| Small Wars Journal

According to the New York Times, the Japanese government will soon release new defense policy guidelines that will redirect its military's primary attention away from the Russian threat from the north and toward the Chinese threat from the south. The new defense guidelines will also direct Japan's military forces to improve their coordination with the United States, Australia, and South Korea. Japan's shift toward China is a response to what it sees as the more ominous threat. What China's leaders need to ponder is whether their more assertive policies are actually improving China's security.

Japan's defense ministry will take several actions to implement the new guidelines. Japan will slightly reduce its investments in armor and artillery (needed for the northern defense scenario) and redirect funding into naval and air power and air-mobile ground forces. Japan will increase its submarine force from 16 to 22 boats. The defense and rapid reinforcement of the Senkaku islands, the site of a clash three months ago between the Japanese coast guard and a rogue Chinese fishing boat, will now be a top priority of Japanese defense planning.

Japan is already taking steps to implement the forthcoming guidelines. It has deployed a 100-solider detachment to Yonaguni Island, Japan's westernmost outpost. Japan intends to use the island for surveillance of Chinese naval forces. In addition, Japan and the United States just completed Keen Sword 11, a seven-day training exercise involving over 40,000 personnel, 400 aircraft, 60 ships, and missile defense batteries. It was the largest bilateral military exercise the two countries have ever conducted.

In the years ahead, China can now expect to face a more persistent and more intrusive Japanese military presence in the East China Sea. This presence will include new ground defense garrisons on many of the Senkaku Islands, more Japanese submarine patrols, more surveillance of Chinese naval activities, and more exercises in the East China Sea with the USS George Washington carrier strike group and other elements from U.S. Pacific Command.

Japan appears to be changing its posture in the Senkaku island chain from a light coast guard presence to an active military defense. It is no coincidence that this change is occurring just as China's fleet and air force are expanding. China's leaders will have to assess whether the more assertive policies they have adopted of late are actually resulting in greater security for China.

Read more about Japan gives China a new strategic complication

14 December SWJ Roundup

Afghanistan

White House Prepares Afghan Policy Review - Voice of America

Mullen: No Big Change in U.S. Troops in Afghanistan - Associated Press

Holbrooke's Death Leaves Major Void in Afghan Strategy - Washington Post

No Decisive Victory One Year Into Afghan Surge - Associated Press

Killings of Afghan Relief Workers Stir Strategy Debate - New York Times

Cautious Optimism as Oil Starts Pumping - Washington Post

Afghanistan Awards First Oil Contract - Associated Press

Afghan, Coalition Forces Stop Insurgent Attack in Afghanistan - AFPS

Documentary 'Restrepo' Shows War Through Eyes of American Soldiers - VOA

Scenes of Troop Life, in the Round - New York Times

Pakistan

Harris Worried About Insurgent Havens in Pakistan - Washington Post

Iraq

Mullen: Iraq, U.S. Must Discuss Future Military Relationship - AFPS

Iraqi Security Forces Enable Progress, General Says - AFPS

Escaping War's Shadow - Washington Post opinion

Iran

Iranian Leader Suddenly Fires Top Diplomat - New York Times

Iran Replaces Foreign Minister - Washington Post

Iran Fires Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki - Los Angeles Times

Iranian President Sacks Foreign Minister - Reuters

Iran Shifts Nuclear Chief to Interim Leader of Foreign Ministry - VOA

Iran: Foreign Minister Firing Won't Effect Policy - Associated Press

Clinton: Iran Made "Good Start" In Nuclear Talks - Reuters

Korean Peninsula

South Korea Resumes Live-Fire Artillery Drills - Voice of America

South Korean Drills Draw More Threats from North Korea - Washington Post

China: Diplomat Went to N. Korea to Cool Tensions - Associated Press

South Korea Suspects North Has More Uranium Sites - Reuters

South Korea's Army Chief Resigns - BBC News

WikiLeaks

WikiLeaks, Round Three - Small Wars Journal (post-release - cutoff 10 Dec)

SWJ WikiLeaks Roundup - Small Wars Journal (pre-release)

Assange to Appear in Court Over Sex-Crime Case - Associated Press

Assange Still Committed to Publishing Secret Documents - Reuters

Intellectual Life of WikiLeaks Chief - Associated Press

WikiLeaks Drug Corruption Report Hits Peru General - Associated Press

U.S. Department of Defense

JFCOM Workers Told to Expect 40 to 50 Percent Work Force Cuts - Virginian-Pilot

New Suit Challenges 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' - Washington Post

