labeling my peers as the “next greatest generation,” politicians and the media seek to applaud and highlight the sacrifices of the young men and women fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. However, the “next greatest generation” is an inappropriate moniker. In reality, many members of my generation do not understand the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This label of the “next greatest generation” is confusing for service members and the American public as a whole because it seeks to describe a generation when in fact it describes only a tiny segment of my generation. The truth is the vast majority of my generation spent their holiday season at the mall oblivious to the war while their military counterparts in the military served in harms way.

More...

Continue reading "My So-Called “Greatest” Generation" »

Interview with Brigadier General (Ret.) Shimon Naveh by Matt Matthews of the US Army Combat Studies Institute

From the abstract:

As part of his research for a Global War on Terrorism Occasional Paper on the so-called Second Lebanon War of 2006 – a 34-day conflict fought principally between Israel and the paramilitary forces of Hezbollah – historian Matt Matthews of Fort Leavenworth’s Combat Studies Institute interviewed Brigadier General (Ret.) Shimon Naveh, the founder and former head of the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) Operational Theory Research Institute (OTRI).

Naveh is the man most associated, often controversially so, with what has been described as a major intellectual transformation of the IDF in terms of how it thinks about, prepares for and ultimately wages war. “I read a comment made by an analyst that it was very hard to learn,” said Naveh, who also holds a PhD in war studies from King’s College, London. “You know,” he added, “wars are very hard to fight and yet we go and fight them. If indeed this is crucial and important, it is not an option. We should go and do it…. All you need is some intellectual stamina, some energy. If you’re serious about your profession, then you’ll go through it.”

Indeed, Naveh singles out the IDF Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Dan Halutz, for significant criticism for his alleged lack of understanding of the doctrine he signed which, as Naveh contends, contributed mightily to what is widely considered a defeat of the IDF by Hezbollah, as did a similar ignorance among the vast majority of the IDF General Staff. One of the leaders actually removed from his position, though, as a result of the defeat – the Division 91 commander, Brigadier General Gal Hirsch, also a former OTRI student – was singled out for praise from Naveh as “the most creative thinker, the most subversive thinker and the victim of this entire affair.” More broadly, Naveh discusses the “asymmetric dual” that was the Second Lebanon War from both the Israeli and Hezbollah perspectives, explaining why he feels the IDF was “totally unprepared for this kind of operation”; why its post-2000 intifada struggles against the Palestinians had the effect of “corrupting” the force; and why only understanding, embracing and then executing what he calls the “operational art” of war can prevent an army from becoming harmfully “addicted to the present fight.” Herein, too, he says, lies a warning for the US military that finds itself at present waging a primarily counterinsurgency fight in Afghanistan and Iraq. At the time of the interview, in fact, Naveh was at Fort Leavenworth in his capacity as a part-time consultant to the US Army’s School of Advanced Military Studies.

More...

Continue reading "CSI Interview: BG (Ret.) Shimon Naveh" »

Taking Exception: Nation-Building Office Is No Solution

By Justin Logan and Christopher Preble

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Senator Richard Lugar argue that “some of the greatest threats to our national security” come from the “brittle institutions and failing economies of weak and poorly governed states.” As a result, they argue, the creation of a nation-building office within the State Department is “essential for our national security.” This proposal is based on a fundamental misreading of the predicament we face today, and threatens to compound our recent strategic errors.

The experience in Iraq has apparently taught us little. Rice and Lugar propose populating the nation-building office with 250 full-time staffers, who would then draw on a reserve corps of perhaps some 2,000 federal employees, plus another 500-person cadre of think-tankers and civilians...

More...

Continue reading "Taking Exception: Nation-Building Office Is No Solution" »

Exit the 'Axis of Evil'? - Chicago Tribune editorial
Into Africa Without a Map - David Ignatius, Washington Post
Kenya is a Strange Animal - Binyavanga Wainaina, New York Times
Kenya Too Important to Let Collapse - Jonathan Stevenson, Baltimore Sun
Another Day, Another Crooked African Election - Martin Meredith, The Independent
Moving Forward in Kenya - Warigia Bowman, Boston Globe
What's Tearing Kenya Apart? - Caroline Elkins, Washington Post
Aid Darfur's Outgunned Defenders - Gordon Barthos, Toronto Star
Iraq's Unknown Economy - Michael O'Hanlon, Washington Times
Middle East: Of Braveheart and Bush - Max Boot, Wall Street Journal
Keeping Palestine in Mind - Arnaud de Borchgrave, Washington Times
How Safe are Pakistan's Nukes? - Trudy Rubin, Philadelphia Inquirer
Pakistan is Troubled, But It's Home - Mohsin Hamid, Washington Post
In Defense of Musharraf - Jonathan Powers, Toronto Star
Why Not Fatima Bhutto? - Jemima Khan, London Daily Telegraph
Benazir's Hopes for Democracy Can Live On - Asif Ali Zardari, The Independent
New Day in the Americas - Roger Cohen, New York Times
N. Korea: Eine Kleine Nuke Music - New York Post Editorial
North Korea: Nuclear Credulity - Carolyn Leddy, Washington Post
Hong Kong's Long Wait - Toronto Star editorial
Hong Kong's Democracy Delayed, Again - Washington Post editorial
Rebuilding the CIA - Donald Gregg, Miami Herald
Stand by for U.K. Diplomatic Surge - David Miliband, London Times

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

The Democrats and the Surge - Fred Barnes, Weekly Standard
Washington, Ankara and the PKK - Washington Times editorial
U.K.: We’re Still a Warrior Nation - Lawrence James, London Times
The Star of Africa Fades - Andrew Ehrenkranz, Newsweek
Kenya: Woes Began with British Rule - Caroline Elkins, Sydney Morning Herald
Kenya Woes Linked to Dashed Hopes - Gwynne Dyer, Canberra Times
Conspiracy and Democracy in Pakistan - New York Times editorial
Hail Mary Pass in Pakistan - Jeff Stein, Congressional Quarterly
Afghanistan and Pakistan: Action vs. Inaction - Joseph Galloway, Miami Herald
Al Qaeda’s Newest Triggerman - Yousafzai and Moreau, Newsweek
Bush's Mideast Mission - Boston Globe editorial
Bush's Mideast Trip - Chuck Freilich, Washington Times
Lessons from Lebanon - Daniel Levy, Boston Globe
Some Torture a Needed Life-saving Tool - Mirko Bagaric, The Australian
CIA: Concealing Prisoner Abuse? - Nat Hentoff, Washington Times
Multiculturalism is Breeding Intolerance - Philip Johnston, London Daily Telegraph
Confidence in America - Madeleine Albright, Washington Post
U.N.: Observe Early and Often - Edward Joseph, New York Times
Accountability for Pyongyang - Los Angeles Times editorial
While in Beijing... - Ellen Bork, Washington Post

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

Steve Coughlin: Purple Heart in War of Ideas? - Frank Gaffney Jr., Washington Times
Democrats See No Good in Iraq - Washington Post editorial
Democrats in Denial on Iraq - Wall Street Journal editorial
Johns Hopkins' Iraq Numbers - Washington Times editorial
Afghanistan and Iraq Cry Out for Civilians - Hilary Synnott, London Daily Telegraph
Dangerous Time for Middle East Visit - Miami Herald editorial
Bush of Arabia - Fouad Ajami, Wall Street Journal
Into the Heart of the Beast - Claude Salhani, Washington Times
Iran's Naked Ambitions - Uzi Rubin, Washington Times
Oh, Thanks, Mr. Gul - Tulin Daloglu, Washington Times
Dynastic Politics at Work in Pakistan - H.D.S. Greenway, Boston Globe
Decision Time in Burma - R. Nicholas Burns, Washington Post
The Trial of Charles Taylor - Los Angeles Times editorial
Why did Venezuela Surrender to Chávez? - Carlos Montanier, Miami Herald
Democracy: Inevitable No More - Madeleine Albright, Los Angeles Times
CIA Tapes: Independent Inquiry Needed - Bruce Fein, Washington Times

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

Continue reading "Iraq Interview and Briefing" »

Added today to the U.S. Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute web page - The Interagency and Counterinsurgency Warfare: Aligning and Integrating Military and Civilian Roles in Stability, Security, Transition, and Reconstruction (SSTR) Operations by Colonel Jay Boggs (USA, Ret) and Joseph Cerami.

For decades since the formation of the defense establishment under the 1947 National Security Act, all U.S. cabinet departments, national security agencies, and military services involved in providing for the common defense have struggled to overcome differences in policy and strategy formulation, organizational cultures, and even basic terminology. Post-September 11, 2001, international systems, security environments, U.S. military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the greater Global War on Terrorism have confronted civilian policymakers and senior military officers with a complex, fluid battlefield which demands kinetic and counterinsurgency capabilities. This monograph addresses the security, stability, transition, and reconstruction missions that place the most pressure on interagency communication and coordination. The results from Kabul to Baghdad reveal that the interagency process is in need of reform and that a more robust effort to integrate and align civilian and military elements is a prerequisite for success.

