Spotlight: A Contrarian View towards Israel by Kerry Patton If you are an “I Support Israel” type of person, be forewarned—the odds are, you will hate this article. This is not some anti-Semitic article. It has nothing to do with religion or the Jewish faith. It has everything to do with the politics, policies, and practices of an actual nation state--Israel. If you have … [Read more...]
Why We Don’t (Shouldn’t*) Negotiate with Terrorists
Why We Don't (Shouldn't*) Negotiate with Terrorists by Marty Skovlund This first appeared in The Havok Journal June 3, 2014. The majority of the talk surrounding the release of Sergeant Bowe Berghdal has been in relation to his actions leading up to his eventual living arrangement with Haqqani network terrorists. I think it is safe to say at this point that Sergeant … [Read more...]
MIDLIFE Crisis: There’s More to “National Power” Than “.mil”
MIDLIFE Crisis: There’s More to “National Power” Than “.mil” by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Faint Introduction "You must know something about strategy and tactics and logistics, but also economics and politics and diplomacy and history. You must know everything you can about military power, and you must also understand the limits of military power. You must understand that … [Read more...]
Ulama in the Kingdom: Useful Pawns or Strategic Partners?
Ulama in the Kingdom: Useful Pawns or Strategic Partners? by Mike Kelvington This first appeared in The Havok Journal April 19, 2017. Prior to reading portions of Nabil Mouline’s The Clerics of Islam I did not see the ulama, or Islamic clerics of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as anything more than religious pawns for the royal Saudi family to use when they needed to … [Read more...]
Modern Insurgency as a Lingering Effect of the Industrial Revolution
Modern Insurgency as a Lingering Effect of the Industrial Revolution by E.M. Burlingame The industrial Revolution, late 1700s through the early 1800s, was the incidental, if not intentioned, result of the Treaties of Münster and Osnabrück, 1648, which collectively are known as the Peace of Westphalia. Arising from and concluding the Spanish and Dutch 80 years’ war and the … [Read more...]
U.S. Policy in the Western Hemisphere: a “Hole of Government” Approach
U.S. Policy in the Western Hemisphere: a Hole of Government Approach by LogCinco Since the 1980s, the Government of the United States of America has been asleep at the switch. Not everyone, of course: there are thousands of dedicated professionals at the Department of State, the FBI, DEA, USAID and the DoD who have dedicated their lives to maintaining and improving … [Read more...]
“Never Forget”: Rising Up to Call Genocide ‘Genocide’
“Never Forget”: Rising Up to Call Genocide ‘Genocide’ by Scoti Domeij I’ll never forget standing outside the gates of the Mathhausen concentration camp to tour the prison camp at noontime. The tour guards said, “We’re closing for lunch. You can come back after lunch or if you want to tour Mathhausen right now, we’ll lock you in while we go eat lunch.” On a tight deadline … [Read more...]
Assessing Trust in the Afghan Peace Deal
Assessing Trust in the Afghan Peace Deal by Kerry Patton Trust. It’s a mysterious term and rarely understood. Per its definition, key attributes exist such as reliability, truth, ability, and strength. Contrary to popular belief, trust is not earned but rather obtained through a leap of faith. It is natural and can easily be broken. When it comes to the Afghan Peace Deal, … [Read more...]
An American Diplomat: A “Better” Life
An American Diplomat: A "Better" Life by Donna Hernandez Donna Hernandez is a Consular Officer for the U.S. Department of State. This is the story of how she got there. _____ My grandfather moved the Hernández family to California, my father’s first step towards a “better life.” In my father’s “better life” he has been a low-rider, a gang member, a factory worker, a … [Read more...]
Killing Qassem Soleimani Didn’t Escalate Anything
Killing Qassem Soleimani Didn’t Escalate Anything by J.E. McCollough I realize the history of U.S.-Iran relations isn’t something taught in high school. Or college. Or on social media. With Iran, you kinda have to be specifically involved with the topic to really know anything about it. It’s a bit of an obscure focus. I had that focus from 2007 until the end of 2011, … [Read more...]