United States

Veteran U.S. Diplomat Richard Holbrooke Dies - Voice of America

Veteran U.S. Diplomat Richard Holbrooke Dies - Washington Post

Diplomat Richard Holbrooke Dies at 69 - Los Angeles Times

U.S. Envoy Richard Holbrooke Dies - BBC News

Veteran Diplomat Richard Holbrooke Dies - NPR

Holbrooke: Strong American Voice in Diplomacy and Crisis - New York Times

Richard Holbrooke: Archetype of American Diplomacy - Time

Richard Holbrooke, Colossal and Subtle - Politico

Richard Holbrooke's Vexing Afghan Challenge - Wall Street Journal

Snap Analysis: Holbrooke was Key U.S.-Afghanistan Diplomat - Reuters

Holbrooke the Dove - Foreign Policy

A Forceful Advocate for U.S. Interests - Wall Street Journal

Holbrooke's Last Words Call to End Afghan War - The Age

Richard Holbrooke's Diplomatic Memoir - Los Angeles Times

America Will Feel the Loss of an Astute Diplomat - Sydney Morning Herald

Obama: Holbrooke 'a True Giant' of Foreign Policy - USA Today

World Leaders Praise Late Ambassador Holbrooke - Voice of America

World Pays Tribute to Holbrooke - Associated Press

World Leaders Mourn Holbrooke's Death - CNN News

Richard Holbrooke Dies: World Reaction - Daily Telegraph

Richard C. Holbrooke, 1941-2010 - Foreign Policy

Obituary: Richard Holbrooke - BBC News

Holbrooke's Relentless Work - Washington Post editorial

Holbrooke: An Extraordinary Man - Washington Post opinion

Holbrooke: A Force of Personality - Washington Post opinion

Richard Holbrooke's Op-Eds - Washington Post

Baltimore: Lawyer Argues Entrapment in Bomb Plot - New York Times

What Ike Got Right - New York Times opinion

Africa

Ivory Coast Soldiers Block Ouattara Headquarters - Voice of America

Ivory Coast Poll-Winner Vows to Take Control - Associated Press

E.U. Launches Ivorian Sanctions as Tensions Grow - Reuters

Ivory Coast Debate Lights Up on Twitter - Voice of America

Minerals Help Finance Civil War in Congo - Washington Post

U.N. Confirms Northern Air Raids on South Sudan - Reuters

Americas and Caribbean

Some Mexicans March Again for Slain Drug Lord - Associated Press

Venezuela: Chavez Says Decree Powers May Last 18 Months - Reuters

Chavez to Decree Venezuela Sales Tax Rise - Reuters

WikiLeaks Drug Corruption Report Hits Peru General - Associated Press

Haiti's Leading Candidate Speaks Against Council - Associated Press

Asia Pacific

Ethnic Mongolian Dissident Released by China Is Missing - New York Times

VIP's Cancellation Undermines Taiwan's China Claim - Associated Press

China the Bully - Washingon Post opinion

Europe

Early Detonation of Bomb Averted Disaster in Sweden - New York Times

Stockholm Came Close to Carnage - Washington Post

Stockholm Suicide Attacker Carried Three Bombs - Los Angeles Times

Stockholm Bomber 'Radicalized in Britain' - Voice of America

Swedish Bombing Suspect's Drift to Extremism - New York Times

Stockholm Bomber Seen as Radical by U.K. Muslims - Associated Press

Sweden Bomber Sought Big Targets; New Threat Made - Reuters

Sweden's Near Miss - New York Times editorial

Russia Tightens Security After Nationalist Riot Near Kremlin - Voice of America

Russia: Medvedev Warns Against Ethnic Attacks - New York Times

Moscow Clashes Put Authorities in a Quandary - Washington Post

Russia to Decide Tycoon's Fate In Test For Kremlin - Reuters

Italy: Berlusconi Pleads for Support Ahead of Confidence Vote - New York Times

Italy: Confidence Vote on PM Berlusconi Could be Tight - Washington Post

Berlusconi Wins Italian Senate Vote - Associated Press

Berlusconi Wins First Round In Italian Parliament Showdown - Reuters

PM Thaci's Party Wins in Kosovo - Voice of America

Kosovo PM's Party Leads, Coalition Talks Loom - Reuters

Middle East

U.S. Mideast Envoy Begins New Push to Restart Peace Talks - VOA

U.S. Middle East Envoy Attempts to Restart Peace Process - New York Times

After Setback, U.S. Resumes Mideast Peace Push - Associated Press

U.S. Envoy Seeks Progress Despite Talks' Collapse - Reuters

Gates, Israeli Defense Minister Discuss Iran, Regional Security - AFPS

Arabs and Israelis, United by Flames - New York Times

U.S. Illusions in Lebanon - New York Times opinion

South Asia

Telecom Scandal Plunges India Into Political Crisis - New York Times

Read more about 14 December SWJ Roundup

Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, RIP

Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the United States government's special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, died tonight after a brief, acute illness. He was 69 years old.