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "The Interagency and Counterinsurgency Warfare" »

We Still Need the Big Guns - Charles Dunlap, New York Times
Success in Irregular Warfare - Sam Holliday, American Diplomacy
A Surge Against Maliki - David Ignatius, Washington Post
Obama's Obscene Iraq Fantasy - Dan Senor, New York Post
Canada: Junior Partner in Global War - Linda McQuaig, Toronto Star
Iran: A Dangerous Game in the Strait, New York Times editorial
Iran: A Dangerous Game - San Diego Union-Tribune editoral
Next Time, Sink 'Em - New York Post editorial
Iran: Disaster Avoided, Just Barely - Boston Globe editorial
Iran 1, USA 0 - Ralph Peters, New York Post
How Safe are Pakistan's Nukes? - Trudy Rubin, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Mr. Bush in the Middle East - Washington Post editorial
Bush Trip: Gulf in Expectations - London Times editorial
Two-pronged Approach to Peace - Cohen and Chickering, Boston Globe
Dubya's Real Mideast Agenda - Amir Taheri, New York Post
No Time to Spare in Middle East - George Moffett, Christian Science Monitor
Bush's Almighty Israeli Traffic Jam - Tim Butcher, London Daily Telegraph
Changing the Middle East - Helle Dale, Washington Times
Peace Corps: Too Many Innocents Abroad - Robert Strauss, New York Times
Put Kenya's Motto in Practice - Christian Science Monitor editorial
A Firestorm in Kenya - San Francisco Chronicle editorial
Kenya's Real Problem (It's Not Ethnic) - Fish and Kroenig, Washington Post
Good Riddance to Castro. But What Next? - Oliver Kamm, London Times
What People Will Die For - Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek
Making Khadr a Martyr - Toronto Star editorial
Bolstering Homeland Defense - Washington Times editorial
Blueprint for Homeland Security - Rudolph Giuliani, Wall Street Journal
Fear and the Nuclear Terror Threat - Michael Levi, USA Today
CIA Tapes: What Do We Still Not Know? - Jane Harman, USA Today
Segregation: Muslim Style - Cal Thomas, Washington Times

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

Modernizing the U.S Military - Daniel Davis, Washington Times
The Surge Worked - John McCain and Joe Lieberman, Wall Street Journal
Iraq is the Issue - Daniel Casse, Commentary
Turn the Tables on Iran, Mr. President - Jerusalem Post editorial
Iran's Provocation - Walter Russell Mead, Wall Street Journal
Tempting Fate in Pakistan - Boston Globe editorial
Tell Abbas to Stop Educating for War - Jerusalem Post editorial
Israel’s Ties that Bind - Mitchell Bard, Los Angeles Times
Can Bush Make a Difference - Ghassan Khatib, Daily Star
Israel: Nothing but Bluntness Will Do - Isi Lieber, Jerusalem Post
Lebanon's Lessons for Gaza - Evelyn Gordon, Jerusalem Post
Arab Despotism May Have Merit - Shlomo Ben-Ami, Daily Star
Candidates Vague on Middle East Democracy - Steven Cook, Daily Star
Qatar Feels the Chill - Dilip Hiro, Guardian
Pakistan's Straying Democracy - Chayes and Sheikholeslami, Boston Globe
Kenya at the Brink - Washington Post editorial
Cuba's Transition Begins - Brian Latell, Wall Street Journal
Yale and the Terrorist - Wall Street Journal editorial
Poles to Bargain Hard on Missile Defense - Bronwen Maddox, London Times
Keeper of the Sakharov Flame - Cathy Young, Weekly Standard
Political Dilemma over Guantanamo - Leigh Sales, Sydney Morning Herald

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

Department of State On-the-Record Iraq PRT Briefing - Ramadi Embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team Leader Kristin Hagerstrom, Diyala Provincial Reconstruction Team Leader Dr. John Jones, and Baghdad 7 Embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team Leader John Smith On Reconstruction Progress in Iraq.

Good afternoon. Appreciate your attendance this afternoon. As you all know by now, the President met with and participated in a digital videoconference this afternoon with the Secretary of State and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, our Ambassador in Baghdad, Iraq, to discuss Provincial Reconstruction Team efforts. We're lucky today to have three Provincial Reconstruction Team leaders who are here with us to share their stories and to respond to questions...

Abu Muqawama on Rogers vs. Gentile in the Armed Forces Journal.

… For the rest of us, the real treat in this issue of AFJ is the debate between MAJ Chris Rogers and LTC Gian Gentile on the new counterinsurgency doctrine. Gentile has a big problem with the new counterinsurgency doctrine. Gentile has a big problem with the new counterinsurgency doctrine. In a previous, controversial essay for AFJ, he wrote…

Tom Barnett on Clint Watts' SWJ post Can the Anbar Strategy Work in Pakistan?

Very solid analysis that at once: 1) makes you pessimistic on a repeatable solution for Afghanipakistan; but 2) makes you realize the geographic limits of al Qaeda's staying power and thus more optimistic that, by focusing again more on the source, we're progressing in our overall strategy (both the learning and adjustment that's occurred in Iraq and how developments there enable more focus on back to where it was inevitably headed).

Taliban Now Govern Musa Qala - The Captain's Journal.

Following closely on the heels of British negotiations with mid-level Taliban, the governorship of Musa Qala has been handed over to a Taliban commander...

More from Abu Muqawama - Marines to Afghanistan, Take 2.

The AP is reporting that US Marines are once again preparing to go to Afghanistan, this after Secretary Gates essentially told CMC earlier this fall "over my dead body." ...

Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim: The Great Reconciler? at Westhawk.

Critics of the situation in Iraq always begin their sentences by noting the absence of formal political reconciliation by the Iraqi government. They note the ineffectiveness of the Iraqi parliament and the apparent powerlessness of Mr. Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq’s prime minister.

Looking at Iraq through a Western lens, with a focus on legislation passed, “summit” meetings concluded, and treaties signed, is a sure way of achieving self-deception. In perhaps the most dramatic shift inside Iraq since the days of Saddam’s reign, the most important political power in the country is no longer held by men with formal posts in the government. Observers thus need to look elsewhere to see what is actually happening...

Operation Iron Harvest Targets al Qaeda in Miqdadiyah at The Long War Journal...

Coalition and Iraqi security forces have launched Operation Iron Harvest, the latest offensive against al Qaeda in Iraq in Diyala province. "Operations are now being concentrated in Miqdadiyah," according to a press release from Multinational Division Iraq...

.. and Operation Phantom Phoenix Targets al Qaeda Havens.

Despite the recent success in reducing the violence in Iraq, the fight against al Qaeda in Iraq and the Shia extremist terror groups is not over. Coalition and Iraqi forces have launched Operation Phantom Phoenix, a new operation targeting the terror groups throughout Iraq...

Charlie at OPFOR on General Charles Dunlap's NYT op-ed - We Still Need the Big Guns.

... Technology alone is not the answer to our future conflicts, people are the answer. Now, you can use technology to empower those people, much as rifle company commanders in Iraq are empowered by the ability to call in precision air strikes. The issue is that the focus should not be on the aircraft, the munitions, or the technology, it should be on the commander and the soldiers/Marines/airmen/sailors that wield them in the greater scheme of things.

We (in the service) don't get to pick the wars we have to go fight. If so, most would choose a "straight up fight" instead of a "bug hunt." Looking at the world today, and at the threats we face, we have to recognize that missions like foreign internal defense, counterinsurgency, military cooperation agreements, training missions, and counter terrorism are the best ways to deter attacks against our homeland for the near term. The next attack on America won't be planned in some war room by generals of an enemy nation, it will be plotted like the last attack -on the slopes of a mountain in Pakistan, relying on human networks to leverage the most casualty-causing weapon on the weakest point in our target profile...

Continue reading "10 January COIN Update" »

The Army and Marines and Military Government

By Brent C. Bankus and James Kievit

Despite the apparent preference of many of today’s military officers to have some other entity (whether of the US government, the United Nations, or even private contractors?) be responsible for doing so, the United States Army and the United States Marine Corps actually have a long history of establishing and running “governments” in both smaller-scale contingency operations and in the aftermath of major theater war.

An early example began with General Winfield Scott’s publishing, during his 1847 48 campaign in Mexico, a theater-wide code of conduct (General Order 20) that spelled out the rules under which both US service personnel and the indigenous population would be governed. Using relatively rudimentary control measures, General Scott instituted a system that would not only govern the local populace fairly – and thereby, he intended, reduce insurgency incidents --, but also ensure consistent and disciplined interactions by, as well as with, US forces in the region. By most accounts Scott’s “firm but fair treatment” paid huge dividends for his Army, which as a relatively small invading force had trouble enough keeping his overextended supply lines working, let alone contending with any potential large-scale insurgency. Of necessity General Scott established direct military administration over many Mexican towns and villages. Upon the capture of Mexico City in September 1847, General Scott appointed Brigadier General John Quitman, whose combined Army and Marine task force had spearheaded the successful combat assault, governor – military and civil – of that city...

Continue reading The Army and Marines and Military Government.

Continue reading "The Army and Marines and Military Government" »

Continue reading "Iraq Briefing" »

Don’t Forget Foreign Policy - Pierre Atlas, Indianapolis Star
Presidential Wannabes Ignore Perils Abroad - Con Coughlin, London Daily Telegraph
There is Hope for Democracy - Errol Mendes, Ottawa Citizen
Petraeus' Victory - New York Post editorial
The Surge at One - Ralph Peters, New York Post
GOP Surge Protection - Jennifer Rubin, American Spectator
Forging Ties with Iran - Brzezinski and Takeyh, Boston Globe
Gulf Speedboat Guff - Austin Bay, Washington Times
Pakistan, Afghanistan in Tandem - Washington Times editorial
Bush's Mideast Mission - Washington Times editorial
Bush's Mideast Trip - Philadelphia Inquirer editorial
U.S.-Israeli Fault Lines - Barbara Opall-Rome, New York Post
Lebanon in Limbo - Lee Smith, Weekly Standard
An American University in Beirut - Los Angeles Times Q&A
Fears Grow Over Pakistan's Future - The Australian editorial
One Year of Military Rule in Bangladesh - Maneeza Hossain, Weekly Standard
Kenya: Democracy by Other Means - Aidan Hartley, New York Times
Kenya's Woes, Think Britain - Caroline Elkins, Philadelphia Inquirer
North Korea's True Colors - John Bolton, Wall Street Journal
Foul Play at the Pentagon - Diana West, Washington Times
Homeland Security on the Hustings - New York Times editorial
CIA Tapes: No Immunity Deal - New York Times editorial
Wiretap Politics - Wall Street Journal editorial
Waterboarding and its Discontents - Paul Greenberg, Washington Times
Hollywood Misconstrues the Cold War, Again - John Podhoretz, Weekly Standard

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

Progress in Iraq - Conrad Crane, C-SPAN video interview
USMC: First to Fight - Brenden Miniter, Wall Street Journal interview
America’s “Long War(s)" - Mackubin Thomas Owens, Foreign Policy Research Institute
The Surge Effect - Fred Barnes, Weekly Standard
Middle East: Diplomatic Urgency - New York Times editorial
W's Peace Problem - New York Post editorial
The Seventh-year Trip to Jerusalem - Frida Ghitis, Miami Herald
Israel’s True Friends - Davis and Cantor, Los Angeles Times
First, Enemies Must Agree - Uri Dromi, Miami Herald
Our Ambitions for the Middle East - Sheikh Mohammed, Wall Street Journal
Congo's Neglected Tragedy - Anna Husarska, Washington Post
End Kenya's Politically Inspired Violence - Boston Globe editorial
Cuba: Free the 59 Prisoners of Conscience - Miriam Leiva, Miami Herald
Poland Takes Up For Poland - Boston Globe editorial
The Olympic Prisoners - Robert Ménard, Boston Globe
Treason and Torture - Tim Rutten, Los Angeles Times

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

The tense encounter between a squadron of US Navy Warships and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC or Pasdaran) and Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IIRN) boats is not a new adventure by any stretch of the imagination. However, the most recent incident is neither an attempt to create a modern-day Gulf of Tonkin incident nor a move by the IRGC to a new tactic with which to harass passing ships. There is a long history of American and Iranian naval confrontation that spans over 20 years here. An accurate reading of what has happened and what could happen, should inform the reader of what most likely did happen...

