The truth at any cost lowers all other costs — curated by former US spy Robert David Steele.
Et tu, Brute?
EXTRACT
Being read in Europe.
UN Report Documents Torture, Police Violence in US
EXTRACT
While this remains a closed book to the American political establishment, the report underscores the seamless connection between military violence overseas and militarized police violence at home — though its criticisms are couched largely in racial terms.
Everything You Know About Clausewitz Is Wrong
A botched translation of Clausewitz has had an enduring impact on our thinking on warfare.
James Holmes, The Diplomat, 12 November 2014
Specifically, Paret and Howard entitle Book One, Chapter One, Section 24 (page 87 if you have your copy handy) “War Is Merely the Continuation of Policy by Other Means.” That’s how they render “Der Krieg ist eine bloße Fortsetzung der Politik mit anderen Mitteln” into English. Properly translated, however, the title reads “War Is a Mere Continuation of Policy with Other Means.” “With,” not “by.” There is zero ambiguity in the German. The translators, or perhaps their publisher, flub this one.
See Also:
More Small Wars: Counterinsurgency Is Here to Stay
Max Boot
Foreign Affairs, November/December 2014
Since Washington doesn’t have the luxury of simply avoiding insurgencies, then, the best strategy would be to fight them better. Drawn from more than a decade of war, here are ten lessons for how to do so, which U.S. policymakers, soldiers, diplomats, and spies should keep in mind as they try to deal with the chaotic conflicts to come.
Continue reading “Eagle: Max Boot on Ten Lessons for Counterinsurgency”
My Masters is focused on Strategic Studies and International Security and my thesis is about the relevance of the black-ops (paramilitary) to the detriment of the conventional military operations in America´s foreign policy. Basically I argue (due to literature that I´ve been revising for more than a year) that it is a fact that since the 1980s the importance of the special forces when it comes to convey important missions has been increased drastically and paramilitary operations are used more and more. I came to the conclusion that operations are carried out nowadays (specially in Syria, Iraq and overall around the Machrek) by the Special Forces units of the USSOCOM but with the support of the CIA (where CIA agents also engage in armed actions).
Dancer,
It is not possible to understand the American way of war or spying without understanding that money is the central factor in deciding what we do and what we buy and what we spend — including lives. Here are three key points:
Continue reading “ANSWERS to Spanish Dancer on CIA and SOF Replacing Conventional Forces”
In this age of the daily indiscretion, a relatively senior naval intelligence officer has been openly relieved of duty. He said, orally and in writing, things that conflicted with Administration's views. Two articles follow:
First from Navy Times, a summary that says he was relieved, that he said things that SECDEF, CNO, and CSA either disagreed with or new nothing about, and that his relief may have been predicated on mishandling classified info and running a negative command climate.
Second article, from Real Clear Defense and written by a contractor, says that he was telling the truth, and used only UNCLASSIFIED open sources.