Ambassador Holbrooke led a very full life. After college, he joined the Foreign Service, learned Vietnamese, and reported for duty in the Mekong Delta during the war with an assignment with the CORDS pacification program. He later worked at the embassy in Saigon for Ambassador Maxwell Taylor (John Negroponte was his roommate), was a junior representative at the Paris peace talks, and wrote one volume of the Pentagon Papers. He managed the Peace Corps mission in Morocco. He then spent five years as editor of Foreign Policy Magazine, where, nearly forty years later, I am proud to appear once a week. Just two weeks ago, he spoke at a Foreign Policy event and said that his years as editor were among the most important of his career.

Holbrooke may have been the most qualified man never to become Secretary of State. During the Carter administration, he was Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, where he oversaw the U.S. government's diplomatic recognition of mainland China. During the Clinton administration, he was the U.S. Ambassador to Germany in the wake of the collapse of the Iron Curtain. He then became the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs, where he led the negotiations ending the Bosnian wars. After a break from government service, Holbrooke returned to become U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, where he focused on UN reform and Africa issues.

Holbrooke died suddenly at the too-young age of 69 with his task in Afghanistan and Pakistan incomplete. Although Holbrooke left the stage with his last assignment still in the balance, his rich experience in public service, starting with his first assignment in Vietnam, shows following generations how they too can lead lives that make a difference. Those not cut out for military service, but who want to do something meaningful with their lives, can look to Holbrooke to see what a young person in the Foreign Service, the Peace Corps, or elsewhere in public service, can accomplish at an early age. Holbrooke's example of a youth well-spent may be his greatest legacy.

Monday E-mail Odds and Ends

Lots of e-mails today, here are several that caught my attention and/or interest:

La Familia Drug Cartel: Implications for U.S.-Mexican Security - By Dr. George W. Grayson, U.S. Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute.

La Familia Michoacana burst onto the national stage on September 6, 2006, when ruffians crashed into the seedy Sol y Sombra nightclub in Uruapan, Michoacán, and fired shots into the air. They screamed at the revelers to lie down, ripped open a plastic bag, and lobbed five human heads onto the beer-stained black and white dance floor. The day before these macabre pyrotechnics, the killers seized their prey from a mechanic's shop and hacked off their heads with bowie knives while the men writhed in pain. "You don't do something like that unless you want to send a big message," said a U.S. law-enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity about an act of human depravity that would "cast a pall over the darkest nooks of hell." The desperados left behind a note hailing their act as "divine justice," adding that: "The Family doesn't kill for money; it doesn't kill women; it doesn't kill innocent people; only those who deserve to die, die. Everyone should know . . . this is divine justice." While claiming to do the "Lord's work," the ruthless leaders of this syndicate have emerged as the dominant exporter of methamphetamines to the United States, even as they control scores of municipalities in Michoacán and neighboring states.

National Museum of the Marine Corps Publishes First Book - A Legacy Walk Through Marine Corps History.

The National Museum of the Marine Corps has published its first book, A Legacy Walk through Marine Corps History, which duplicates and enhances the timeline exhibit that stretches along the Museum's Legacy Walk. The exhibit and the book detail the Marines' vital contributions to the nation and the preservation of freedom by highlighting the history of the Corps on one level and world history on a second tier. Senator John Glenn, United States Marine Corps pilot and astronaut, wrote the book's foreword, with former Secretary of State and U.S. Marine George P. Shultz contributing the introduction. Also included is an introduction by Museum Director Lin Ezell.

The Council on Foreign Relations - CFR is closely following the WikLeaks fiasco, their e-mail quoted with links follows.

I wanted to bring to your attention an interview with CFR Adjunct Senior Fellow John B. Bellinger III, "The Legal Case Against the WikiLeaks." In this interview, he says that the State Department will likely prosecute WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange under all available statutes, including the Espionage Act. He argues that the "release of this information is extremely damaging to our foreign relations and also potentially to sources of information to the State Department."

Other resources from CFR include an Expert Roundup on the impact of the WikiLeaks on U.S. diplomacy by CFR fellows; an op-ed, "Premium Cables," by CFR President Richard Haass in Newsweek; an op-ed, "Dictators, Democracies, and WikiLeaks," in The Wall Street Journal by CFR Senior Fellow Elliott Abrams; and an op-ed, "America's Facile, Self-Congratulatory Response to WikiLeaks" in The New Republic by CFR Senior Fellow Stephen Sestanovich.

Still more includes "Anglo-U.S. Relations Can Overcome WikiLeaks Fallout" by James Lindsay on his blog, The Water's Edge, originally published by the Times of London, "The Administration's Feckless Response to WikiLeaks" by Max Boot, Commentary Magazine, "WikiLeaks Accidentally Helps United States" by Leslie Gelb, The Daily Beast and "Cablegate" by Joel Hirst, Huffington Post.

