Small Wars Journal

CNAS Releases Transcripts and Videos from Annual Conference

Mon, 06/20/2011 - 2:07pm
The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) released today the transcripts and videos from its fifth annual conference, Risk and Reward: American Security in an Age of Uncertainty, which took place in Washington, D.C., on June 2, 2011.

Watch the videos and read the transcripts online.

The CNAS conference featured a keynote address by Army Lieutenant General David M. Rodriguez, Deputy Commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, and timely discussions with senior national security experts on Afghanistan, Pakistan and al Qaeda; cyber war and cyber security; revolution in the Middle East; cooperation and competition in China and the Asia Pacific; and American foreign policy priorities.

The conference also marked the release of five new CNAS publications: America's Cyber Future: Security and Prosperity in the Information Age, Beyond Afghanistan: A Regional Security Strategy for South and Central Asia, Internet Freedom: A Foreign Policy Imperative in the Digital Age, Elements of Security: Mitigating the Risks of U.S. Dependence on Critical Minerals, and Upheaval: U.S. Policy Toward Iran in a Changing Middle East.

Infinity Journal, Issue No. 3, Summer 2011

Mon, 06/20/2011 - 8:05am
Infinity Journal, Issue No. 3, Summer 2011, has just been published. The latest issue includes:

Martin van Creveld, "The Second Lebanon War: A Re-assessment."

T.X. Hammes, "Limited Means Strategy: What to do When the Cupboard is Bare."

Justin Kelly, "On Paradigms"

Gian P. Gentile, "The Death of American Strategy."

Patrick Porter, "Isolationist Heresies: Strategy and the Curse of Slogans"

David Betz, "'Cyberwar' is Not Coming"

Infinity Journal is a digital journalzine, a journal-magazine mix, that intends to bring a better understanding and new perspectives to the issue of strategy. It offers readers two simple ways to read each issue. The online edition provides the best viewing experience, allowing for full page control and interaction, similar to a printed magazine but without the cost of subscription or the hassle of paper. The PDF version has been optimized so that it can be used across a wide range of devices, from your computer all the way down to cellular phones or portable gadgets. The site requires registration, but there is no cost.

20 June SWJ Roundup

Mon, 06/20/2011 - 7:32am
***Keep the Roundup (the Journal, the Blog and the Council) Going AND Get a Nifty Coin to Boot***

