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RECOMMENDED READING [ Updated]

First, for those involved in the Sullivan-IraqWar discussion, Dave Schuyler had updated his post to include some new links and Andrew at Politics, Applied responded to my post, digging in for the long haul. Mohammed at Iraq the Model also discusses the potential for an Iraqi Civil War and Juan Cole examined the polling for the upcoming Iraqi election.

Marc Shulman has had so many good posts with interesting news items up in the last few days that all I can say is go spend some time on his blog, American Future.

New blog added to the blogroll on the advice of The Diplomad – an all expert group too…The Counterterrorism Blog. This one is a regular must read for anyone following the GWOT though I’m hoping the authors will shift toward including more analysis in their “breaking news, realtime” format.

Kirk Johnson’s interview with realist foreign policy heavyweight, John Mearshimer is worth a look.

Finally, for something completely different, Geitner Simmons takes a look at slavery on Barbados.

UPDATE: An exchange with JB on Iran in his comments section at riting on the wall.

NICE TO SEE

I just noticed that The Rule-Set Reset has been upgraded by The New Rule-Sets Project,LLC. partners to a journal. Excellent. I signed off on the final edits of my first article after some minor tinkering last Saturday. It was a very good writing experience, much more of an intellectual collaboration than I had expected, throwing concepts back and forth with Bob Jacobson over email. Very stimulating.

Not only am I eager to start article number two for RSR but once I get my computer issues resolved here at home that I’ll tackle analyzing a second deleted scene from The Pentagon’s New Map here at Zenpundit. Most likely on the Rule-Set shift after the Cold War but I’m undecided at this point.

Sorry if the posts are looking abrupt- I need to post before I lose them to a bad connection, having lost three earlier today.

BACK ONLINE……SORT OF

I am blogging on the equivalent of a chewing gum and a shoestring jerry-rigged connection. Good news is my router trouble is now upgraded by Earthlink’s outsourced techs in Punjab to a ” problem ticket”.

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

The jackasses who provide me with internet service have royally screwed up my home network so I am forced to blog from a less convenient, undisclosed, location. Therefore postings will have to be short and to the point until I can get this situation corrected and resolved.

SAUDI ARABIA AND THE ENERGY MARKETS

Since the KSA plays a pivotal role in both global energy markets and the Muslim world its helpful to have a good handle on both of those roles. The Department of Energy has just released its latest Country Analysis Report on Saudi Arabia – these DOE -EIA pages are one of the best, concise, open source, quick references on economic intelligence available anywhere. Long before the invasion of Iraq they had reported on the sanctions-violating French and Russian

” precontracts” with the Baathist regime for various undeveloped Iraqi oilfields. I’d put this site up there with Jane’s defense and intelligence reports in terms of quality ( and it’s free).

(Hat tip Crossroads Arabia )