Reminder: Responsible Transition Securing U.S. Interests in Afghanistan Beyond 2011 - Event announcement follows.

A discussion with Lieutenant General David W. Barno, USA (Ret.), Senior Advisor and Senior Fellow, CNAS, and former Commander of U.S. and Coalition Forces in Afghanistan; Andrew Exum Fellow, CNAS, and former Army Ranger and civilian advisor to General Stanley McChrystal; and Bob Woodward Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist and Editor with The Washington Post as well as author of Obama's Wars. December 14, 2010, from 1:30-2:45 p.m., The Newseum's Knight Conference Center, 7th Floor. RSVP here.

On 7 December 2010 CNAS released a new report on U.S. Afghanistan strategy authored by CNAS Senior Advisor and Senior Fellow Lieutenant General David W. Barno, USA (Ret.), former commander of U.S. and Coalition Forces in Afghanistan; and Fellow Andrew Exum, a former Army Ranger and civilian advisor to General Stanley McChrystal. In Responsible Transition: Securing U.S. Interests in Afghanistan Beyond 2011 the authors lay out a strategy for the post-July 2011 phase of the war, define the U.S. troop presence and commitment beyond 2014, and offer operational and strategic guidance for protecting U.S. and allied long-term interests in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Read more about Monday E-mail Odds and Ends

RFI for Practitioners of Modern Small Wars

To those directly involved in small wars during the last decade,

Ultimately, this may be the most important project that I've pursued while commissioned as an officer in the United States Army. This project is my attempt to pay it forward...

Here at Small Wars Journal, we've begun a discussion on the need/utility to update FM 3-24, Counterinsurgency, given the depth and breadth of our military's experience during the last decade. Most professionals agree that the COIN manual was desperately needed during the 2005/06 timeframe, but it is limited in scope and mostly based off post-World War II, post-colonial examples. Insurgency and small wars have existed since the beginning of the first government - men seeking to rebel, revolt, or separate from the local power structure. My personal favorite remains Moses who brought locust and the Angel of Death in to play for his separatist movement from the Pharaoh. Mostly, it fails to address the level of violence often required to quell rebellions. Dr. David Kilcullen, in his most recent talks, spoke that violence was assumed to the military practitioner. Sometimes, assuming is not enough.

In my own opinion, the doctrine is void of the heart and soul and emotion of the fight. It is too sterile missing the most important of things.

Currently, we've heard mostly from academics and defense analysts. My hope is to compile an article entitled, "An Empty Canvas: The Practitioners Voice Truth to Power on Modern Counterinsurgency." I want to capture thoughts, comments, and pictures from men and women who have been in the field over the last decade. I want to know what they have to say in frank, stark words. We want to hear from you. Ultimately, I'd hope that we can generate enough energy to conduct another symposium to compliment the 1962 Rand Counterinsurgency Symposium.

To accomplish this goal, I am asking a simple question;

Given your experience, in a picture or written paragraph or two, what do you have to contribute to the literature on small wars? Simply put, what do you want to tell those that come after you to fight these wars?

The question is as broad and deep as is the nature of our experiences. I decided that the answers will be anonymous sources validated through internal peer-review to ensure quality of content. We want thoughts from practitioners. One quantifying question remains, "Where did you sleep?" We want men and women to answer who slept outside of the FOB or American controlled areas to relay their experience for the greater good; however, we wish to provide a forum that protects their careers while allowing honest feedback.

Please forward all responses to mike@smallwarsjournal.com.

Thank you for your time in this endeavor. Please pass on to your friends, colleagues, students, and subordinates. Below are some initial responses.

"First, I would ask if the manual covered the concepts needed to fight the full spectrum of conflict you experienced while doing COIN. Does it adequately discuss the use of "kinetic ops" as part of a greater COIN approach? Did it assist your units in integrating combined and joint assets into your campaign? How was it useful in dealing with civilian elements of the interagency? Did the IA use it? That type of thing.

Second, does FM 3-24 assist in planning COIN operations? How? How was it inadequate? I don't know how to get around asking questions about metrics/assessments that aren't leading, but that needs to be addressed as well - since the manual fails to in any sort of usable way.

Finally, I think there's a lot of consensus to move the manual away from purely Galula-inspired thought to something else. While I may agree with that, the manual needs to be useful to units doing this stuff while acknowledging that there is a lot of stuff we won't ever get into a manual. So less theory (as that will always be contested), more how-to based on what's worked."

"Mike, I think that we would agree that the best part of FM 3-24 is the section on intelligence. It's the most commonsensical part of the manual and the one least likely to be ripped apart by doctrinal disputes. It is as relevant for Kitsonian practitioners as it is for today's COIN warriors out fighting a most un-Maoist gaggle of enemies."