Afghanistan

Gates Discusses Way Forward in Afghanistan - AFPS

Few Taliban Leaders Take Afghan Offer to Switch Sides - NYT

Gates Acknowledges Talks with Taliban - NYT

Gates Confirms Talks with Taliban - WT

Gates Confirms US-Taliban Talks in Afghanistan - BBC

US Confirms Talks with Taliban - ABC

Gates: Headway in Taliban Talks May be Months Off - Reuters

Karzai Blasts US, NATO for 'Using' Afghanistan - CSM

US Ambassador Responds to Karzai's Criticisms - NYT

US Envoy Reproaches Afghan President on Criticism - AP

Afghan Suicide Attack Targets German Soldiers - VOA

NATO: Afghan Soldier Who Shot Mentor Killed - AP

Afghanistan: Will Deal With IMF Crisis After Summer Holiday - Reuters

Afghanistan's Last Locavores - NYT opinion

Pakistan

Suspicions Rise as Pakistan Bomb Labs Empty Before Raids - NYT

Pakistani Chief Seeks to Repair Dented Army Pride - S&S

Fighting Kills 29 in Northwest Pakistan - VOA

Attack on Pakistan Military Triggers Heavy Clashes - AP

Pakistan Says It Drives Militants Into Afghanistan - Reuters

Rare US Missile Attacks Hit Northwest Pakistan - AP

US Missile Strike Kills Seven Militants in Pakistan - Reuters

Pakistan Ambassador Defends Questioning of Informants - VOA

Syria

Assad Holds Hard Line on Unrest - BBC

Syrian Troops Ransack Northern Border Village - VOA

Syrian Army Cuts Off Lifeline to Thousands - AP

Turkey Sends Aid to Syrian Refugees Across Border - BBC

US Weighs War Crimes Charges for Syria - NYT

UK Foreign Minister to Syrian Leader: Reform or Go - AP

Assad Says National Dialogue to Start Soon - Reuters

Russia's Medvedev Opposed to UN Vote on Syria - Reuters

Obama Must Tell Assad to Go - WP opinion

Tough on Israel and Timid on Syria - WP opinion

Libya

US Legal Deadline for Libya Expires - VOA

Gates Says Libya Strategy 'Absolutely Right' - AFPS

Gates: Obama is Within Law in Libyan Operation - AP

NATO Admits Missile Hit a Civilian Home in Tripoli - NYT

NATO Confirms Libyan Strike Killed Civilians - WP

NATO Admits it Probably Hit Civilians in Libya - LAT

NATO to Investigate Claims of Civilian Deaths in Tripoli Air Strike - VOA

NATO Suggests 'Weapons Systems Failure' in Tripoli Raid - BBC

Inexperience Costing Rebels in Advance on Tripoli - Reuters

Claims of Wartime Rapes Unsettle and Divide Libyans - NYT

After Gaddafi - BBC opinion

Yemen

Soldiers and Militants Clash in Yemen, Leaving 21 Dead - NYT

Clashes in South Yemen Kill 12 Militants, 2 Soldiers - VOA

Twelve 'al-Qaeda Militants' Killed in Zinjibar - BBC

12 Militants Killed in Yemen by Shelling - AP

Thousands in Yemen Call for President's Son to Go - AP

Yemen's Trouble with Drones - CSM

Israel / Palestinians

Israel Asks US to Let Spy Pollard Attend Funeral - AP

Palestinian Fatah-Hamas Reconciliation Talks 'on Hold' - BBC

Palestinian Reconciliation Summit Postponed - AP

Iraq

Gates: Iran Supplying Arms to Iraqi Shiite Groups - AP

With 'Big Gun', Iraqi Soldiers See Hope - WP

French Embassy Convoy Hit by Bomb in Baghdad - AP

Egypt

Egypt: New Party Struggles to Take Off - WP

Egypt Elections Expose Divisions in Muslim Brotherhood - NYT

Calls Grow in Egypt to Delay Elections - AP

