Central Asia–Failed States in the Making

07 Other Atrocities, 08 Wild Cards, Communities of Practice, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Peace Intelligence, Strategy
DefDog Recommends...

Central Asia: Decay and Decline

International Crisis Group Report 201 3 Feb 2011

Quietly but steadily Central Asia’s basic human and physical
infrastructure – the roads, power plants, hospitals and schools and the
last generation of Soviet-trained specialists who have kept this all
running – is disappearing. The equipment is wearing out, the personnel
retiring or dying. Post-independence regimes made little effort to
maintain or replace either, and funds allocated for this purpose have
largely been eaten up by corruption. This collapse has already sparked
protests and contributed to the overthrow of a government.

Read full report….

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James Madison: US Security Budget a Nightmare

03 Economy, 07 Other Atrocities, 10 Security, 11 Society, Budgets & Funding, Corruption, Military
Chuck Spinney Sounds Off...

Madison's Nightmare: How Much Should We Spend for National Insecurity?

Chuck Spinney, FEB 3, 2011

The Atlantic (for James Fallows)

Read entire reference piece….

Brother Chuck makes  three key points:

1.  He quotes Madison, as we have, on the importance of public knowledge as the basis for the Republic keeping the government accountable and in check.

2.  He points out that the defense budget has never been audited, cannot be audited, and is both totally “out of control” and irresponsibly chaotic and grotesquely excessive.

3.  He proposes regular persistent cuts in the defense budget until such time as it can actually pass an audit.

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Afghanistan, Israel, Egypt, USA–No Legitimacy

08 Wild Cards, Corruption
Chuck Spinney Recommends....

Anyone who thinks we ought to stay in Afghanistan and that the Afghanis want us to stay should carefully read and think about the information in this important report.

Chuck Spinney

King David's War

Petraeus has a new plan to finish the war: Double down on a failed strategy

David Hastings, Rolling Stone, 02/02/11  Read long analytic article…

Phi Beta Iota: Highly recommended long article that illuminates both the lack of intelligent strategy, operations, and tactics in Afghanistan, and the lack of ethical, informed, strategic leadership in Washington.

Two more recommended items  below the line…

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NIGHTWATCH on Egypt: Five Epiphanies

08 Wild Cards, Ethics

Egypt: Today was the day of Epiphany. In Tahrir Square, the atmosphere changed from euphoria to fear in less than 24 hours. The anti-government demonstrators were outnumbered and surrounded by pro-Mubarak supporters, trapped. They discovered that Army tolerance of their street displays also extended to the pro-Mubarak activists. The Army showed that it was strictly neutral, supporting neither side. Soldiers said they had no orders to move. This was the first epiphany.

There were four others.

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extraterrestrial Disclosures Increase….

08 Wild Cards, Advanced Cyber/IO, Cultural Intelligence, Earth Intelligence, Peace Intelligence, Secrecy & Politics of Secrecy
Click on Image to Enlarge

2 February 2011

World business leaders told flying saucers are real & extraterrestrials exist

Might Extraterrestrial Intelligence Sway Religious Beliefs?

NASA's Kepler Mission Discovers Earth-like Planets

Extraterrestrials now live among us in China and in U.S.A., newspapers report