I endorse most of what Gian Gentile says here about the Vietnam War, especially in the context of this quote from George Herring: …the war could [not] have been ‘won’ in any meaningful sense at a moral or material cost most Americans deemed acceptable. Gentile is a pretty harsh critic of the COIN turn in […]
Tag: counter-insurgency
First, I don’t think that there’s quite enough appreciation of this: But the choice between a mindset that says “the main purpose of the military is to scare China & Russia” or a m
This is the fourth installment of a seven part series on the Patterson School’s Summer Reading List. World of Nations, William Keylor The Bottom Billion, Paul Collier Hide and Seek, Charles Duel
Creative COIN: U.S intelligence officials use “novel incentives,” but this is not limited to Viagra. Sometimes, “notoriously fickle warlords and chieftains” can be won over with tools, school equipment, and surgical assistance. But it appears the “pharmaceutical enhancements for aging patriarchs with slumping libidos” can be effective with older tribal officials. Why not just hand […]
If Hillary comes out with a proposal for a Department of Anti-Robot Affairs, I’ll switch my support. More seriously, the overall effect of “robot surges” seems to be to shift the cos
This article by Major Niel Smith and Colonel Seth MacFarland on the foundations of the “Anbar Awakening” strategy is a must read. Smith and MacFarland detail how they helped bring a new se
I’ve been waiting a bit before posting any thinking on the Surge and the drop in violence in Iraq, but I think it’s time now for a few observations. First off, it is important to recognize that there has been a drop in violence. Our measures are inadequate and susceptible to bias and manipulation, but […]