"Part of my problem with FM 3-24 is that it's a Maoist cartoon. It limns best practices, but they're dated. The enemies that are described in FM 3-24, their organization and their objectives, no longer seem all that relevant to the company commanders who are facing them. Neither, I suggest, would be the "counter-guerrilla" manuals produced in an earlier age and used perhaps inaccurately by certain unnamed Stryker brigades in OEF."

"What proved so important in Anbar -- the buying of loyalties at just the right time -- actually is frowned upon in FM 3-24, for example, and the manual infamously treats bribery as something exotic a commander might notice in an insurgent environment but not something he should exploit for his own purposes."

"When C.E. Callwell was penning his compilation of best practices, he wasn't so reluctant to discuss the most Machiavellian of methods, should they prove successful. But he was writing case studies, which gets me to my larger point."

"A real problem with FM 3-24 is its structure. It pretends to define a subject (it's even called "Counterinsurgency") with a monolithic listing of best practices, without mentioning how these might have worked, or failed to work, in a given historical moment. Looking beyond the manual's opening koans, those wisdom-provoking aphorisms and thought experiments, it really is a catalog of operational advice, just like any other military effort...This has two effects. It treats practitioners as if they're morons who can't nimbly figure it out on their own, thereby forcing them to be reliant on the doctrinaire mistakes of FM 3-24, and it locks into place best practices as if they're important for all times and places, and they're not. A better way to write it would be as a book of case studies, much as Callwell did his opus (and not necessarily as the USMC in 1940 did theirs, although the Small Wars Manual, too, was more open-minded than FM 3-24). It would look at the event being studied in several different ways, and discuss how various audiences would have seen and reacted to the event: The enemy, the "people," a domestic audience, and international one. This is very different from the way all other manuals are constructed. But that's my point. It needs to be."

Again, please forward all responses to mike@smallwarsjournal.com.

Michael Few is Editor of the Small Wars Journal.

13 December SWJ Roundup

Sunday's and Monday's News and Opinions

Afghanistan

As U.S. Assesses Afghan War, Karzai a Question Mark - Washington Post

6 Americans Killed by Bomb at a New U.S.-Afghan Outpost - New York Times

Suicide Bomber Kills 6 Troops in Afghanistan - Washington Post

Six NATO Troops Killed in Afghanistan - Los Angeles Times

Afghan NATO Attack: 'Six U.S. Soldiers' Die Near Kandahar - BBC News

Arrests in Attack That Killed 6 US Troops - Associated Press

Taliban Small-arms Attacks Nearly Double - USA Today

Nawa Proving Ground for U.S. Strategy in Afghan War - Washington Post

Violence Flares Anew in Southern Afghanistan - New York Times

Dozens of Afghan Insurgents Killed in Rare Wintertime Fighting - Washington Post

Jailed Afghan Drug Lord Was Informer on U.S. Payroll - New York Times

Karzai Signs Deal on Gas Pipeline Project - Los Angeles Times

Life Among U.S. Enemies: Embedded with the Taliban - CNN News

An Inescapable Conclusion on Afghanistan - Politico

An American Face on American Aid - Washington Post opinion

Pakistan

Pakistan Doctor Arrested on Suspicion of Blasphemy - Associated Press

Gunmen Kill 2 Police Officers in NW Pakistan - Associated Press

Iraq

Suicide Attacks Ring Baghdad - New York Times

Suicide Bomber Kills 13 in Iraq's Anbar Province - Los Angeles Times

Iraq Suicide Bombing Kills At Least 13 in Ramadi - Voice of America

Car Bomb Kills 13 And Wounds Dozens In Iraq's Ramadi - Reuters

With New Violence, More Christians Are Fleeing Iraq - New York Times

Iraqi's Kurdish Leader Calls for Self-Determination - Voice of America

Iraqi Kurd Leader Says Kirkuk Belongs to Kurdistan - Reuters

Joint Chiefs Chairmain in Iraq to Meet With U.S. Troops - Associated Press

Pentagon Forced to Extend Contracts that are Under Appeal - Washington Post

Iran

Iranian President Increasingly Grabbing Power from Parliament - Washington Post

Iran Anger over U.K. Ambassador - BBC News

Hardliners Demand Expulsion of U.K. Ambassador - Associated Press

Australia: Iran Not A Rogue State - Reuters

Jordan's King Wants Improved Ties With Iran - Associated Press

Korean Peninsula

N. Korea Threatens S. Korea With Nuclear War - Associated Press

North Korea Sends Top Diplomat to Russia - Voice of America

Drawing a Line in the Water - New York Times opinion

5 Myths about North Korea - Washington Post opinion

WikiLeaks

WikiLeaks, Round Three - Small Wars Journal (post-release - cutoff 10 Dec)

SWJ WikiLeaks Roundup - Small Wars Journal (pre-release)

