If the CIA had a crystal ball, then they would probably not be routinely blindsided by world events. Lacking such a device, the agency has endured notable analytical failures. During the early 1990s, sudden collapses of Somalia, Zaire, Rwanda and the Soviet Union seemingly appeared without warning. Strategic surprises have always been a problem for…
Category: Statecraft
Seceding From Socialism
In his great classic, Socialism, Ludwig von Mises observed that socialists always employed the dual strategy of 1) nationalizing as much industry and property as possible; and 2) “destructionism,” defined as “destroying the social order which is based on private ownership.” Destructionism can be achieved through the welfare state, progressive taxation, onerous taxation, and regulation…
Israel Watch: 13-Year Old Girl Who Was Murdered By Palestinian Terrorist Was American Citizen
This puts the obamaoids in an odd, but very typical predicament. As they unabashedly SUPPORT The Palestinian Authority, and by Proxy Hamas, they have in fact also helped support and finance the Murder Of an American Citizen by terrorist. Wonderful. -SF Hallel-Yaffa Ariel, a 13-year-old girl in Israel who wanted to be a dancer, was…
Military News: 10 Wars That Could Break Out In The Next Four Years
The incoming Commander-in-Chief already has a handful of issues waiting for him or her on January 20th and surely doesn’t need any more foreign policy headaches. Unfortunately, the job is “Leader of the Free World” and not “Autopilot of the Worldwide Ramones/P-Funk Block Party.” Inevitably, things go awry. Reactions have unintended consequences. If you don’t…
Dose of Truth: The United States Has No War Strategy
It is About time Somebody laid it Out Plain with no Bullshit, and no better person to do it than Retired Army Colonel Andrew J. Bacevich. His latest book, Americas War For The Greater Middle East: A Military History is a must read. -SF A multi-trillion-dollar bridge to nowhere in the Greater Middle East By Andrew…
Future Warfare: 21st Century DIY Insurgency
It started innocuously enough. The prime minister-for-life never missed the annual “Liberation Day” parade. With the drums and platoons thundering, nobody noticed as the quadcopter, barely larger than a sparrow, floated down toward the dais, its faint whirr drowned out by the industrial machinery rolling by in formation. It was at once a child’s birthday…
Going to War Without Skin In The Game
It is interesting to note how many pro-intervention, pro- “boots on the ground” neoconservatives have never served in the military. I’m grateful that America treats its veterans better now than it did in decades past. My father was spit on by hippies when he came home from Vietnam. Yet, “thank you for your service” comments…
Modern War: The Decade of the Mercenary
Contrary to popular belief, Mercenaries are the “Silent Majority” in Obama’s Military, and the president’s “light footprint” approach to war has relied on thousands of Americans paid to fight — and die — in the shadows. Last weekend, the New York Times published one of what will be many takes on President Barack Obama’s legacy…
Future Warfare: Three Articles You Need to Read on Russia and China
I have felt a strong need as of late to stay abreast of all developments regarding Russia and China. I would urge all my readers to not be distracted by all the Political theater and “filler” the state run media seems intent on running on continuous loop as of late. It is mindless garbage fit…
Book Review: Playing to the Edge, American Intelligence in the Age of Terror
by Michael V. Hayden Penguin, 448 pp When Michael Hayden was a young air force officer in the 1980s, the military stationed him as an intelligence attaché in Bulgaria. There, the man who would rise to the top of the American intelligence community in the post–September 11 era lived under constant surveillance: he and his…