Recommended Reading
Adam Elkus –There Is No Substitute For Victory & There Is No Substitute, Part 2.
Mixed results in Iraq and Afghanistan are not proof that victory itself should not be a goal of American military efforts. They are only proof that the policies and strategies that animated American forces were faulty. If Slaughter and Bacevich are arguing that we should adopt more realistic and limited policies and strategies in war, I wholeheartedly agree. Nearly a decade of state-building later, we have ultimately little to show for our efforts. But that is not what is what is being said. Rather, there is a straightforward argument that we cannot “win” wars anymore….
Adam wages battle against unclear and poorly reasoned thinking in national security affairs.
Fabius Maximus – About the escalating conflict with Iran (not *yet* open war), Have Iran’s leaders vowed to destroy Israel? , What do we know about Iran’s nuclear ambitions? and What does the IAEA know about Iran’s nuclear program?
FM is running a series on the political lobbying for war with Iran, or at least US sanction for an Israeli strike against Iranian nuclear facilities and research sites.
Summary: What do we know about Iran’s program to build atomic weapons? For decades Americans have been subjected to saturation bombing by misinformation and outright lies about Iran. The information from our intelligence agencies has painted a more accurate picture, if we choose to see it. Sixth in a series; at the end are links to the other chapters.
Steven Pressfield-Work Over Your Head
Writers of fiction learn early that they can write characters who are smarter than they are…..
KC Johnson – Groupthink & Political Analysis
Take, as an example, the recent book analyzing the ideological roots of modern conservatism, penned by political science professor Corey Robin. Published by Oxford University Press, The Reactionary Mind would seem to be what passes for quality in contemporary political science–exactly the sort of analysis that liberals might like to receive as they embark on what promises to be a highly contentious campaign season. The book’s general thesis–that conservatives defend the interests of the elite at the expense of the weak–likewise would seem to be attractive for partisans in the post-Occupy Wall Street era. Instead, the Robin book has been panned, in caustic terms, by publications that would seem to be sympathetic to an academic critique of the contemporary right….
Hat tip to Bruce Kesler.
Page 1 of 3 | Next page