WikiLeaks Taps Power of the Press - New York Times

Keeping Secrets WikiSafe - New York Times

WikiLeaks' Advocates are Wreaking 'Hacktivism' - Washington Post

The First Global Cyber War Has Begun, Claim Hackers - The Guardian

Assange Supporters Plan Protests Worldwide - The Guardian

Amazon Hit by Web Service Failure - BBC News

Defenders of WikiLeaks Swarmed Wrong Target - New York Times

Pakistani Forces 'Hamper' U.S. Embassy - Washington Times

Opposition Leader: Cables Show Iran 'Vulnerable' - Associated Press

Wikileaks: Brazil Vulnerable to Terrorism - Associated Press

Ousted Honduran Leader Rejects Leaked Memo Charges - Associated Press

Report: Cables Show U.S. Concern at Swiss Iran Plan - Associated Press

Obama Calls Turkish PM Over Leaked Cables - Associated Press

America's Unsavory Friends in Central Asia - Der Spiegel

U.S. Worried By Corruption In Uzbekistan - Reuters

Venezuela Acquires 1,800 Antiaircraft Missiles from Russia - Washington Post

Manipulating the Political Dwarves of Europe - Der Spiegel

Obama Calls Turkish and Mexican Leaders on Diplomatic Leaks - New York Times

WikiLeaks: U.S. Concern About Terrorism in Spain - Associated Press

U.S. Intel Hub to Counter Islamism In Spain - Reuters

Cables Show Ireland Irked Vatican on Sovereignty - Associated Press

Russia Trailed Litvinenko Killers 'Until Britain Warned Them Off' - The Guardian

Uribe Proposed Capturing Guerrillas in Venezuela - Associated Press

U.S. Envoy Called Honduran Prez Rebellious Teen - Associated Press

"Leaks Show Strength Of Egyptian Positions" - Reuters

The Internet's Long War - Washington Post opinion

U.S. Department of Defense

Railgun, Futuristic Weapon, Tested by Navy - Washington Post

Army Sees Smart Phones Playing Important Role - Army Times

Army Wants 'Men in Black' Grenade Launchers by '14 - Wired

Army Fumbles Away Chance to End Navy's Streak - Stars and Stripes

United States

Obama Faces Fight over Missile Defense - Washington Post

How North Korea and Iran Test U.S. Diplomacy - Christian Science Monitor

Islam: In Converts, Authorities See Threats - Baltimore Sun

Holbrooke in Critical Condition After Surgery to Repair Heart - New York Times

Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke has Surgery for Tear in Aorta - Washington Post