Continue reading "Bowling for Boghammars… 2008 Edition" »

Unfinished Debate on Iraq - New York Times editorial
A War Report Discredited - Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe
Implications of New Kurdish-Sunni Alliance - Ramzy Mardini, Jamestown Foundation
Standing Strong on the Home Front - New York Daily News editorial
A Cornered Foreign Policy - Weber and Jentleson, Los Angeles Times
U.S. Enemies Excel at Bumbling - Mark Bowden, Philadelphia Inquirer
Hotheads of Hormuz - Oliver North, Washington Times
Peace Promise - National Review editorial
A Middle East Commitment - Washington Post editorial
Latin America Is Lagging - Andrés Oppenheimer, Washington Post
Colombia: Miscue on a Rescue - Ray Walser, Washington Times
Kenya's Stolen Democracy - Chicago Tribune editorial
A Terror-able Ruling - New York Post editorial
Using Terrorists to Fight Terrorism - Joshua Kurlantzick, Baltimore Sun
A Terror Threat in the Courts - John Farmer, New York Times
Crucial Cold War Secret - Paul Kengor, Washington Times
MOD: A Dereliction of Duty - London Daily Telegraph editorial
China's Dark Triumph - Ian Buruma, Los Angeles Times
Ten Rules for No. 44 - Madeleine Albright, Boston Globe

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

The U.S. Debt to Petraeus - McCain and Lieberman, The Australian
The Lessons of Iraq - Erik Swabb, Wall Street Journal
The Democrats’ Iraq Fairy Tale - William Kristol, New York Times
Afghans, Report for Duty - Ronald Neumann, New York Times
No Plan to Fight Taliban, al Qaeda - Weiner and Larmett, Miami Herald
Pakistan's Terror Inc. - Arnaud de Borchgrave, Washington Times
Large Laugh at Islamic Terrorists - Sam Leith, London Daily Telegraph
Peacemaking Requires Steady Mediation - USA Today editorial
It's Not About Iran - Shibley Telhami, Washington Post
Iran's Latest Ethnic Revolt - Amir Taheri, New York Post
The Iranian Challenge - Harlan Ullman, Washington Times
Bush's Diplomatic Amends - Jackson Diehl, Washington Post
Israel-Syria Treaty Key to Mideast Peace - Arlen Specter, Philadelphia Inquirer
Darfur Genocide Continues - Natt Hentoff, Washington Times
Real Reason for Kenya's Violence - Jacqueline Klopp, Christian Science Monitor
Kenya: Not Senseless 'Savagery' - Madeleine Bunting, Guardian
Japan's Navy Sails Again - Wall Street Journal editorial
Burma's Unlucky Number 8 - Boston Globe editorial
Time for Burma's Generals to Start Talking - Nicholas Burns, Canberra Times
Venezuela: Use Diplomacy, Not Public Protests - Dina Siegal Vann, Miami Herald
Doomsayers on U.S. are Wrong - Michael Czinkota, Washington Times
Allow Detainees to Defend Themselves - Thomas Wilner, Miami Herald
Agee: Death of a Traitor - New York Post editorial
Myths of '68 Pierced - Thomas Sowell, Washington Times

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

Continue reading "Afghanistan Briefing" »

Continue reading "SRT Interview with Ambassador Ryan Crocker" »

Continue reading "Strait of Hormuz Briefing and On Scene Video" »

Iraq: In Search of Answers - New York Times editorial
Iraq: More Than Half Full - David French, National Review
Iraq: Death Blow to Defeatists - Pete Hegseth, National Review
Iraq: One Happy Mob - Michael Leeden, National Review
Why Al-Qaeda Is Losing - Gary Anderson, Washington Post
Let’s Have a FISA Fight - Andrew McCarthy, National Review
Our Ally in Islamabad - Los Angeles Times debate (Pt. 1)
Beating Extremists by Building Schools - Trudy Rubin, Baltimore Sun
Symbol of Post-Taliban Hotel Attacked - Richard Beeston, The Australian
Smearing Soldiers - Ralph Peters, New York Post
We Stand Behind Our Stereotype - James Taranto, Wall Street Journal
The Wacko-Vet Myth - John DiIulio Jr., Weekly Standard
Talking Turkey - Tulin Daloglu, Washington Times
Around Iran, Anxiety Abounds - Boston Globe editorial
It's the Economy, Ahmadinejad - Bronwen Maddox, London Tmes
Iran Continues to Provoke - James Lyons, Washington Times
Peace Talks Bolstered by Bunkum - Richard Gwyn, Toronto Star
Peace Promise - National Review editorial
Two-state Solution Worth Effort - The Australian editorial
Peace in the Middle East? - Gwynne Dyer, Philadelphia Inquirer
Weathering the Storms in Mozambique - Mark Braund, Guardian
China, Vietnam and Worldly Concerns - Washington Times editorial
Our One-China Cowardice - Gary Schmitt, Wall Street Journal
Flawed Path to Justice in Cambodia - John Hall, Christian Science Monitor
Guatemala's Challenge - Stephen Kinzer, Guardian
Time to End Serb-bashing - Neil Clark, Guardian
From Russia With Spite - London Times editorial
Toward a Nuclear-Free World - Wall Street Journal roundtable

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

City without Joy - Australian Defence College Occasional Series by Michael Evans.

From the Foreword:

As a young Army officer, focusing on the likelihood of being deployed to Vietnam, Bernard Fall’s Street Without Joy was probably the first military text that possessed real professional meaning for me. In this timely Occasional Paper, Dr Michael Evans, formerly Head of the Australian Army’s Land Warfare Studies Centre and now the Australian Defence College Fellow, gives us an insightful and comprehensive review of urban military operations. He has traced the subject’s origins and development to give us an up-to-date operational-strategic analysis of the significance of urban operations into the 21st century. In particular, Dr Evans makes a piercing historical link with Fall’s work on rural insurgency in South-East Asia by calling his study City Without Joy—a play on Fall’s title that captures the complexity and challenges of contemporary military operations in cities.

Dr Evans informs us that, while in the past it was often possible for commanders to bypass pitched combat in cities, that era has now passed. For a variety of demographic and operational reasons, the role of cities in 21st century war has begun to change. I was strongly reminded of this changing reality when in 2004, I assumed the position of Deputy Chief of Operations in the Headquarters, Multi-National Force - Iraq (MNF-I). Faced by the second year of the Iraqi insurgency, we in MNF-I, developed a pro-active ‘cities strategy’ initiative designed to counter the spread of urban-based insurgency. At times, some 15 major Iraqi cities were designated as part of our city strategy. Yet, we soon discovered the uncomfortable truth that enemy forces are not constrained by their adversary’s strategic planning. Insurgents attacked Coalition forces in cities that were not on our list. And, of course, the most violent urban battle of all occurred in Fallujah—a city in the Sunni Triangle—that was not even part of the Coalition’s original city strategy.

Continue reading "City without Joy" »

Death of the Bush Doctrine - Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe
Iraq: Reasons for Fear, Hope - Trudy Rubin, Philadelphia Inquirer
Iraq: Reconciling with the Ba'ath - Amir Taheri, New York Post
Dems Double Down on Iraq - Jonathan Last, Weekly Standard
War - a Debatable Point - Debra Saunders, San Francisco Chronicle
Afghanistan: Race Against Time - London Times editorial
Middle East: Misplaced Faith - Cal Thomas, Washington Times
Arab States and Globaloney - Frank Gaffney Jr., Washington Times
Trying to Sell Democracy - Claude Salhani, Washington Times
Pakistan's Personality Test - Boston Globe editorial
Can a Dictator Oversee an Election? - Los Angeles Times debate (Pt. 2)
Beyond Benazir - Husain Haqqani, Los Angeles Times
Advancing the Bhutto Legacy - Husain Haqqani, Boston Globe
Fixing Kosovo - Helle Dale, Washington Times
Hugo Chavez: Ally to Kidnappers - Washington Post editorial
Blame Terrorists First - Thomas Joscelyn, National Review
Kenya has a Genuine Vote - Chicago Tribune editorial
The 'Wacko Vet Myth' - Wall Street Journal editorial
France's 'Sensitive Urban Areas' - Paul Belien, Washington Times
Elites Lack Military Understanding - Peter Gudmundsson, Baltimore Sun

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

Gates Faults NATO Force in Southern Afghanistan - Peter Spiegel, Los Angeles Times

In an unusual public criticism, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he believes NATO forces currently deployed in southern Afghanistan do not know how to combat a guerrilla insurgency, a deficiency that could be contributing to the rising violence in the fight against the Taliban.

"I'm worried we're deploying [military advisors] that are not properly trained and I'm worried we have some military forces that don't know how to do counterinsurgency operations," Gates said in an interview.

Gates' criticism comes as the Bush administration has decided to send 3,200 U.S. Marines to southern Afghanistan on a temporary mission to help quell the rising number of attacks. It also comes amid growing friction among allied commanders over the Afghan security situation...

Continue reading "NATO, COIN and Afghanistan" »

High-Profile Officer Nagl to Leave Army, Join Think Tank - Tom Ricks, Washington Post

"One of the Army's most prominent younger officers, whose writings have influenced the conduct of the U.S. troop buildup in Iraq, said he has decided to leave the service to study strategic issues full time at a new Washington think tank."

"Lt. Col. John Nagl, 41, is a co-author of the Army's new manual on counterinsurgency operations, which has been used heavily by U.S. forces carrying out the strategy of moving off big bases, living among the population and making the protection of civilians their top priority."

"A Rhodes scholar, Nagl first achieved prominence for his Oxford University doctoral dissertation, which was published in 2002 as a book titled "Learning to Eat Soup With a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons From Malaya and Vietnam." The introduction to a recent edition of the book was written by Gen. Peter Schoomaker, at the time the Army's chief of staff..."

LTC Nagl will be joining the staff at the Center for a New American Security.

More...

