WaPo reviews Obama's Afghan Policy

In a feature I've never noticed before, called Topic A, the Washington Post has gotten several experts on the Af-Pak problem to comment and critique the strategy laid out by the Administration this past week. Several counterinsurgency thinkers are there including Nagl and Ricks along with the eminent military strategist Dennis Kucinich! Read the whole thing.

Pakistan for dummies

Foreign Policy have posted a great intro to the regions of Pakistan, the confusing maze of tribal loyalties and the different armed groups that operate in those tribal areas. Fascinating for anyone interested in the Af-Pak war who hasn't studied closely and really should be required reading for anyone in the public sphere before they open their mouths and opine on what needs to be done.

Also, if, like me, you can't always remember quite where Swat Valley is in relation to Baluchistan, then take a look at this map as you read. One thing that always strikes me as interesting whenever I see it mentioned is that Swat Valley, perhaps the strongest of the Taliban strongholds, actually shares no border with Afghanistan.

NYT profile on Orzag

The New York Times has a longish profile on Peter Orzag, director of the OMB. Worth reading, if only to note the high-powered and influential role Orzag is trying to create for himself, a shift from previous directors, and the apparent tension between him and Lawrence Summers, the President's Chief Economic Advisor.

Obama to meet with Cameron

David Cameron has scored a meeting with Obama, a real victory for the Conservative leader. It would appear that Obama has been reading the poll results in England and is keen to establish a relationship with the man who will likely be the next Prime Minister as soon as possible. For Cameron it's a great opportunity to atract some of the Obama limelight and could be useful as he attempts to position himself as the man best suited to lead Britain.

Madoff's Lobster

Fantastic short story by Woody Allen in the New Yorker's Shouts and Murmurs. Oh that Madoff would actually get pinched!

The Army's Future Role

Two very interesting posts on the future of the US army and it's role in protecting American security. First we have Steven Metz arguing that we will see a decline in the relevance of the US army as its traditional role of taking and holding physical territory becomes less and less vital. While there has been little discussion of this shift within army circles, as non-state entities increasingly become the greatest threats to the US, the need for the tank and cavalry divisions will diminish.

The second article is by Michael Cohen at Democracy Arsenal arguing that Metz is correct and that people such as John Nagl and Gian Gentile are wrong. Nagl and Gentile have argued that the army must adapt to COIN or remain ready to fight a major land war, respectively, but Cohen agrees with Metz that the face of wars fought by the US will change in the future. He argues that COIN is unlikely to dominate as the US people do not have the fortitude to continue fighting that type of war and that major land wars are a thing of the past.

Cohen and Metz are right to a certain extent but I think forget that eight years ago few people thought that COIN would be a necessary tool in the American Army's repetoire for the near future. Thus attempting to predict what type of forces and tactics will be required is by no means a sure thing and having forces that can fight both COIN and major land wars is importnat for America's security for the forseeable future.

Also, wars force adaptation and while they are correct that many of America's threats will come from non-state actors, that does not mean that individual tactics related to either school of thought won't be necessary. For instance, COIN-tactics could well be very useful (and indeed some are being introduced) in fighting the cartels in Mexico. Thus Cohen and Metz, while right in thinking that the army needs to rethink its role, are less correct in suggesting the time of the US army as passed.

Wall Street's letter to Congress

Via TPM, the Wall Street traders association has sent a letter to Congress complaining about the bonus taxes and generally whining about how Congress has treated them during the economic collapse. They show an amazing lack of historical awareness considering they've had the better part of a decade of unregulated profiteering!

Baghdad Life

Michael Totten has a fantastic long post on life in post-surge Baghdad. While no longer a war zone it's be no means quiet and tensions between communities still exist despite the relative peace and quiet. It's a fascinating look at the day to day activities of the US military there and provides some slightly concerning foreshadowing of life after the bulk of US forces withdraw. While withdrawal is almost certainly the right course of action in 2009, the possible relapse of violence from sectarian conflict, from militants currently paid to keep quiet and from AQI is a worrying prospect.