Holbrooke Remains in Critical Condition - Washington Post

Guantanamo Transfer Ban in Spending Bill - Washington Post

Gitmo: Administration Should Look in the Mirror - Washington Post editorial

Radical Jihadism is Not a Mental Disorder - Washington Post opinion

Canada

United Nations

U.N.Climate Talks End With Limited Agreements - Voice of America

Cancun Agreements Put 193 Nations on Track - Washington Post

Cancun Climate Summit Agrees Deal - BBC News

U.N. Climate Meeting OKs Green Fund in New Accord - Associated Press

Climate Talks End With Modest Steps, No Kyoto Deal - Reuters

The United (Muslim) Nations? - Washington Times editorial

Africa

Ruling Party in Southern Sudan Opts for Separation - Voice of America

Sudan's Former Rebel SPLM Backs Independence for South - BBC News

Ivory Coast Poll Winner Tries to Govern From Hotel - Associated Press

Embattled Ivory Coast President Seeks Talks With Rival - Voice of America

Ivorian Rival Ouattara Tells Gbagbo to Leave - BBC News

Ivory Coast: Ouattara Says Gbagbo Must Quit Before Any Talks - Reuters

Somali Pirates Hijack Cargo Vessel Near India - Associated Press

In Africa, the Laureate's Curse - New York Times opinion

Americas and Caribbean

Mexico: U.S. Guns Tied to Crime South of Border - Washington Post

Corruption Sweep in Mexico Unravels in the Courts - Los Angeles Times

Gunbattle Kills 11 in Western Mexican Town - Associated Press

Mexicans March in Support of 'Craziest' Kingpin - Associated Press

Venezuela Opponents Wary Of Chavez Decree Powers - Reuters

Haiti Candidates Reject Election Recount - BBC News

Candidates Reject Recount in Sloppy Haiti Election - Associated Press

Haiti: Good Intentions, Unexpected and Unfortunate Results - Los Angeles Times

Haiti Re-Opens Election Appeals in Plea for Calm - Associated Press

Palin: Haiti Needs 'Military Airlift' of Supplies - Associated Press

Would-be Haitian Contractors Miss Out on Aid - Associated Press

Asia Pacific

Japan to Shift Its Military Toward Threats From China - New York Times

New Japanese Defense Plan Emphasizes Threat of China - Washington Post

As China Rolls Ahead, Fear Follows - New York Times

Mongolian Activist Likely Released From China Jail - Associated Press

Philippine Leader Orders Release of 43 Health Workers - BBC News

Philippine Rebels Welcome Move to Free Detainees - Associated Press

Europe

Incoming Chief of Insead Sees the Strengths of Europe - New York Times

Russian Protests Erupt Over Soccer Fan's Killing - New York Times

Hundreds Protest Against Russian Government - Associated Press

A Massacre Shows Power of Gangs in Rural Russia - New York Times

Russian Spy Named Advisor For Oil Company Rosneft - Reuters

Sweden Begins Terror Inquiry After Bombing in Stockholm - New York Times

Stockholm Blasts: Sweden Probes 'Terrorist Attack' - BBC News

Swedish Prime Minister Urges Tolerance - Washington Post

Swedes Shocked by 1st Terror Attack in 3 Decades - Associated Press

U.K. Search Amid Sweden Bomb Probe - BBC News

U.K. Police Search House In Stockholm Blasts Probe - Reuters

Kosovo Holds Historic Election as Division Persists - BBC News

Tensions Overshadow Kosovo's First Parliamentary Poll - Voice of America

Kosovo Braced For Election, Outcome Uncertain - Reuters

Exit Poll: Ruling Party Leads Kosovo Elections - Associated Press

Kosovo's PM Claims Poll Victory - BBC News

Kosovo PM Claims Victory But Coalition Needed - Reuters

Italy: Berlusconi Appeal to Senate over Confidence Vote - BBC News

Italy: Rival Says Berlusconi Wants to Stay PM to Avoid Trials - Associated Press

Italy: Berlusconi's Survival Hopes Finely Balanced - Reuters

Middle East

Clinton Policy Speech Not Well Received in Middle East - Voice of America

Netanyahu Says Welcomes Shift In U.S. Peace Effort - Reuters

Israel's Leader Does Not Want to Share Jerusalem - Associated Press

Palestinians Express Doubts Over 2-State Future - Associated Press

Israel Frees Radical Muslim Leader - Associated Press

Israeli Troops Kill 2 Palestinians on Gaza Border - Associated Press

Israel Says Troops Killed 2 Militants - Reuters

Jordan's King Wants Improved Ties With Iran - Associated Press

Jordan Opposition Accuses Government of Apostasy - Associated Press

Egypt Protesters Say New Parliament Is 'Void' - Associated Press

Egyptians Protest Parliamentary Vote Results - Reuters

South Asia

New Backing for Gas Line Through Asia - New York Times

Getting Ahead in India Means Getting Out of Town - New York Times

China's Envoy: Hopeful Of Free Trade Talks With India - Reuters

Bangladesh Garment Workers, Police Clash; 3 Dead, 100 Hurt - Associated Press

Sri Lanka Abolishes Tamil National Anthem - BBC News

Read more about 13 December SWJ Roundup

12 December SWJ Roundup

Afghanistan

Nawa Proving Ground for U.S. Strategy in Afghan War - Washington Post

Violence Flares Anew in Southern Afghanistan - New York Times

Dozens of Afghan Insurgents Killed in Rare Wintertime Fighting - Washington Post

NATO Airstrikes Kill 25 in Eastern Afghanistan - Voice of America

Attacks Kill Afghan Civilians Ahead Of Obama Review - Reuters

Jailed Afghan Drug Lord Was Informer on U.S. Payroll - New York Times

Afghans Say Tarnished Election Results Outweigh Gains - Stars and Stripes

Karzai Signs Deal on Gas Pipeline Project - Los Angeles Times

Life Among U.S. Enemies: Embedded with the Taliban - CNN News

An Inescapable Conclusion on Afghanistan - Politico

An American Face on American Aid - Washington Post opinion

Pakistan

Gunmen Kill 2 Police Officers in NW Pakistan - Associated Press

Iraq

Iraqi's Kurdish Leader Calls for Self-Determination - Voice of America

Iraqi Kurd Leader Says Kirkuk Belongs to Kurdistan - Reuters

Korean Peninsula

North Korea Sends Top Diplomat to Russia - Voice of America

N. Korea Sends Top Diplomat to Russia Amid Tensions - Associated Press

South Korea to Stage Firing Drills Off Coasts - Reuters

5 Myths about North Korea - Washington Post opinion

WikiLeaks

WikiLeaks, Round Three - Small Wars Journal (post-release - cutoff 10 Dec)

SWJ WikiLeaks Roundup - Small Wars Journal (pre-release)