Continue reading "Nagl to Leave Army" »

Don’t Tie Next President’s Hands - New York Times editorial
Justice for the CIA - Rivkin and Casey, Wall Street Journal
The American War Dead - Los Angeles Times editorial
The Killer-Vet Lie - New York Post editorial
Fight in Afghanistan - Washington Post editorial
Terror's Financiers - Ehrenfeld and Lappen, Washington Times
Middle East Triangle - Agha and Malley, Washington Post
No Quick Solutions in Middle East - Richard Wolf, USA Today
Baffling Mideast Signals - Toronto Star editorial
Monsters of Our Own Making - Rosa Brooks, Los Angeles Times
New Wisdom from Asia's Giants - Boston Globe editorial
The Real Benazir? - Los Angeles Times debate (Pt. 3)
Burma: Nudge Junta Towards Change - Abramowitz and Kolieb, The Australian
Sri Lanka: Return to Conflict - London Times editorial
Don't Ignore Violence in Kenya - Wangari Maathai, Wall Street Journal
As Suharto Lays Dying - Jeremy Wagstaff, Los Angeles Times
China's Paths to Hegemony - Richard Halloran, Washington Times
The More North Korea Changes... - Paul Greenberg, Washington Times
Sarkozy's Philosophy for the World - John Lichfield, The Independent
Australia - India Uranium Backflip - The Australian editorial

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

Iraqi Mirages - Washington Post editorial
Federalism for Iraq, Not Partition - Mowaffak al-Rubaie, Washington Post
Pentagon Strafes America's Allies - Toronto Star editorial
A Different Kind of War - Ottawa Citizen editorial
Fighting Terror Without Pakistan - Los Angeles Times debate (Pt. 4)
Stopping Iran - Norman Podhoretz, Commentary
Rethinking Iran - Samantha Power, Time
No Doubt about Iran's Danger - Frida Ghitis, Miami Herald
Western Blindness - Diana West, Washington Times
Kenya Goes South - London Daily Telegraph editorial
Mexico's Cartel War - Austin Bay, Washington Times
Trouble in Poland's Defense Industry - Reuben Johnson, Weekly Standard
Fix FISA Now - Washington Times editorial
The Times' Trouble with Vets - Ralph Peters, New York Post
CIA Agent's Faustian Bargain - Tim Rutten, Miami Herald editorial

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

Airpower Research Institute press release on Shortchanging the Joint Fight by Major General Charles Dunlap.

The counterinsurgency manual used by U.S. Soldiers and Marines undervalues the role airpower plays in fighting insurgencies, according to a monograph recently published by Air University officials.

That guidance, designated Field Manual 3-24 by the Army and Warfighting Publication 3-33.5 by the Marine Corps, has been widely celebrated since its publication in December 2006 for filling a gap in American military doctrine.

However, its relegation of airpower to a five-page appendix does not fully recognize the important part air, space and cyberspace operations can play in neutralizing insurgencies, according to Maj. Gen. Charles J. Dunlap, Jr., the Air Force’s deputy judge advocate general.

In his monograph “Shortchanging the Joint Fight?", General Dunlap lauds the manual, co-authored by the Army and Marine Corps, for skillfully addressing many important counterinsurgency issues but fears it may be adopted as the de facto U.S. joint solution for combating insurgencies.

“By failing to reconcile the full potential of today’s airpower capabilities and by focusing almost exclusively on the surface dimension, FM 3-24…falls short of offering U.S. decision makers a pragmatic, overall solution for the challenge of counterinsurgency,” General Dunlap writes.

Efforts are underway to write a joint counterinsurgency doctrine in which all services will have input, and General Dunlap hopes the U.S. Air Force’s “airminded perspective” is captured in the final product...

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "Air COIN" »

New Aircraft, Home for Afghan Air Force - Jason Straziuso, Associated Press

Calling it the "birth of our air force," Afghan President Hamid Karzai opened a new $22 million U.S.-funded military hangar on Thursday to house a fleet that is expected to triple in the next three years.

Standing in the cavernous hangar opposite Kabul's international airport, Karzai thanked the U.S. for helping to buy six refurbished Mi-17 transport helicopters and six refurbished Mi-35 helicopter gunships from the Czech Republic, as well as four An-32 transport planes from Ukraine.

The newly acquired aircraft will help transport Afghan troops — who are taking on an increasing role in the battle against the Taliban — on missions around the country.

The new aircraft and upgraded flight facilities are part of a $183 million U.S.-funded program to bolster the Afghan air force...

Images via AP - (Scroll 1/2 page)

H/T Major Alberdeston

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "Birth of the Afghan Air Force" »

The Murky Toll of the Iraq War - John Tirman, Boston Globe
Capturing Osama - Los Angeles Times debate (Pt. 5)
Care What the ACLU Says? - Washington Times editorial
Terrorist Tort Travesty - John Yoo, Wall Street Journal
Israel Must Look in the Mirror - Richard Chesnoff, New York Daily News
Tribal Hatred Didn't Cause Kenya Violence - Sasha Chanoff, Boston Globe
More Kremlin Harassment - New York Times editorial
Russia Beyond the Pale - Boston Globe editorial
Method in Russians' Madness? - Alex Goldfarb, London Daily Telegraph
Sea Piracy Won't Help Whales - The Australian editorial

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

Continue reading "LTG Odierno and MG Bergner Briefings" »

Patience in Iraq - Keane, Kagan and O'Hanlon, Washington Post
Surge to Nowhere - Andrew Bacevich, Washington Post
Iraq: Reasons to be Fearful, Yet Hopeful - Trudy Rubin, Miami Herald
The Gates Way to Victory (COIN) - Robert Fox, Guardian
Iran’s Small Boats Are a Big Problem - David Christ, New York Times
Ahmadinejad's Financial Folly - Bronwen Maddox, New York Post
Defusing the Gaza Time Bomb - Robert Malley, Boston Globe
Hugo Not Over Colombia? - John Thomson, Washington Times
Hold Chavez Accountable for Narco-terrorism - Diego Arria, New York Daily News
Burma: A Forgotten Crisis - Washington Post editorial
Real ID Game of Chicken - Bob Barr, Washington Times
China's Person of the Year - William Hawkins, Washington Times
Spirit of the Oxford Union - Clifford May, Washington Times
Does the News Matter Anymore? - David Simon, Washington Post
Press: Military Smear Campaign - Oliver North, Washington Times
Why Not a National ID? - Boston Globe editorial

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

War, Meet the 2008 Campaign by Michael Gordon, New York Times

... On the ground with the troops, it is clear that a major military change was in fact made in Iraq last year — not so much the addition of 30,000 troops, but the shift to a counterinsurgency strategy for using them. That strategy made the protection of Iraq’s population a paramount goal in an effort to drive a wedge between the people and the militants and to encourage Iraqis to provide intelligence that the American military forces need to track down an elusive foe.

But counterinsurgency is inherently a long-term proposition, and that assumption has driven much of the military thinking about the future, even as it heightens the political debate at home.

“Unless you are suppressing insurgents the way the Romans did — creating a desert and calling it peace — it typically can take the better part of a decade or more,” said Andrew Krepinevich, a military expert at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.

“The paradox,” he added, “is that counterinsurgency requires convincing the Iraqis of our staying power. At the same time, the American people view success in terms of how quickly we can pull out.”

The American military plans to return by mid-July to 15 combat brigades, the total in Iraq before the troop buildup. No decisions have been made on further reductions, but American officers foresee a continued need for American combat forces and generally anticipate a more gradual shifting of responsibilities to Iraqi forces than many of the candidates — a reflection of caution they say is warranted by years of sobering experience.

“It is about mitigating risk and not repeating mistakes of the past,” said one senior American officer in Iraq, referring to this cautious approach.

The politicians are suggesting they can produce faster results. But the candidates who have lambasted President Bush for failing to ask the tough questions about what might happen the day after Saddam Hussein was swept from power often don’t fully address hard questions about what might happen the day after the American military gets out...

More:

Leavenworth Officers Updated on Iraq Security - Scott Cannon, Kansas City Star
Al Qaeda in Iraq's Shrinking Area of Operations - Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal
75% of Baghdad Areas Now Secure - Jim Michaels, USA Today
A Flip of the COIN - Steve Schippert, ThreatsWatch
The Debate Over Aghan Strategy - The Belmont Club
Gates on NATO Allies - Abu Muqawama
NATO in Afghanistan: Friendly Fire from SecDef Gates - Kings of War
More on COIN and the Europeans - Abu Muqawama
Donald Rumsfeld Gates? - Westhawk
The Afghanistan Strategy Debate Continues - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal
Gates: NATO Allies Doing What They Can - Lolita Baldor, Associated Press
Sticks ’n’ Stones and Allies (Afghanistan) - New York Times editorial
Tough Questions on Afghanistan - The Record editorial (Ontario)
The Charge Made by Robert Gates - The Globe and Mail editorial
Afghanistan was Never Canada's War - Thomas Walkom, Toronto Star
Analyst Backs Gates' NATO Criticism - Leander Schaerlaeckens, Washington Times
Pakistani Home-grown Jihadists - Joseph Galloway, McClatchy Newspapers
More Troops to Afghanistan - Judith Latham, Voice of America
Gates' Criticism of Afghanistan Forces Riles NATO - Guy Raz, National Public Radio

Continue reading "Iraq, Afghanistan, NATO, COIN and Candidates" »

Pentagon Weighs Top Iraq General as Chief of NATO - Michael Gordon and Eric Schmitt, New York Times

The Pentagon is considering Gen. David H. Petraeus for the top NATO command later this year, a move that would give the general, the top American commander in Iraq, a high-level post during the next administration but that has raised concerns about the practice of rotating war commanders.

A senior Pentagon official said that it was weighing “a next assignment for Petraeus” and that the NATO post was a possibility. “He deserves one and that has also always been a highly prestigious position,” the official said. “So he is a candidate for that job, but there have been no final decisions and nothing on the timing.”

The question of General Petraeus’s future comes as the Pentagon is looking at changing several top-level assignments this year. President Bush has been an enthusiastic supporter of General Petraeus, whom he has credited with overseeing a troop increase and counterinsurgency plan credited with reducing the sectarian violence in Iraq, and some officials say the president would want to keep General Petraeus in Iraq as long as possible...

