Cementing Failure: Shattering The "Concrete" Counterinsurgency Idol by Tommy Daniel Editor's Note: This article was first published by the Modern War Institute as a response to an article titled The Most Effective Weapon on the Modern Battlefield Is… Concrete? which was also first published by MWI. This article is republished here with the permission of the original … [Read more...]
US/Iran Relations and the “Abu Monroe” Doctrine
US/Iran Relations and the "Abu Monroe" Doctrine By John ChandlerThis article first appeared in The Havok Journal in October of 2017 and was updated to reflect recent developments in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. -editor _____ In recent weeks, an MQ9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down over Yemen, continuing a trend of attacks against US personnel and combat systems … [Read more...]
War: The American Way.
There is an unfortunate disconnect when it comes to the American perception of war. The average American seems to think that war is conducted by drone strikes and jets dropping precision munitions on folks living in tents. Yes, we do kill our enemies this way but it is not the only way. Unfortunately what it does is paint a false picture of the reality of armed … [Read more...]
China Says It Has “No Plans to Deploy Troops to Afghanistan,” But…
China Says It Has "No Plans to Deploy Troops to Afghanistan," But... Yrene SaintAccording to statements quoted in The Washington Post, no one needs to worry about China's troops deployments in Afghanistan because, wait for it, "there aren't any."Spokesman Colonel Wu Qian of the Chinese Defense Ministry says that reports that hundreds of People’s Liberation Army … [Read more...]
Maybe We Should Just Get It Over With: The “Global, Grave, Given and Growing” Threat of North Korea
Maybe We Should Just Get It Over With: The “Global, Grave, Given and Growing” Threat of North Korea by Scott Faith Editor's Note: This article was originally posted in September of 2017, you remember, when it looked like we were going to go to war with North Korea? It's amazing how much difference a year can make. ...maybe. _____ Media sources across the country are … [Read more...]
China Will Eventually Enter The War On Terror. Don’t Expect It To Be On Our Side.
China will eventually enter the war on terror. Don’t expect it to be on our side. By Dan TaubBy now, everyone who follows the fight against terrorism will know that there was an unsuccessful VBIED attack in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in which a suicide bomber attempted to ram the embassy gates before detonating. This attack fortunately only managed to kill one person – the … [Read more...]
Window Into War: Treating (and Meeting) Wounded Syrian Combatants… In Israel
by Charles FaintThis article was first published by the Modern War Institute at West Point and is reposted here with the permission of the original author._____From a safe vantage point in the Golan Heights near Israel’s border with Syria, we were able see columns of smoke rising in the distance and occasionally hear the deep boom of explosions and gunfire. This … [Read more...]
Russia Hacking Considerations
Russia Hacking Considerations by Matt JamesEditor's Note: This article was written in August 2017. Given what's going on in our country right now, it seems appropriate to publish it again. The media’s craze surrounding possible Russian interference with the U.S. election through hacking isn’t going away anytime soon. Though the hype is primarily … [Read more...]
This Week’s “Under the Radar” Global News
Folks,I remember when System of a Down released, “B.Y.OB.” I remember driving along the Pacific Coast Highway, tanned from a day at the beach and a belly full of surf and turf while Serge Tankian screamed, “And we all live in a fascist nation!” That was 2006. I remember thinking I liked SOAD more for their music than for their astute grasp of political philosophy. On that … [Read more...]
Three Reasons Why Palestinian “Pay for Slay” is Here to Stay
Three Reasons Why Palestinian "Pay for Slay" is Here to Stay by Charles FaintThis article was first published by West Point's Modern War Institute and is re-posted here with the permission of the original author._____ In the Israel/Palestine conflict there are several complex and intractable issues. These include, but are definitely not limited to: the division of … [Read more...]