Keeping Secrets WikiSafe - New York Times

WikiLeaks' Advocates are Wreaking 'Hacktivism' - Washington Post

The First Global Cyber War Has Begun, Claim Hackers - The Guardian

Assange Supporters Plan Protests Worldwide - The Guardian

Venezuela Acquires 1,800 Antiaircraft Missiles from Russia - Washington Post

Manipulating the Political Dwarves of Europe - Der Spiegel

Obama Calls Turkish and Mexican Leaders on Diplomatic Leaks - New York Times

WikiLeaks: U.S. Concern About Terrorism in Spain - Associated Press

U.S. Intel Hub to Counter Islamism In Spain - Reuters

Cables Show Ireland Irked Vatican on Sovereignty - Associated Press

Russia Trailed Litvinenko Killers 'Until Britain Warned Them Off' - The Guardian

Uribe Proposed Capturing Guerrillas in Venezuela - Associated Press

U.S. Envoy Called Honduran Prez Rebellious Teen - Associated Press

"Leaks Show Strength Of Egyptian Positions" - Reuters

The Internet's Long War - Washington Post opinion

U.S. Department of Defense

Army Wants 'Men in Black' Grenade Launchers by '14 - Wired

Army Fumbles Away Chance to End Navy's Streak - Stars and Stripes

United States

Holbrooke in Critical Condition After Surgery to Repair Heart - New York Times

Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke has Surgery for Tear in Aorta - Washington Post

U.S. Diplomat Richard Holbrooke In Critical Condition - Reuters

Declassified Papers Show U.S. Recruited Ex-Nazis - New York Times

Radical Jihadism is Not a Mental Disorder - Washington Post opinion

United Nations

U.N.Climate Talks End With Limited Agreements - Voice of America

Cancun Agreements Put 193 Nations on Track - Washington Post

Cancun Climate Summit Agrees Deal - BBC News

U.N. Climate Meeting OKs Green Fund in New Accord - Associated Press

Climate Talks End With Modest Steps, No Kyoto Deal - Reuters

OPEC

OPEC Ministers Make No Change in Output - Associated Press

Africa

Ruling Party in Southern Sudan Opts for Separation - Voice of America

Sudan's Former Rebel SPLM Backs Independence for South - BBC News

UNAMID: Sudanese Army Attacks South Darfur Village - Associated Press

Embattled Ivory Coast President Seeks Talks With Rival - Voice of America

Ivorian Rival Ouattara Tells Gbagbo to Leave - BBC News

Ivory Coast: Ouattara Says Gbagbo Must Quit Before Any Talks - Reuters

Concern Mounts in France Over Ivory Coast Crisis - Voice of America

In Africa, the Laureate's Curse - New York Times opinion

Americas and Caribbean

Corruption Sweep in Mexico Unravels in the Courts - Los Angeles Times

Drug Shootout Mars Religious Festival In Mexico - Associated Press

Venezuela Opponents Wary Of Chavez Decree Powers - Reuters

Haiti Candidates Reject Election Recount - BBC News

Candidates Reject Recount in Sloppy Haiti Election - Associated Press

Asia Pacific

China's Army of Graduates Is Struggling - New York Times

Philippines Skipped Nobel Over China Death Verdict - Associated Press

Europe

Sweden: Stockholm Hit by Blasts After E-Mail Warning - New York Times

Stockholm Shopping Blasts Kill One and Injure Two - BBC News

Suspected Bomber Dies in Stockholm Blasts - Los Angeles Times

Explosions Kill 1, Injure 2 in Central Stockholm - Associated Press

Sweden Calls Stockholm Blasts "Terrorist Attack" - Reuters

Kosovo Holds Historic Election as Division Persists - BBC News

Tensions Overshadow Kosovo's First Parliamentary Poll - Voice of America

Kosovo Braced For Election, Outcome Uncertain - Reuters

A Massacre Shows Power of Gangs in Rural Russia - New York Times

Ex-Croatian PM Held in Austria Pending Extradition - Associated Press

Huge Crowd Rallies in Rome Against Berlusconi - Associated Press

Poland: A Bastion of Religion Sees Rise in Secularism - New York Times

Middle East

Israeli Troops Kill 2 Palestinians on Gaza Border - Associated Press

Israel Says Troops Killed 2 Militants - Reuters

Jordanian, Palestinian Soccer Fans Clash - Associated Press

Egypt Democracy Advocate: Opposition Will Unite - Associated Press

M.E. Peace: Reality Check - New York Times opinion

South Asia

New Backing for Gas Line Through Asia - New York Times

Sorry about the recent lousy site reliability

Our site has been unstable for the last couple of weeks, and the sunspots have been particularly active for the last few days. My apologies to all of you who are having your small wars experience interrupted. We are working with a new team of system administrators and our hosting provider to harden things up and restore stable and reliable service. We're not out of the dark yet, but we have glimmers of hope.

To the few of you who may not have noticed, disregard what I just said, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, and consider focusing your good luck into a lottery ticket purchase.