Egypt Appoints New Foreign Minister - Reuters

Middle East / North Africa

Journalists Reject Allegations in Bahrain Court - AP

Lawmakers Want UN Rights Auditor Barred From Iran - Reuters

Tunisia's Former President Denies Charges Ahead of Monday Trial - VOA

Ex-Tunisia President Condemns Upcoming Trial - AP

Tunisia's Ex-President Goes on Trial in Absentia - AP

How 'The Family' Controlled Tunisia - WSJ

Thousands Protest in Morocco for More Reform - Reuters

Moroccan King's Backers Attack Democracy Activists - AP

Latest Developments in Arab World's Unrest - AP

Al Qaeda

Turn to Abductions Shows al-Qaida's Cash Squeeze - AP

US Department of Defense

Fiscal Crisis Requires Responsible Approach, Lynn Says - AFPS

Senate Panel Agrees on Defense Budget Blueprint - AP

Senate Bill Bans US Soil Guantánamo Jail Forever - MH

War Evolves With Drones, Some Tiny as Bugs - NYT

Military To Keep Robotic Edge in Face of $400 b. Cuts - Bloomberg

Is the Feres Doctrine (Medical Malpractice Suits) Fair? - S&S

United States

Pentagon Bomb Scare: Is the Suspect a Lone-Wolf Terrorist? - ABC

Bomb Threat on US Airways Flight Sparks Probe - Bloomberg

USDA Gay-sensitivity Training Seeks Larger Audience - WT

World

UN Reports Steady Rise of Refugees - NYT

UN: Poor Countries Bear the Brunt of Refugee Storm - AP

Africa

North-South Sudan: Abyei Agreement Hits 11th-Hour Snag - VOA

Monitor Says North Army Masses in Sudan Oil State - Reuters

Sudan: 15 Wounded in Darfur Fighting - AP

Somali Prime Minister Resigns, Reversing Pledge to Stay - VOA

Lauded Somalian Prime Minister Resigns Under Pressure - NYT

Somalia: PM Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo Resigns - BBC

Conflict Arises Over Diamonds From Zimbabwe - LAT

Americas

Colombia Car Bomb Wounds 17,' Calamity' Averted - Reuters

Poll: Peru's Humala Has 70 Percent Approval Rating - Reuters

Poll: Peruvians Want Humala to Govern Like Lula - AP

Climate, Government Controls Hit Bolivia's Farmers - AP

After Surgery, Chavez Faces Troubles in Venezuela - AP

Venezuela: El Rodeo Inmates Transferred Amid Stand-off - BBC

Asia Pacific

US, Japanese Review Bases - WSJ

Delay Is Likely for a New US Air Base on Okinawa - NYT

Blast Wounds 5 in Philippine Bar Amid Terror Fears - AP

Another Top Terror Suspect on Trial in Indonesia - AP

Thai Army Takes Sides as Divisive Election Nears - Reuters

Burma Fighting Flares After Peace Talks Fail - Reuters

China Offers Riot Informers Cash and Other Awards - AP

Europe

Russia: Medvedev Hints He and Putin Won't Be 2012 Rivals - Reuters

Scrutiny of German Leader Builds as Debt Crisis Rattles Europe - NYT

Struggling to Stoke Economic Growth in Greece - NYT

Eurozone 'to Approve' Greece Loan - BBC

Spaniards Protest High Unemployment - WP

Spain: Madrid 'Euro-pact' Protesters Take to Streets - BBC

Italy: Berlusconi's Allies Back Italian Coalition for Now - Reuters

South Asia

Indian Military Delegation Visits China - VOA

India-China Military Exchanges Resume - AP

Sri Lanka President Receives US Court Summons - BBC

19 June SWJ Roundup

Sun, 06/19/2011 - 7:59am
***Keep the Roundup (the Journal, the Blog and the Council) Going AND Get a Nifty Coin to Boot***

