War links
Text of Himmler’s 1943 Poznan speech on the extermination of the Jews. About the speech.
Arguing that brutality can be effective: what really matters is the combination of factors.
Marketing a container-launched cruise missile.
Considering the long term cycles of battles and the future of war. Arguing for a balancing rather than an enforcing role for American policy.
About the sudden revolution in Kyrgyzstan.
The tension in Thailand got worse with soldiers shooting protesters.
UN calls for nuclear-free Middle East, singling out Israel.
Arguing that the Iranian regime’s links with Hezbollah put it beyond (nuclear) containment. About Hezbollah’s growing military strength. Suggesting dealing with Hezbollah means dealing with its sponsors. Against the pointless search for Hezbollah “moderates”.
Suggesting distancing from allies and fiscal pressure at home is undermining the basis of US ability to manage the international order. International polling finds view of the US are continuing to improve, with a particularly sharp jump since Obama became President. The detailed results (pdf)-Iran is the most negatively viewed country. About Iran’s strategy. Arguing the Iranian regime is now dominated by its fears.
About how deterrence works. Arguing that American dithering and Western squeamishness may have catastrophic consequences.
A particularly brutal review of a book on the Middle East. An also critical review. The writer responds to the latter.
About the Israeli concept of justice in war and categorically illegal orders. Elie Wiesel on Jerusalem, supporting Israel, Iran …
Israeli commandos board a flotilla trying to break the Gaza blockade, are attacked by people wearing camouflage, people die, Israel gets blamed. Video here. And here. Israeli journalist describes the action here. The announcement made to the flotilla. Interviews with Israeli commandoes included here, here and here. The squad leader talks of his experience. Putting Israel’s case. Suggesting that sending in the commandos armed with paintball guns was not clever. About the organization that organised the flotilla. An “activist” saying that he hopes to be a martyr. Noting the strategic shifts against Israel and the despondent mood within Israel while Turkey’s Foreign Minister goes over the top in rhetoric. The Turkish PM is threatening to run the blockade. Israeli proposals of a reverse flotilla to aid Turkey’s Kurdish and Armenian minorities (Turkish Kurdistan could do with some help). Vice President Biden does not join in. Hamas is blocking aid from the flotilla getting to Gaza and so is continuing to do its bit to make sure the “siege” of Gaza is as onerous as possible. The Palestinian authority claims that there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. About what ending the blockade would mean. Wondering about the grander strategy involved. Arguing that, in terms of wider grand strategy, Israel is winning. Iran and Turkey are now competing in anti-Israeli bombast. What that says about Turkish politics and Arab weakness. Poll finds Americans overwhelmingly do not blame Israel over the raid debacle: Democrats somewhat less so than Republicans. Noting that it is not Gaza people care about:
An extraordinary amount of time and energy has been spent in the last ten days denouncing Israel for its supposedly inhumane treatment of Gaza, but Hamas - under which Palestinians fare orders of magnitude worse - gets a pass from most of the people yelling at Israel. It’s not hard to figure out who and what all the fuss is really about. If Gaza weren’t at war with a half-Western Jewish country, Palestinians who suffer as a result would get no more attention than victims of the civil conflict in Yemen.
Israeli commandos board another ship and no one gets hurt.
Noting the tension between being against preventative detention but for targeted drone killings:
a broad swathe of the American public seems more comfortable having a man shot or vaporized by a Predator drone than given three square meals and a mattress for an undefined period. …
There have been more targeted killings so far during [Obama’s] presidency than there were during all the Bush years combined. Critics like Cole may find, if they think about it, that this is partly their fault, as they’ve spent so much time and energy discrediting the alternative.
NATO is pulling troops out of a contested Afghan border valley to concentrate on population defence. About supplying very isolated soldiers in Afghanistan (lots of pictures). Artillery in Afghanistan (also lots of pictures).
Arguing that brutality can be effective: what really matters is the combination of factors.
Marketing a container-launched cruise missile.
Considering the long term cycles of battles and the future of war. Arguing for a balancing rather than an enforcing role for American policy.
About the sudden revolution in Kyrgyzstan.
The tension in Thailand got worse with soldiers shooting protesters.
UN calls for nuclear-free Middle East, singling out Israel.
Arguing that the Iranian regime’s links with Hezbollah put it beyond (nuclear) containment. About Hezbollah’s growing military strength. Suggesting dealing with Hezbollah means dealing with its sponsors. Against the pointless search for Hezbollah “moderates”.
Suggesting distancing from allies and fiscal pressure at home is undermining the basis of US ability to manage the international order. International polling finds view of the US are continuing to improve, with a particularly sharp jump since Obama became President. The detailed results (pdf)-Iran is the most negatively viewed country. About Iran’s strategy. Arguing the Iranian regime is now dominated by its fears.
About how deterrence works. Arguing that American dithering and Western squeamishness may have catastrophic consequences.
A particularly brutal review of a book on the Middle East. An also critical review. The writer responds to the latter.
About the Israeli concept of justice in war and categorically illegal orders. Elie Wiesel on Jerusalem, supporting Israel, Iran …
Israeli commandos board a flotilla trying to break the Gaza blockade, are attacked by people wearing camouflage, people die, Israel gets blamed. Video here. And here. Israeli journalist describes the action here. The announcement made to the flotilla. Interviews with Israeli commandoes included here, here and here. The squad leader talks of his experience. Putting Israel’s case. Suggesting that sending in the commandos armed with paintball guns was not clever. About the organization that organised the flotilla. An “activist” saying that he hopes to be a martyr. Noting the strategic shifts against Israel and the despondent mood within Israel while Turkey’s Foreign Minister goes over the top in rhetoric. The Turkish PM is threatening to run the blockade. Israeli proposals of a reverse flotilla to aid Turkey’s Kurdish and Armenian minorities (Turkish Kurdistan could do with some help). Vice President Biden does not join in. Hamas is blocking aid from the flotilla getting to Gaza and so is continuing to do its bit to make sure the “siege” of Gaza is as onerous as possible. The Palestinian authority claims that there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. About what ending the blockade would mean. Wondering about the grander strategy involved. Arguing that, in terms of wider grand strategy, Israel is winning. Iran and Turkey are now competing in anti-Israeli bombast. What that says about Turkish politics and Arab weakness. Poll finds Americans overwhelmingly do not blame Israel over the raid debacle: Democrats somewhat less so than Republicans. Noting that it is not Gaza people care about:
An extraordinary amount of time and energy has been spent in the last ten days denouncing Israel for its supposedly inhumane treatment of Gaza, but Hamas - under which Palestinians fare orders of magnitude worse - gets a pass from most of the people yelling at Israel. It’s not hard to figure out who and what all the fuss is really about. If Gaza weren’t at war with a half-Western Jewish country, Palestinians who suffer as a result would get no more attention than victims of the civil conflict in Yemen.
Israeli commandos board another ship and no one gets hurt.
Noting the tension between being against preventative detention but for targeted drone killings:
a broad swathe of the American public seems more comfortable having a man shot or vaporized by a Predator drone than given three square meals and a mattress for an undefined period. …
There have been more targeted killings so far during [Obama’s] presidency than there were during all the Bush years combined. Critics like Cole may find, if they think about it, that this is partly their fault, as they’ve spent so much time and energy discrediting the alternative.
NATO is pulling troops out of a contested Afghan border valley to concentrate on population defence. About supplying very isolated soldiers in Afghanistan (lots of pictures). Artillery in Afghanistan (also lots of pictures).