This kind of post is supposed to be a Sunday thing, but summer means throwing patterns overboard, while walking around in khaki shorts and drinking overpriced microbrew. Been working on a big “think” post, on and off, but it is not ready yet.<\/p>\n
Top Billing! Lexington Green<\/strong> – David Kilcullen at the Pritzker Military Library<\/a><\/p>\n ….Waiting in line to get my book autographed, after the talk, the guy in front of me asked Dr. Kilcullen, “could you recommend three books on counterinsurgency?” Kilcullen started to hedge, “well, I can’t really … .” I intervened, “c’mon, your on the spot, go ahead and name three.” He smiled and sat back and said, “well, OK, I’d say <\/strong>Seven Pillars<\/strong><\/a>, and <\/strong>Galula on Counterinsurgency<\/strong><\/a>, you know Galula? And also one, by an Al Qaeda theorist, called <\/strong>the Management of Savagery<\/strong><\/a>“. <\/strong><\/p>\n You have to imagine all that in an Australian accent. <\/strong><\/p>\n An interesting top three. Galula is pretty much the Bible, though there are dissenters, who dismiss Mao-era counter-insurgency as outdated. Obviously, Kilcullen does not think so. And T.E. Lawrence seems to have a more mixed reputation, but Kilcullen came up with his book first. And I am a fairly obsessive amateur, yet I had never heard of the Management of Savagery<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Nice!<\/p>\n Thomas P.M. Barnett<\/strong> – Hong Kong’s membership in a larger China: the liberty maintained for now, but the elections still postponed<\/a> and The weak tug of Tiananmen among China’s youth<\/a><\/p>\n Chinese takeout from Tom. The Chinese students of 1989 might end up being akin to the European generation of 1848.<\/p>\n <\/a>SWJ <\/strong>– How to Think about Mexico and Beyond<\/a><\/p>\n ….Our worst hemispheric nightmare would be a country with desperation of Haiti, the hostility of Cuba, the cash of Venezuela, the capabilities of Brazil, and the proximity of Mexico\u2026 and that country could be Mexico.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Mexico is the national security community’s elephant – wait, no, mastodon – in the room. Galrahn<\/strong> takes a short break from Naval gazing to tackle another of his areas of expertise.<\/p>\n Whoa – our special envoy thinks a Pushtun tent is a cocktail reception in Paris and that he is Roman Polanski<\/strong>.<\/a> Hat tip to Abu Muqawama<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Whirledview -CKR<\/strong> – Those Crowds in the Streets<\/a><\/p>\n Cheryl<\/strong> ties Khameini<\/strong> to Nicholas II<\/strong> via biographer and historian Robert K. Massie<\/strong> in a thoughtful post.<\/p>\n Fabius Maximus <\/strong>– The best geopolitical webposts,\u00a0ever<\/a><\/p>\n Love the pony.<\/p>\n Steve Coll<\/strong> – Iran\u2019s Perpetual Revolution<\/a><\/p>\n Always a sober voice.<\/p>\n
\nInformation Dissemination<\/strong> – The Industry and Social Software<\/a><\/p>\n