Afghanistan

Qaeda Woes Fuel Talk of Speeding Afghan Pullback - NYT

Karzai Announces Peace Talks with Taliban - VOA

Karzai: US in Peace Talks with Taliban - WP

Lashing Out, Karzai Says US Talking to the Taliban - NYT

US Contacted Taliban about Afghan Peace Deal - LAT

Karzai: US in Peace Talks with Taliban - BBC

As Karzai Confirms Taliban Talks, Attack in Kabul Kills 9 - AP

Afghan Leader Says US in Contact With Taliban - Reuters

US Ambassador Responds to Karzai's Criticisms - NYT

Ex-British Envoy Sees War as Wrong Focus in Afghanistan - LAT

Iran Defense Chief in Kabul as Afghans Eye Security - Reuters

Where the Afghan War Is Fought Hardest - AP

Explosion Strikes German Convoy in Afghanistan - AP

Suicide Attack on Kabul Police Station Kills Nine - Reuters

Costly Afghan Weddings Under Government Scrutiny - AP

Pakistan

Pakistanis Tip Off Militants Again - AP

Slain Pakistani's Daughter Takes Up His Cause - AP

Roadside Bomb Targeting Troops Kills 1 Civilian - AP

Tone Down Pakistan Rhetoric - LAT editorial

Syria

Syria Expands Crackdown on Dissent - VOA

Syrian Troops Seize Border Village - WP

Syrian Army Tightens Grip Near Turkish Border - AP

Syria Troops 'Raid Town' Near Turkey Border - BBC

Refugee Crisis Mushrooms as Syrian Army Attacks - AP

Activists Using Video to Bear Witness in Syria - NYT

Britons Asked to Leave Syria as Crisis Deepens - VOA

Libya

Fighting in Northwest Libya, NATO Pounds Tripoli - VOA

NATO Says Libya Uses Mosques as Shields - BBC

Libya Blames Apartment Bombing on NATO - LAT

NATO Probes 'Civilian Deaths' in Attack - BBC

NATO Admits Accidentally Hitting Libyan Rebels - VOA

NATO Says It Mistakenly Hit Libyan Rebels Again - NYT

Two Killed in 'NATO Strike' in Libya - BBC

Ambivalence in 'Pro-Gaddafi' District of Tripoli - Reuters

Barack Obama 'Overruled Top Legal Advice' - BBC

Anger Ramps Up in Congress over Libya - WP

Middle East / North Africa

US-Saudi Rivalry Intensifies - LAT

Senior Palestinian Leader: Armed Resistance Best - AP

Palestinians Record Protests With Cameras Supplied by Israelis - NYT

Lebanon Sends Troops After Residents Clash on Syria - Reuters

Yemeni Clerics Call for Presidential Elections - AP

Yemen Crisis Puts Saudi in Powerbroker's Bind - Reuters

Bahrain to Lift Ban on Opposition Party - Reuters

Iran Sanctions Need Work, Some in Israel Say - LAT

Lawyer Says US Pair Are Iran's Hostages - NYT

Iran Dissidents Call for Protection After Attack - Reuters

Vivid Canvases of Iraq's Pain - NYT

Islamic Group Seeks Place in a Democratic Egypt - AP

Egypt PM Prefers a Delay in Parliamentary Vote - AP

Egypt Court Suspends Order to Remove Mubarak Name - Reuters

Morocco's February 20 Movement to Protest King's Reform Plan - VOA

Morocco: Protesters Say King's Reforms 'Not Enough' - BBC

Morocco Set for Nationwide Protests after King's Speech - BBC

Morocco: Standing Up to the King - NYT opinion

Yemen's Unfinished Revolution - NYT opinion

What to Do With Lemons - NYT opinion

US Department of Defense

Gates Says He's Grown Wary of 'Wars of Choice' - NYT

For Robert Gates, Caring for Troops was Job No. 1 - LAT

Gates' Tenure Defined by 2 Wars that Outlast Him - AP

Army Sets Out to Buy Three New Camouflage Patterns - CNN

United States

Backward at the FBI - NYT editorial

Exposure Of Information v. Exposure To Information - S&S opinion

Legalization Won't Kill the Cartels - NYT opinion

Africa

First Lady's Africa Trip Stirs Criticism - WP

Westerners Held in Somalia for Delivering Pirate Ransom - AP

Somalia: Six Jailed for 'Pirate Ransom' Cash - BBC

Americas

Mexico: High-profile Crackdown on Lower-grade Crime - LAT

9 Bodies Discovered in Southern Mexico - AP

Reinforcements Sent after Venezuelan Prison Stand-off - BBC

Venezuelan Troops Battle Inmates at Prison - AP

Drug War: One Cartel Falls, Another Rises - LAT opinion

Asia Pacific

US, Japan to Discuss Futenma Plans, Opposition Grows - S&S

Japan Nuclear: Radiation Halts Water Clean-up - BBC

Vietnamese Protest China Amid Rising Tensions - AP

Philippines' Aquino Halts Some Foreign-funded Work - AP

South Korean Marines Fire at Chinese Passenger Plane - VOA

Burma Blames Ethnic Kachin Rebels for Deadly Clashes - BBC

Europe

Young Russians Work to Spread Message of Soviet-Era Dissident - NYT

Yelena Bonner, Soviet Critic, Sakharov Widow, Dies - Reuters

Russia Says WTO Entry Talks May Be Delayed by Years - Reuters

UN Refugee Official to Visit Italy's Lampedusa Island - BBC

Terror Suspect Detained in Austria - AP

Europeans Doubt Greece's Ability to Stick to Budget - NYT

South Asia

India Nurtures Ties with Poorer Allies - WP

Pakistan Looms Large as India, China Armies Resume Talks - Reuters

Days Before Talks, India, Pakistan Spar Over Ships - AP

Gates: Wary of 'Wars of Choice'

Sun, 06/19/2011 - 12:18am
Looking Back, Gates Says He's Grown Wary of 'Wars of Choice' by Thom Shanker and Elisabeth Bumiller, New York Times. BLUF: "Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, as he prepared to depart the government for the second time, said in an interview on Friday that the human costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan had made him far more wary about unleashing the might of the American armed forces."

The Legendary Athens Riot Dog

Sun, 06/19/2011 - 12:16am
You can find the latest story and a very recent video at BBC News. BLUF: "One committed protester was at the front line when Greek police fired teargas at protesters outside parliament on Wednesday." Here are some older YouTube postings:

... every protest / riot since 2008.

Loukanikos, the riot dog.

None can tame him. None can leash him. None can call him. None can heel him. None can stop him.

Army Camouflage Pattern Update

Sat, 06/18/2011 - 9:07pm
As a follow-up to our SWJ post, Army, Marine Corps clashing over cammies..., CNN's Jennifer Rizzo reports Army sets out to buy three new camouflage patterns. BLUF: "This time around, the Army is looking for a family of camouflage patterns that can be used across the globe - one for the desert, another for a wilderness/jungle environment, and a third transitional variant for 'places in the middle'..."