Continue reading "Petraeus to NATO?" »

U.S. Soldiers and Shoppers Hit the Wall - Riger Cohen, New York Times
Fifth Column Unfit to Print - Mark Steyn, Washington Times
Come Clean on Afghanistan - Haroon Siddiqui, Toronto Star
New Security Directions - Daniel Gallington, Washington Times
Islamofascism's Ill Political Wind - James Carroll, Boston Globe
Is Administration Covering up Torture? - Nat Hentoff, Washington Times
Secure Identification, Secure Nation - Michael Chertoff, Miami Herald
China Should Step Up Pressure on Sudan - Miami Herald editorial
Regime Collapse in Pyongyang - Daniel Davis, Washington Times
Taiwan's Democratic Lesson - Washington Post editorial
World Should Pressure Sri Lanka - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
Delhi's Day - London Times editorial
Inconvenient Truths of a Child Soldier - The Australian editorial
Poland - U.S.: A Tale of Two Allies - A. Wes Mitchell, Christian Science Monitor

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

On 17 January SWJ conducted a phone interview with Brigadier General Edward Cardon, Deputy Commanding General (Support), of Multi-National Division - Center (3rd Infantry Division / MND-C). MND-C arrived in-country last March as part of the “the surge” and the new population-centric counterinsurgency (COIN) strategy directed by General David Petraeus, Commanding General of Multi-National Force – Iraq (MNF-I). MND-C’s area of responsibility are the security zones located along the southern edge of Baghdad and scales from the border of Saudi Arabia to the border of Iran.

The interview covered a wide-range of topics to include trends in security, training and employing Iraqi security forces, economic development, essential services and governance.

Highlight bullets from the interview follow.

Overview

BG Cardon is currently on his third deployment to Iraq. When he returned in March of ’07 the situation was significantly worse than when he last left in January of ’06 - just after the national elections. That said - he is amazed at the positive change between March and today as the Division's mission transitions from combat to reconstruction and believes this is attributable to four things.

1. A group of company commanders (with one or more previous tours in Iraq) who really understand the local dynamics to include the local population itself, the quality of the Iraqi security forces and the local governance apparatus.

2. The Concerned Local Citizens effort that basically slipped across into MND-C’s AOR as a result of events (“Tribal Awakening”) in Al Anbar Province. This is significant as the Concerned Local Citizens organization rejected extremists (not just al-Qaeda, but Sunni extremists in general) and forced them out of their tribal areas.

3. The events of 27 – 28 August ’07 in Karbala (fierce clashes between Muqtada al Sadr’s Mahdi Army and the mainly Shiite Iraqi security forces, leaving hundreds of Shiite pilgrims dead or wounded) resulting in Sadr proclaiming a cease-fire which provided the local population some energy and breathing-room to reject the Mahdi Army.

4. The growing strength of Iraqi security forces is very impressive – especially the Iraqi Army. Though still suffering from some equipment issues, the Army is now composed of experienced and capable personnel as well as effective commanders. The Division is also beginning to see improvements in the Provincial police forces - though the police are not as far along as the Army. Here, a bottom-up approach is underway that includes training (both army and police personnel) and converting members of Concerned Local Citizens groups over to the police...

Continue reading "SWJ Interview with BG Edward Cardon" »

NATO Shows its Age - Boston Globe editorial
Enough US Help for Afghanistan? - Gordon Lubold, Christian Science Monitor
Petraeus on Troop Drawdowns - Linda Robinson, U.S. News & World Report
Future of Iraq Uncertain - Tulin Daloglu, Washington Times
McCain, Vietnam and American Honor - Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal
US Can't Turn Back Clock - Weber and Jentleson, Canberra Times
Blogger With a Soldier’s Eyes - Richard Perez-Pena, New York Times
Dissing our Troops - Jack Kelly, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A Mideast Lesson for Bush - H.D.S. Greenway, Boston Globe
Mideast Mission Unaccomplished - Arnaud de Borchgrave, Washington Times
Pakistan: The Boomerang Effect - New York Times editorial
Pakistan's Home-grown Jihadists - Joseph Galloway, Miami Herald
Pakistan: Unfailing Friend or Failing State? - Jane Harman, Washington Times
India's Socialist Constitution - Shruti Rajagopaln, Wall Street Journal
The Rot In Kenya's Politics - Anne Applebaum, Washington Post
Kenya: Business as Usual for Rich - Macharia Gaitho, Daily Nation
Thailand: Farewell to the Junta - Wall Street Journal editorial
Unrest Along the Rio Grande - Washington Times editorial
Fighting the EU Treaty - John Gouriet, London Daily Telegraph
Front-gate at the Pentagon - Frank Gaffney Jr., Washington Times
The False Promise of Real ID - Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times
Put Up a Bumper-Sticker - James Allan, The Australian
Whales in the Navy’s Way - New York Times editorial

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

Continue reading "America's Marines" »

CNAS Press Release: John Nagl Joins Center for a New American Security

WASHINGTON, DC, January 22, 2008 – The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is pleased to announce that John Nagl will join CNAS as a senior fellow in July 2008.

Lieutenant Colonel John Nagl, U.S. Army, currently serves as commander of the 1st Battalion, 34th Armor at Fort Riley, Kansas where he teaches U.S. soldiers how to train and advise Iraqi and Afghani forces. He led a tank platoon in Operation Desert Storm and served as the operations officer of a tank battalion task force in Anbar province in Operation Iraqi Freedom. A West Point graduate and Rhodes Scholar, Nagl earned his doctorate from Oxford University, taught national security studies at West Point, and served as a Military Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense.

He is the author of Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam (University of Chicago Press, 2005) and helped write the U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual published in December 2006. Nagl has also written or co-authored numerous articles and reviews, including the first CNAS issue paper, “Institutionalizing Adaptation: It’s Time for a Permanent Army Advisor Corps.” He frequently discusses national security issues in various national media venues.

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "John Nagl Joins CNAS" »

Iraq: How Fear Turns to Resolve - Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor
Remarkable Progress in Iraq - Helle Dale, Washington Times
Iraq Tunnel Vision Hampers Broader Fight - Adam Smith, Seattle Times
Robert Gates’ Glass House - George Petrolekas, Los Angeles Times
A Workable Strategy - Harlan Ullman, Washington Times
Still Wrong in Afghanistan - Richard Holbrooke, Washington Post
Tehran, Havana and Caracas - Washington Times editorial
Stopping Iran - Norman Podhoretz, Wall Street Journal
Impunity in Sudan - Los Angeles Times editorial
Sudan's Scorn for the World - Boston Globe editorial
Thailand's Class Struggle - Gwynne Dyer, Canberra Times
USAF: Chicken Little Is Right - Donnelly and Schmitt, Weekly Standard
The GOP's Security Gap - Harold Meyerson, Washington Post
Little Discussion of Foreign Policy - Richard Haass, Miami Herald
Petraeus '12 - Spencer Ackerman, The American Prospect
Britain's Voluntary Apartheid - Herbert London, Washington Times
Bad News Bears - Peter Brookes, New York Post

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

Continue reading "Conversation with LTG Douglas Lute" »

Seeing the World as It Is - Fouad Ajami, U.S. News & World Report
Iraq: After Al Qaeda - Lennox Samuels, Newsweek
Iraq: A Quagmire No More - Larry Derfner, Jerusalem Post
Peace, or Counterinsurgency without End? - Tom Hayden, San Francisco Chronicle
Turkey - Iraq: Bombing the Villagers - Kerim Yildiz, Guardian
Recast Canada's Afghan Mission - Toronto Star editorial
Redirect Canada's Afghan Aid - Toronto Star editorial
In Kabul, Shattered Illusions - Jean MacKenzie, New York Times
NATO Must Succeed in Afghanistan - Stanley Kober, Washington Times
Panel Avoids Real Reason for Afghan Role - Haroon Siddiqui, Toronto Star
A Message for Tehran - Boston Globe editorial
United Front Could Force Iran to Think Again - Bronwen Maddox, London Times
A Blind Eye to Iran's Realities - Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, Guardian
Trapped in Gaza - New York Times editorial
Breach in Gaza - Washington Post editorial
The Source of Gaza's Pain - New York Post editorial
Hamas Lies Repeated by U.N. - Jerusalem Post editorial
Israel's Brutality Counter-productive - Daily Star editorial
Hamas's Dupes - Jerusalem Post editorial
Hamas Cannot be Ignored - London Daily Telegraph editorial
Gaza Crisis Complicates Peace Efforts - Tim McGirk, Time
Gaza Explodes - Soumaya Ghannoushi, Guardian
End the West Bank Occupation - Bassam Aramin, Baltimore Sun
Familiar Mideast Mania - Paul Greenberg, Washington Times
Our Answer to Hassan Nasrallah - Yosef Lapid, Jerusalem Post
Conference to Save Lebanon's Future - Michael Young, Daily Star
Syria Should Exploit Russian Advantage - Vitaly Naumkin, Daily Star
Sarkozy's Mideast Method - Amir Taheri, New York Post
The Shah of Pakistan? - Malou Innocent, Washington Post
Pakistanis Should Heed Iranian Hindsight - Karim Sadjadpour, Daily Star
A Pro for the Pakistani Army? - David Ignatius, Washington Post
Kenya: Man Who Would be President - Scott Johnson, Newsweek
Kenya’s Conflict isn’t ‘Tribal’ - Richard Marcus, Los Angeles Times
China’s Genocide Olympics - Nicholas Kristof, New York Times
N. Korea: Turtle Bay Tale - Wall Street Journal editorial
Slowly, but Surely, Pyongyang Is Moving - Albright and Shire, Washington Post
Back to the Cold War? - Mary Dejevsky, The Independent
The New Russia - Reuben Johnson, Weekly Standard
The Padilla Sentence - Philadelphia Inquirer editorial
Just Punishment for Jose Padilla - Miami Herald editorial
Super Bowl Lesson from Ghana - Jonathan Zimmerman, Christian Science Monitor

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

Continue reading "OEF / OIF Briefings" »

Organizing for National Security: Unification or Coordination? - by James M. Keagle and Adrian R. Martin, Center for Technology and National Security Policy.

Overview

Experience gained from the 9/11 attacks, combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, disaster assistance during and after Hurricane Katrina, and the ongoing war on terror provides the basis for amending our anachronistic national security structures and practices. Many analysts and officials have called for a second generation version of the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 to address the array of organizational and management challenges that we face. Some argue that the new security environment requires even more fundamental change, similar to what was enacted after World War II. The principal legislation that emerged from that era was the National Security Act of 1947. Goldwater-Nichols aimed to fix inter-Service problems by streamlining the chain of command and promoting “jointness” but did not fundamentally alter the structure of the U.S. military.

