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THE RULE-SET RESET, ISSUE # 2

The Rule-Set Reset Issue # 2 is finally available and it is FREE ! Yours for the downloading !

The size of the journal has grown and the rough edges have been polished by Bob Jacobson, Critt Jarvis and Steff Hedenkamp. I make a brief appearance in it to respond to a reader who believes that I don’t know my head from my hindquarters. My next article for RSR will becoming out in issue # 4 but by then a subscription will be required.

In the meantime, enjoy RSR !

JUST LIKE A BOLTON FROM THE BLUE [ Updated]!

Somewhere, wherever they are the Diplomad is very pleased.

Undersecretary of State John Bolton is to become the next UN Ambassador.

UPDATE: A great John Bolton round-up at The American Future.

STRATEGIC INFLUENCE AND CULTURAL COGNITION

JB at riting on the wall directs us to the following RAND paper. Here’s a quote that should warm the heart of Collounsbury:

“From these case studies we conclude that influence campaigns are highly sensitive to operational environments. Moreover, campaigns that do not take these sensitivities into account not only fail but are counterproductive”

This does not mean that cognitive and social psychology are useless for American statesmen in crafting a positive message for the Arab-Islamic World. Instead, it means not to confuse principles and devices with also having a coherent and culturally relevant script or dialogue. It also means respecting the limits of the possible in terms of aspects of American foreign policy that is perceived by Muslims as threatening their interests.

The United States is always going to have clashes of interests with other states and societies and as a rule we should try to see that our interests prevail. That being said, nothing is gained from our emphasizing to other people the stick that we are putting in their eye. Much less our extolling of why they should embrace the stick with joy. Pointless irritant and waste of our resources and time.

Our focus in strategic influence should be any existing common ground, our most attractive political memes like ” democracy” and ” freedom” and potential non-zero sum mutual gains from cooperation plus those instances of our relatively more altruistic gestures like tsunami aid.

Full RAND paper here.

THE PILE GROWS DEEPER

No, I’m not talking about Zenpundit but of the pile of ” to be read” books which has grown from a bedside table to a shelf. Just picked up Warriors of the Prophet, Colossus and Rise of the Vulcans yesterday. I’m a great admirer of Niall Ferguson, one of the few historians capable of rendering economic history as an enjoyable story, even if I disagree with him that American primacy constitutes an ” empire”.

By the way, bloggers could do worse than to have a recommended reading list like Marc Shulman’s.

110 DEFINITIONS OF TERRORISM [ Updated]

The Counterterrorism Blog on calling terrorists, ” militants“.

That media habit is an important part of the war of ideas because we have a segment of the West, on the Left, in the position to actively shape public debate, who are intentionally framing Islamist murderers in a misleadingly positive light – as if they are leading street protests instead of beheading hostages.

We need to call those outlets in the media that do this on their intellectual dishonesty and then turn the debate to ” why” they frame the Islamists as they do.

LINK: The Fourth Rail is militant about the NYT not using the word ” terrorist” outside of the quote marks.