Journal

Many modern internal conflicts defy basic definitions, so use a composite framework instead.

History is with replete with former armies that prepared for the wrong type of conflict and received the unflattering result of becoming failed military systems.

Log in, tune in, don’t drop out.

Current strategic guidance documents rely upon catchphrases and hyperbole to defer tough national security decision-making.

As cyberspace operations continue to evolve, they raise some unique questions regarding the nature of conflict and how it should be discussed and regulated.

"To robbery, slaughter, plunder, they give the lying name of empire; they make a solitude and call it peace." -Calgacus, Chieftan of the Caledonian Confederacy

Dr. Kevin Woods and his colleague Williamson Murray have brought to life the Iraqi perspective on various conflicts, ranging from Operation Desert Storm to their latest work on the Iran-Iraq War.

In war of any character, the basic principles are the same, but two sides may fight it differently or interpret the principles differently based on capacity and capability.

War is the coherent execution of all means to bring about sufficient adherence to a nation’s will in the international (global) arena; resulting in armed conflict only when all other means fail.

It took the British a full century of trial-and-error to come up with the organization of a stable native army in India, a feat the US believes it has accomplished in less than a decade in Afghanistan.

“The Family doesn’t kill for money; it doesn’t kill for women... only those who deserve to die, die... [T]his is divine justice.”

Our physical world instincts often fail us when thinking about cyberspace.

Is a major FSA operation underway?

There are some issues that are too important to remain unsolved.

It is time to rethink the role of conventional U.S. military medical assets in COIN operations.

When the balloon goes up... A new look from an old tool.

Design is to MDMP as the universe is to apples. All we can do now is apples.

The war in Syria is entering a critical new phase in which the regime’s lines of communication between its stronghold cities are being seriously threatened.

The autobiography of the renowned Middle East historian Bernard Lewis.

This fight is different from any that have come before between these two adversaries.

The presence of Mexican-origin drugs in Chicago is more prominent now than ever before

The evolution of al-Qaeda's media strategy.

The American society, along with civilian and military leaders, remain unprepared to deal with the complexities of insurgencies and small wars.

Without dedicating proper resources to develop language and cultural skills, there is a risk of degradation in a critical capability delivered through regional alignment.

Some great lessons for law enforcement, military, and intelligence professionals for countering street gangs of all stripes.

Social media's role in mobilization and narrative.

From the outset, the U.S. treated Al Qaeda as a military objective instead of an organization to be understood, penetrated, and permanently dismantled. 

The Warlord Loop’s 2012 reading list features interdisciplinary topics that cover the entire spectrum of conflict.

Address the issue now before it becomes a crisis.

Ongoing changes in tactics and organization presage a near-term transformation to battalion-based Battle Groups.

Train and posture properly for the threat.

To think that America can’t or shouldn’t project its power globally when necessary is a mistake. America’s military struggles in the post-9/11 era have stemmed from improper application of military force.

Iran’s endeavours are concentrated on projects which make little sense for purely civilian usage.

At a time when the United States has much to lose from retrenchment, an Obama or Romney administration will find the United States with few effective non-military instruments of power.

The Free Syrian Army has moved their war into the second phase of Mao's "people's struggle." 

The Russian claim is that their counterinsurgency operations in Chechnya were successes: but at what cost?

In the final part of this series, Iraq expert Kirk Sowell shines a light on the country's murky foreign policy.

It sounds crazy, but catching the most notorious and wanted drug trafficker in the world might be a bad thing.

The Russian Federal forces enjoyed overwhelming superiority, yet were forced into a premature cease-fire in 1996 and suffered immense casualties.

An interview with Janine Davidson.

The linkages between democracy, natural resources, and peacemaking as Burma seeks a way to wind down a half-century long complex of ethnic, political, and religious strife.  

Risk management and wicked messes like Afghanistan.

Two great minds on drugs... and strategy.

Change doesn’t come easy to military culture; it is often resisted.

Regional proxy wars between Iran and the Arab Gulf are using Lebanon as their figurative prostitute.

Throughout its existence beginning in the early 1990s, ASG has waffled back and forth between criminality and terrorism. 

Protests in the Middle East are about a power struggle in the Muslim world triggered by the democratic uprisings of the Arab Spring.

People and culture are important – but they are not the only important things. Their importance is relative to the mission and the operational environment.

Fit the operation to the narrative, not the narrative to the operation.

The US Army is finding itself in the difficult position of attempting to redefine itself in a climate of reduced resources. It shouldn't pin its future to peer-to-peer battle.