These earlier efforts attempted to strike a balance between those who wanted to unite bureaucracies to improve efficiency (primarily resource considerations) and produce more effective outcomes and those who opposed potentially dangerous concentrations of power and desired to preserve their heart-and-soul missions (as well as congressional support for their strategic view and related combat systems and force structures). Today, the debate rages a new with the security of this nation dependent on the outcome.

This paper explores two options for reorganization: unification and coordination. We investigate each against the backdrop of the two previous attempts at reorganization in the context of the Madisonian political culture that constitutes part of who we are as a nation. Finally, each option is judged against its ability to contribute to the development and implementation of the kinds of strategies and operations needed to wage the new kind of war and peace in the emerging global security environment.

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "Organizing for National Security" »

Our Troops Did Not Fail in 2006 - Gian Gentile, International Herald Tribune
NATO Wear and Tear - Los Angeles Times editorial
Air Power Kills Insurgents, Creates New Ones - Charles Pena, The Bulletin
Surge Brings Only Stalemate - Steve Chapman, Baltimore Sun
Afghanistan: Collateral Damage - George Petrolekas, International Herald Tribune
Shariah 'Justice' in Afghanistan - Diana West, Washington Times
Pakistan Is Turning on Musharraf - Husain Haqqani, Wall Street Journal
The Agony of Gaza - Boston Globe editorial
From Kosovo war to Cold War? - Austin Bay, Washington Times
North Korea: Foggy Bottom Apostate - Wall Street Journal editorial
Peace in the Heart of Africa - Christian Science Monitor editorial
Democracy Struggles in Parts of Africa - Jela De Franceschi, Voice of America
Darfur's Best Hope: The Ballot Box - Nathaniel Myers, Christian Science Monitor
Kenya's Voters Deserve our Support - Jeffrey Sachs, Miami Herald
Tribal Tension in Kenya - Stanley Kurtz, National Review
U.N. Peacekeeping Evolves - Aida Akl, Voice of America
Rumsfeld Calls for U.S. Propaganda Agency - Sharon Weinberger, Wired
Resurgent Russia Poses Rising Challenge - USA Today editorial
Radical Islam: New True Believers - Clifford May, National Review
The Wrong Track on Terror - Haviland Smith, Baltimore Sun
No Time to go Wobbly on FISA - Horace Cooper, Washington Times
We Need a New GI Bill - Jerome Kohlberg, Wall Street Journal

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

American Security Project - Iraq Lessons Learned Essays

Rebalancing Our National Power - Dr. Joseph Collins

... since 2003, while Iraq has been “Job One” for the Bush administration, it took four years to give its commanders the manpower and to develop the operational charter they needed to make meaningful progress. The Bush team has compounded those errors by funding the war through deficit spending.

All of this is spilt milk, some of which has been sopped up by the skill and determination of General David Petraeus, Ambassador Ryan Crocker, and their team in Iraq. We should not, however, be complacent. The early phases of the war in Iraq have exposed numerous decision-system or organizational problems that the next President will ignore at his or her peril...

The New Face of War - Dr. Arthur Obermayer

The conflict in Iraq is the new face of war. The last protracted U.S. war where there were clearly demarked battle lines with uniformed soldiers separating the two sides was the Korean War, over a half century ago. Since then, it has been difficult to distinguish friend from foe, and victory has become more elusive. Today, the U.S. has the most sophisticated and strongest military might in the world, but that alone is not enough to prevail. The conflict in Iraq is only the most recent example of this trend, and it provides important lessons for American policy makers and the public to consider...

It Takes a Country to Fight a War - Brigadier General Stephen A. Cheney, USMC (Ret.)

In the spring of 2003, our military demonstrated that it is unequaled at traditional warfare. Our forces performed superbly in taking down Saddam Hussein’s government quickly and with relatively few casualties. But the uncoordinated efforts to rebuild Iraq have fallen well short of the mark. This is a monumental task that, regrettably, has principally fallen to the Department of Defense, and the shortcomings of this effort should serve as a lesson that wars of national liberation require strong interagency coordination...

No More Iraqs - Dr. James Miller

Although the final chapter on the Iraq War has not been written, it is already clear that one of the preeminent lessons will echo that of the Vietnam War; that is “No More Iraqs.” This bumper sticker maxim, however, will have widely divergent interpretations. Some will probably be right, several will certainly be wrong, and for some it is simply too soon to tell...

How We Leave Matters - Vice Admiral Lee Gunn, USN (Ret.)

I hate this war and believe we should not have invaded Iraq. But this war, and the way we end it, will have profound implications for America’s future use of force and our exercise of political will in the world. When we leave Iraq, we must do so in a way that protects American military power and manages other’s perceptions of that power in order to avoid unintended – and potentially bloody – consequences in the future.

Instead of seeking to draw lessons from the Iraq experience that we may apply to future conflicts, my goal is to consider how we can apply what we already know to the current situation in Iraq in order to ensure that we draw this conflict to a close in a way that does not further endanger U.S. security...

More ASP lessons learned essays...

Continue reading "American Security Project Iraq Lessons Learned" »

Recent additions from the US Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute:

COIN of the Realm: U.S. Counterinsurgency Strategy (Seminar Report) - Dr. Steven Metz and Ralph Wipfli.

Participants at the seminar developed these key insights: Regardless of whether counterinsurgency (COIN) will be the dominant form of military activity in the future or simply one of several, the United States needs an effective national strategy which explains when, why, and how the nation should undertake it. The basic assumptions of the current approach need revisited, especially those dealing with the role of the state, the strategic framework for American involvement, and the whole-of-government approach. Given the demands placed upon the armed forces by the current campaigns, most of the effort has been on tactics, training, and doctrine. Ultimately strategic transformation is at least as important, if not more so. Rather than thinking of counterinsurgency and warfighting as competing tasks, the military and other government agencies must pursue ways to integrate them, thus assuring that the United States can address the multidimensional threats which characterize the contemporary security environment.

A Contemporary Challenge to State Sovereignty: Gangs and Other Illicit Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) in Central America, El Salvador, Mexico, Jamaica, and Brazil - Dr. Max G. Manwaring.

Another kind of war within the context of a “clash of civilizations” is being waged in various parts of the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and elsewhere around the world today. Some of the main protagonists are those who have come to be designated as first-second-, and third-generation street gangs, as well as their various possible allies such as traditional Transnational Criminal Organizations. In this new type of war, national security and sovereignty of affected countries is being impinged every day, and gangs’ illicit commercial motives are, in fact, becoming an ominous political agenda.

Pakistan's Nuclear Future: Worries Beyond War - Mr. Henry D. Sokolski.

This book, completed just before Pakistani President Musharraf imposed a state of emergency in November 2007, reflects research that the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center commissioned over the last 2 years. It tries to characterize specific nuclear problems that the ruling Pakistani government faces with the aim of establishing a base line set of challenges for remedial action. Its point of departure is to consider what nuclear challenges Pakistan will face if moderate forces remain in control of the government and no hot war breaks out against India.

Development and Reform of the Iraqi Police Forces - Major Tony Pfaff.

Despite 4 years of millions of dollars in aid, equipment, education, and advisors, Iraqi police force development lags far behind the military. Numerous reasons are offered to account for this gap: corrupt practices left over from the previous regime, infiltration by militias, weak leadership, competition by better armed and organized criminal and militant groups, and so on. However, the military is also subject to these same influences, thus none of these explanations by themselves or in combination are satisfactory. The author argues that the poor political and security environment impacts social, political, and cultural factors in ways that are predictable, understandable, and, with external help, resolvable. The author offers valuable insights into the creation of such programs as well as a number of policies and practices advisors may adopt to best facilitate the creation of a just and effective Iraqi police force.

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "SSI Recent Additions" »

Originally posted at Committee of Concerned Journalists.

I spend a lot of time trying to convince my colleagues in the Army and the Marines that the media are not the problem. I cite chapter and verse of the history of our relationship -- the dysfunctional periods, propaganda phases, the development of the ethics of good responsible American journalism -- and I’m usually able to demonstrate that while what passed for mid-19th century journalism truly was enough to drive one to distraction, in the 20th and thus far in the 21st, journalists really have been at least as professional as we, and quite often more so.

This self-appointed task, unfortunately, often remains an uphill battle, as many soldiers, Marines and their officers are convinced a media bias exists against the military in general and the ground forces in particular.

I wage my little internal struggle because I think it is right, and that my peers are often blowing small things out of proportion and seeing a bogeyman where there is none. I try to show them how this is part of a narrative that periodically recurs in military circles (the German army after WWI, the American army after Vietnam). I also try to demonstrate to them how they have been conditioned to accept the narrative as true without being critical of the assertions.

In short, I argue for journalists and journalism all of the time, and passionately.

And then the editors of the New York Times dig themselves a nice deep pit, fill it with slime and muck, and dive in headfirst...

Continue reading "More Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics" »

How Bush Decided on the Surge - Fred Barnes, Weekly Standard
No Back-door Promises in Iraq - Boston Globe editorial
Locking in U.S. - Iraq Ties - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
The Charges and Stakes in Iraq - Peter Wehner, National Review
Harper's Unwise Afghan Blackout - Toronto Star editorial
State Of Disorder - James Kitfield, National Journal
Another Iran Resolution - Washington Post editorial
Making Up with Iran's Mullahs - New York Post editorial
Iran's New Purge - Amir Taheri, New York Post
Justice for Lebanon - Michael Young, Wall Street Journal
A Conversation With Ehud Barak - Lally Weymouth, Washington Post
The Enemy Within Gaza - Chicago Tribune editorial
Ending the Stranglehold on Gaza - al-Sarraj and Roy, Boston Globe
Syria's Assassination Central - Wall Street Journal editorial
Fair Elections for Pakistan - Los Angeles Times editorial
The U.N. Anti-Avengers? - Brett Schaefer, National Review
Chávez's Favorite Pariahs - Douglas Farah, Washington Post
Will Venezuela Be Judenrein? - Mona Charen, National Review
Turkey - Greece: Quiet Bridge-Building - Soner Cagaptay, Washington Times
Independent Kosovo - Hashim Thaci, Wall Street Journal
Questions for the Pentagon on Hesham Islam - Claudia Rosett, National Review
The FISA Follies, Redux - New York Times editorial
Save the Whales from the Navy - Los Angeles Times editorial

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

Down and dirty - Intelligence drives operations, or so it should, in any form of warfare. In the counterinsurgency fight this is particularly true - success or failure is dependent on accurate, timely and relevant intelligence. COIN is a small unit fight – requiring dispersion and decentralization – with local commanders requiring a ‘real’ capability to collect, process and disseminate intelligence. A first step in solving a long-standing tactical support shortfall is finally seeing the light of day.