Brooks on Afghanistan

David Brooks has an interesting column in yesterday's Times about the future of America's Afghanistan effort. His skepticism, thanks to the challenges, leavened by optimism, having met the people doing the work, is fairly common among commentators writing about the region. Interestingly, his column indicates that he would support Obama's plan for the country, yet another issue separating the NYT columnist from much of the conservative base.

Ricks and Kilcullen in the Economist

A bit belated, but The Economist reviewed The Gamble and The Accidental Guerilla a few weeks ago. Interesting review and worth the read, despite their not entirely fair criticism of Ricks.

ISI aids the Taliban

Reason number 462 why Pakistan is just as large a problem for the Obama administration as Afghanistan…if not a larger one. If the Pakistani security forces are actively engaged in aiding the Taliban against the Afghani and Coalition forces then shouldn’t we cut off aid to such forces? However, if we do cut off aid, how does the US prevent the Pakistani government from collapsing and extremists take over? Just one of the regional catch-22’s facing the US government.

World War Two as a cartoon

Priceless

Intro to Sharia Law

Interesting CFR release outling the basics of Sharia law, its practices and how it interacts with common law in different countries around the globe. Should be required reading for everyone who goes in front of a camera to discuss Islamist extremism and I highly recomend it for everyone else!

Typeface nerds unite!

Fascinating post on the thought process and design of a new font. It’s an interesting process, one that impacts everyone who uses a computer but one that no one really knows or cares about. Graphic designers deserve their moment in the sun along with everyone else!

Hitchens on the Israeli army

Only occasionally (rarely?) do I agree with everything in a Chris Hitchens column, but he nails it here. The US has to start being a better friend to Israel and telling it that it can’t use religious motivations for its actions against the Palesinitians and expect to receive military and economic aid is as good a place to start as any. Seriously, how can telling soldiers their religion mandates kiling innocents be a good idea in any context?

Calling home

Contacting home while travelling has always been a challenge but now, as this article illustrates, it’s now incredibly inexpensive. However, it still is fairly complicated as evidenced by the number of software programs required by the writer. How long will it be before we have a world mobile network? ever?

Media still behind times

Despite their attempts to catch up to the current times, the MSM still cannot figure out how to provide good coverage of politics. Their questions at the most recent Obma presser were nothing short of abysmal. And rather depressing to us laypeople paying attention who seem to understand the stakes better than the so-called professionals. Read this fantastic rant on how bad at their job the pros really are.

Finklestein makes sense

Very good piece on the trade off between tax cuts and stability—and what the Conservative position needs to be. However, his fellow conservatives on this side of the pond don’t seem to be listening.

A Catholic Newt

Christopher Buckley’s fantastic takedown of Newt Gingrich and the Catholic church as the former speaker converts to Catholocism despite his convoluted marital and moral history. Buckley and the Daly Beast at their best.

To add to my book list...

Kilcullen’s latest book: Accidental Guerilla

Army Field Manual 3-07: Stability Operations

Kilcullen in the WaPo

Check out every counterinsurgent’s favorite Autralian anthropologist interviewed last week in the Post. Blunt as ever about the problems facing us in central Asia, he explains the challenge of keeping Pakistan from collapsing entirely…and what such a collapse would mean.

Online advertising: a failed model?

Interesting article on TechCrunch about why internet advertising’s current model doesn’t work and why revenues will continue to fall. How many of us have actually clicked on a sidebar ad (not by accident) in the last month?

The Right's Economic Cluelessness

The global currency meme that has gripped the right this past week has to be one of the most entertaining bits of economic cluelessness in recent memory. It certainly provides some much needed comic relief during these rather depressing times. The combination of Drudge, Bachman and Fox and their joint inability to understand econ 101 is truly hilarious.

CAP's Afghanistan Plan

CAP has released it’s plan for Afghanistan, a week before the Obama Administrations will release it’s own strategic review. The CAP review downgrades expectations and concentrates on providing basic security and preventing Al Qaeda from using it as a base of operations. Read the whole thing here.

Decline of Culture11

Interesting article on the brief rise and then collapse of Culture11. Unfortunately, one of the right’s most promising, and most interesting, organizations that could have helped rejuvenate the party and reform it into an electorally viable proposition has not received the institutional support that it required.