Corps Creates Intel Cells at Rifle-company Level – Kimberly Johnson, Marine Corps Times

A need for more intelligence analysts in the Corps is forcing infantry operations to get a whole lot smarter, under a new initiative that is for the first time pushing battalion-level intelligence know-how down to the rifle-company level.

The Corps is creating company-level intelligence cells — called C-LICs — in an attempt to plug the hole and curb the loss of valuable intelligence that often goes missing when units pass the baton on the battlefield, Marine officials said…

The C-LIC initiative, launched under the direction of the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab in Quantico, Va., will soon be battle-tested by California-based 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, on its next Iraq deployment, slated for early 2008.

Today’s irregular warfare, with its lack of a uniformed enemy, makes intelligence gathering vital for enemy identification. To adapt to the emerging threat, infantry companies often create their own versions of ad hoc intelligence cells, said Vince Goulding, director of experimentation plans at the Warfighting Laboratory. But those individual efforts have been piecemeal, because the Corps had no standard training or equipment available, he said.

The new initiative for pushing intelligence analysis know-how down to the lower echelons, however, is about to change all that. Rifle companies will now be able to assess, analyze and disseminate information that they typically had relied on battalion or regimental command to produce…

Preparation for how units approach intelligence collection on the distributed battlefield has been as varied as the units themselves, said Capt. Gabe Diana, project officer for C-LIC at the Warfighting Laboratory.

“Databases were normally made by somebody in the companies, so what you’d see is five different databases within a battalion. Then come [relief in place] time, five more databases and there’s just loads of information that’s just lost,” Diana said.

Rifle companies use the databases for vital intelligence procured from the local area, which can help avoid much of the time lost sending intelligence requests to the battalion or regimental level, Dickey said.

“If we can train ourselves at this level, we can produce the intelligence we’re asking for,” which could save days of waiting for responses over the duration of a unit’s deployment, he said.

Continue reading "One Small Step for Intel, One Giant Leap for Boots on the Ground" »

Transcripts from 1 - 25 January 2008 Department of Defense Blogger Roundtables.

U.S. Army Colonel Edward J. Kornish on Afghan Police Force training. The Regional Police Advisory Command-South is making steady progress building a professional Afghan police force in Afghanistan’s austere South region.

U.S. Army Colonel Wayne W. Grigsby, Jr. on combating extremism south and east of Baghdad. The Army 3rd Infantry Division’s 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, deployed since February 2007, is fighting extremism in areas south and east of Baghdad, Iraq.

U.S. Army Brigadier General Edward Cardon on local security gains influence national action in Iraq. As Iraqis continue to organize at the local level to help with security, they are creating pressure on Iraq’s national leaders to build on momentum.

U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Gregory J. Smith on Iraq still in Al Qaeda’s grip. The coalition’s success securing Baghdad and Iraq’s Anbar province from al Qaeda will need to be repeated in other parts of Iraq.

U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel David L. Coggins on Iraqi Navy progress. Over the past year, NATO members have been working to train the Iraqi navy and its petty officers.

U.S. Army Major General Rick Lynch on Iraqis continuing to move forward. More than 31,000 citizens are now providing security assistance to coalition forces south of Baghdad and southern provinces.

U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Cy Bartlett on Iraqi Air Force ‘coming on strong.' Iraq’s new air force passed its infancy in 2007 and will continue to grow over the next few years.

U.S. Army Colonel John S. RisCassi on U.S. forces eliminate al Qaeda sanctuary in Baghdad. A Baghdad neighborhood formerly overrun by al Qaeda has been cleared of the enemy and is starting to thrive again.

Mr. Louis P. Lantner, Provincial Reconstruction Team Leader, on micro-grants helping to rebuild Iraq’s economy. Small grants to help Iraqi businesses rebound are paying dividends, as improved security has benefited economic recovery.

More: Audio, biographies and related DoD news articles.

Continue reading "Recent DoD Blogger Roundtables" »

Via Tom Ricks, Washington Post

Here, the Air Force uses the jargon of modern warfare to discuss its competition with the Army and Navy. Usually, it is China that U.S. officers describe as a "peer competitor" -- that is, a real or potential adversary. But in these briefing slides, it is the other services that the Air Force is targeting...

More:

The U.S. Air Force Declares War! - Abu Muqawama

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "USAF "Threat Estimate"?" »

Iraq's Progress Report - Michael O'Hanlon, Washington Times
Don't Short-Circuit the Surge - Kimberly Kagan, Wall Street Journal
Cut and Running - Max Boot, New York Post
The Charges and Stakes in Iraq - Peter Wehner, National Review
Lesson from Saddam - New York Post editorial
Conversation with Afghan President Karzai - Lally Weymouth, Washington Post
An Afghan Province Points the Way - David Ignatius, Washington Post
US Tinkering in Afghanistan - Korb and Wadhams, Boston Globe
Compassion for Afghanistan - Dan Gardner, Ottawa Citizen
Manley Levels with Canadians on Afghanistan - Thomas Axworthy, Toronto Star
Musharraf Talks of Democracy - The Independent editorial
Going Home to Pakistan - Mohsin Hamid, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Gaza, Afghanistan and Black Schools - Haroon Siddiqui, Toronto Star
Unkept Promises in Darfur - New York Times editorial
Bush Hits a Wall in the Mideast - Jim Hoagland, Washington Post
Turmoil in Gaza - Abraham Rabinovich, Washington Times
Getting the Real Story in Gaza - David Warren, Ottawa Citizen
Excessive Deference to Islam - Mark Steyn, National Review
UN: Racism Must be Fought - Toronto Star editorial
Waving Goodbye to Hegemony - Parag Khanna, New York Times
In the Army, Strains are Showing - Boston Globe editorial
Air Force Knows its Enemies - Tom Ricks, Washington Post

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

Reprinted with permission of the Marine Corps Gazette.

Speaking at the International Seapower Symposium on 17 October 2007, General Conway discussed the Marine Corps’ role in the new maritime strategy. Looking from the present to the years 2020-2025, the Commandant echoed oft repeated trends: that the average age in developed nations will continue to grow older while underdeveloped nations will grow younger, creating a population of military age males for whom employment opportunities will be scarce; that 75-80% of the world’s population will move towards an “urban sprawl” adjacent to a sea coast; and that state conflicts will continue to grow more rare as transnational and regional conflicts increase in scope and frequency. Largely due to these trends, the Commandant also spoke about the continuing likelihood of Marines being involved in complex irregular wars or what multiple experts have begun calling “hybrid” wars. (1)

As we enter the seventh year of “The Long War” the implications of these trends seem particularly significant, especially when, as the Commandant stated, one appreciates that a lot of “blue” exists on the map around the “Arc of Instability.” It may be that the fight ahead will include many “Small Wars,” fought amidst the remains of the old Islamic Caliphate. In the face of such a potential challenge, there has never been a more acute need for a “hybrid warrior,” possessing a mind capable of operating in timeless environments, conventional and irregular...

Continue reading "Training a “Hybrid” Warrior at the Infantry Officer Course" »

Iraq's No. 1 Problem - Bing West and Max Boot, Los Angeles Times
Enemy in Iraq on the Ropes - Steve Russell, New York Daily News
The War Over the War - Stephen Hayes, Weekly Standard
Don't Move Dave Petraeus - Roger Carstens, Human Events
A Better Way to Grow NATO - Ronald Asmus, Washington Post
Afghan Impasse - London Times editorial
Iran: Too Easy to Refuse - New York Times editorial
What Bush Must Tell Musharraf - Jackson Diehl, Washington Post
Straight Talk on Pakistan - Ralph Peters, New York Times
Hezbollah's Dark Hand - Tom Harb, Washington Times
Blame Hamas for the Suffering - Frida Ghitis, Miami Herald
Gaza: Fertile Ground for Radicalism - Daoud Kuttab, Miami Herald
Playing Real Dumb in UK - Mark Steyn, Washington Times
Smith Redefines Foreign Policy Rules - Glenn Milne, The Australian
Suharto: President of Region and Times - The Australian editorial
Suharto's Indonesia - Wall Street Journal editorial
Suharto's Legacy - Hugo Restall, Wall Street Journal
Farewell to Jakarta's Man of Steel - Greg Sheridan, The Australian
Suharto's Reign Came at Cost - Sara Webb, Sydney Daily Telegraph
Suharto: Our Model Dictator - John Pilger, Guardian
Suharto: General Havoc - Tom Fawthrop, Guardian
Bashing Bush over N. Korea - Richard Halloran, Real Clear Politics
On the Ground in Bangladesh - Nicki Bennett, New York Times
Listening to the Enemy - Roger Pilon, Wall Street Journal
Jihad Watch Offers Questions for Candidates - Robert Spencer, Human Events
A Law to Protect America - Lamar Smith, Washington Times
Wolfowitz Returns - Pittsburgh Post Gazette editorial
Army Reinvents Warrior Care - Mark Bowden, Philadelphia Inquirer
Give Vets their Due - Finn M. W. Caspersen, Baltimore Sun

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

From today's Congressional Quarterly (subscription required) - Small Wars, Big Changes by John Donnelly.

... U.S. military leaders, including Rumsfeld’s successor, Robert M. Gates, now recognize that the nature of warfare itself is changing, from conventional conflicts between nations to “small wars” — counterinsurgency, counterterrorism, religious and ethnic strife — and that the Army must change with it.

The new doctrine, spelled out in publications such as the newest Army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual, published in late 2006, is that the Army must be prepared to wage all types of warfare but focus much more of its attention on irregular, guerrilla conflicts like that in Iraq.

This is a fundamental change that will drive most other decisions within the Army — from recruitment to equipment — and will permeate every defense debate for the foreseeable future.

In fact, it already has. Military journals are full of articles and commentary on counterinsurgency. Last summer, eight months after the Army field manual appeared, the Air Force rushed out its own doctrine on the subject.

For the Army, the new doctrine means a seismic culture shift. It will still have guns and tanks, but it will also need more people skilled in languages, public affairs, economic development, even anthropology. Instead of grudgingly accepting the task of nation building, as it did in the Balkans and in Iraq at first, the new Army for the most part will have to embrace the role. In this way, the high-technology, smart-weapons “revolution in military affairs” that has captivated Pentagon strategists for decades is becoming a revolution beyond military affairs.

Though it is too early to tell precisely what the ramifications might be in general defense policy and the budget, most experts think the Army will not get a big budget increase, but will have to reorder its priorities, shifting money from, say, high-tech hardware to personnel...

Much more at CQ...

More here too, at Abu Muqawama

Continue reading "Small Wars, Big Changes" »

Iraq's No. 1 Problem

By Bing West and Max Boot, Los Angeles Times

... A staggered Al Qaeda is steadily losing one redoubt after another because, in the most important shift in the war, the Sunni people turned against the terrorists and aligned with the American soldiers. Over 80,000 men (mainly Sunnis) have joined neighborhood watch groups that the U.S. calls Concerned Local Citizens. Essential in last year's battles to drive Al Qaeda out of Baghdad, the CLCs also provide Sunnis with a defense against Shiite militias.

Now, victory is within our grasp -- if only the Iraqi government could effectively reach out to Sunnis and Shiites alike who are fed up with violence and sectarian divisions.

Yet the perverse political system stymies such an outcome. In 2004, U.S. and U.N. officials pushed through an electoral process that resulted in votes for parties rather than individual candidates. This left party bosses in Baghdad free to appoint hacks who do not answer to any local constituency and face no penalty for failing to provide essential services. Water, electricity, garbage collection and job creation are in terrible shape, especially in Sunni areas, because the government is run by Shiites.

American battalion commanders have stepped in. Officers trained to attack cities, not run them, have temporarily assumed the duties of city managers, cadging resources and hounding Iraqi officials to disburse hoarded funds.

This situation cannot last indefinitely. American officers cannot take the place of the missing government of Iraq. The CLCs must be incorporated into the police. But the government headed by Nouri Maliki is moving with agonizing slowness, running the risk that civil war may be reignited...

More at the LAT

Continue reading "Iraq's No. 1 Problem" »

The State of the Union - New York Times editorial
Final State - Washington Post editorial
Bush's End Game - Wall Street Journal editorial
Iraq's Up, Economy's Down - USA Today editorial
A Union Hungry for Change - Boston Globe editorial
Battered Bush Battles On - Rich Lowry, New York Post
Endangered Democratic Species - Frank Gaffney Jr., Washington Times
Iraq: Nothing Happened in MAJ Today - David French, National Review
Death Squads Undoing Surge's Progress - Joseph Galloway, Miami Herald
Afghanistan and Pakistan Are One Struggle - Amir Taheri, London Times
Karzai Gets Tough with Lord Ashdown - David Blair, London Daily Telegraph
Pakistan's Most Wanted Warlord - Kevin Whitelaw, US News & World Report
Turkey: Democracy a Work in Progress - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
OBL: Signed and Delivered - Yousafzai, Moreau and Hosenball, Newsweek
Gulf Provocations: What to Do - James Lyons, Washington Times
No Way to Avoid Hamas Now - Helena Cobban, Christian Science Monitor
Last Chance for Two States? - Steve Masters, Philadelphia Inquirer
Rafah's Angry Tunnel Men - Tim McGirk, Time
The Gaza Breakout - Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal
The U.N.'s Human-Rights Sham - Ronan Farrow, Wall Street Journal
Not-So-Benevolent Strongmen - Christian Science Monitor editorial
Suharto's Grip Still Felt in Indonesia - Canberra Times editorial
Ruthless Tyrant Suharto Unworthy of Tributes - John Birmingham, The Australian
Suharto: The Devil You Knew - Piers Akerman, Sydney Daily Telegraph
Tamil Statehood? - Bruce Fein, Washington Times
68' Tet: Dreadful Sense of Deja Vu - Mike Marqusse, Sydney Morning Herald
How Kenya Came Undone - Scott Baldauf, Christian Science Monitor
The 8/7 Families - Howard Kavaler, Washington Times
Colombia Seeks Commerce, Investment - Francisco Santos Calderón, Miami Herald
Nuclear Cooperation - Daniel Davis, Washington Times
Wiretrapped - Wall Street Journal editorial
The Navy and the Whales - Washington Post editorial

Continue reading "29 January SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

The Next Iraq Phase - David Ignatius, Washington Post

... The question is whether this Iraqi renaissance can continue as the United States reduces its surge of combat troops. The Iraqi military is still far from ready to take over the country's security. The military's transport systems won't be finished until the summer of 2009, and it could be two years before Iraq's military can operate fully independent of U.S. forces.

Gen. David Petraeus and other top military officials have begun debating what the post-surge level of U.S. troops should be. The commanders want a pause for assessment after July, when the last of the five additional combat brigades that made up the surge is withdrawn and the U.S. troop presence returns to its prior level of 15 brigades, or about 130,000 soldiers.

The debate centers on how long this pause should last and whether it should be followed by more troop cuts. Petraeus, who as field commander doesn't want to risk losing his hard-won gains, is said to favor an assessment period of more than three months, and perhaps leaving the full 15 brigades in place through the end of 2008. President Bush, who would like to leave office next January with Iraq as secure as possible, may also oppose further troop reductions after July...

Continue reading "The Next Iraq Phase" »

The Next Iraq Phase - David Ignatius, Washington Post
Afghan Decision Time - Toronto Star editorial
Military Budget Bill: The Fine Print - New York Times editorial
Foreign Diplomacy: Send in the Stars - Lionel Beehner, USA Today
Genocide Prevention: 60 Years of Failure - Eric Reeves, Christian Science Monitor
Kenya at the Abyss - London Times editorial
Kenya at the Brink of Collapse - Makau Mutua, Boston Globe
How Can Kenya Avoid Ethnic War? - Scott Baldauf, Christian Science Monitor
Behind the Chaos in Kenya - Ralph Peters, New York Post
Kibaki Must Give Back Stolen Election - David Blair, London Daily Telegraph
Nigeria's Resurgence Flowing From Oil Diplomacy - Ike Okonta, Daily Star
Fighting AIDS in Africa, and Winning - Joseph Loconte, Weekly Standard
Israel's Lebanon Disaster - Michael Oren, Wall Street Journal
An Impossible Peace - Joel Mowbray, Washington Times
Ehud Olmert's Israel - Peter Berkowitz, Weekly Standard
Door Closed on Syrian-Israeli Negotiations - Itamar Rabinovich, Daily Star
Grimacing to Victory and Grinning to Defeat - Caroline Glick, Jerusalem Post
Lebanon Held Hostage - Los Angeles Times editorial
US Needs Braver Iran Policy - Ellen Laipson, Daily Star
Teething Pains of US-Iran Conciliation - Anisa Mehdi, Daily Star
How to Curb Pakistani Militancy - Abdullah Adnan, Daily Star
PPP's Shattered Hopes - Gartenstein-Ross and Grace, Weekly Standard
FISA and the Democrats' Retreat - Washington Times editorial
Reform FISA, Now - National Review editorial
Don’t Give In on FISA Reform - Andrew McCarthy, National Review
9/11 Defines my Generation - Christopher Geisel, Jerusalem Post
The Daniel Pearl Standard - Judea Pearl, Wall Street Journal
Balancing Rights and Burqas - Angela Wu, Washington Times
Kicking Democracy’s Corpse in Russia - New York Times editorial
A Potemkin Election - Washington Post editorial
Full-fledged 'Commie-czar'? - Jim Guirard, Washington Times
Who Lost Ukraine? - Reuben Johnson, Weekly Standard

Continue reading "30 January SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

“It is necessary, therefore, if we desire to discuss this matter thoroughly, to inquire whether these innovations can rely on themselves or have to depend on others: That is to say, whether to consummate their enterprise, have they to use prayer or can they use force. In the first instance they always succeed badly and never compass anything, but when they can rely on themselves and use force; then they are rarely endangered. Hence it is that all armed prophets have conquered and the unarmed ones have been destroyed”.

-- Nicolo Machiavelli, The Prince

Background

Ideas as to what constitutes good governance various among individuals, groups and cultures. The current definition of good governance as outlined in a recent report on threats from safe havens and ungoverned areas is a case in point. (1) The report defines governance as the “delivery of security, judicial, legal, regulatory, intelligence, economic, administration, social and political goods and public services, and the institutions through which they are delivered”. The definition implies a social service centric function for government emphasizing “delivery” and distribution of social services. It further implies that only democratic institutions are a safeguard against militancy, extremism and terrorism. Not all cultures view the role and function of government in quite the same way. Tribal society, particularly along the North-West frontier between Pakistan and Afghanistan judges the role and function of effective government quite differently...

Continue reading "Operations in Pakistan’s Tribal Areas" »

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

Continue reading "31 January Iraq Updates" »

We Are Winning, We Haven't Won - Max Boot, Weekly Standard
Bush's Freedom Agenda - Helle Dale, Washington Times
Afghan War May Not Be Forgotten Easily - Bronwen Maddox, London Times
What the PM Should Tell Us About Afghanistan - Haroon Siddiqui, Toronto Star
Kenya's Collapse - Wall Street Journal editorial
Ways to End Kenya's Killings - Christian Science Monitor editorial
Liberia: Firestone Chief Fires Back - Dan Adomitis, Los Angeles Times
Media Has Good Record on Terror Trials - The Australian editorial
Suharto Still an Enigma in Death - Peter Rogers, Canberra Times
Sri Lanka: Fighting the Absolute Enemy - Dayan Jayatilleka, The Island
What A.Q. Khan Knows - Selig Harrison, Washington Post
A Barrage Against Israel - Robin Shepherd, London Times
Olmert's Shame - Barbara Opall-Rome, New York Post
A Pogrom in Venezuela? - Mona Charen, Washington Times
Uncle Sam's Latin Challenge - Peter Brookes, New York Post
Warning Light on Kosovo - John Bolton, Washington Times
Russia's Regression - Michael Weiss, Weekly Standard
Georgia's Future Path - Hastings and Doggett, Washington Times
Dial '08 for Terrorism - John Wohlstetter, Washington Times
Nuclear Safety Paranoia - Jack Spencer, Washington Post
Mukasey's Disappointing Debut - New York Times editorial
'Waterboarding' Mukasey - Wall Street Journal editorial

Continue reading "31 January SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »