Right up front, here is the value proposition: a revolution in national security affairs can immediately deliver three things:
1. Permit the rapid (four years) reduction of the secret intelligence community budget from $80 billion to under $20 billion and permit the rapid (four years) reduction of the active and reserve military budget from over $1 trillion a year (which is how much the US Government borrows every year “in our name”) to under $250 billion a year, with a strict focus on defense against real modern threats instead of fabricated or exaggerated threats;
this is the second post in a series to highlight the people and projects coming together at this year’s Contact Conference, Oct 20, 2011 in NYCOne of the big areas we’ll be highlighting at Contact is ‘next net’ technologies – hardware and software tools that bring people internet access and the ability to connect, communicate and share information without the risk of censorship or shut-down.
Below are just a few of the people and projects we’re looking forward to bringing together this October:
The Narrative Battle & Public Diplomacy in the 21st Century
By John Marke
Warfare in the 21st century is about the battle for the mind – it is about ideas and perceptions. Understanding how people make sense of what’s happening around them, i.e., socially constructed reality is a key element of this dynamic.
Military strategists, at least the ones I favor, i.e. Sun Tzu, Liddell Hart, and John Boyd, would all agree that ideas have consequences and are perhaps more consequential than bullets, especially in today’s environment of limited war. What we think, what we say, and how we act need to be congruent – that is the essence of integrity. Clearly articulating our ideas and demonstrating the integrity between ideas and actions – are vital components of war and peace in the 21st century….and they must authenticate basic human values of justice and truth. There is a moral dimension to war; and without a firm commitment to justice and truth, no narrative will be sustainable.
I choose to look at Israel’s Operation Defensive Shield as the context for exploring the importance of the narrative in war because it is timely but has also passed into history, as contrasted to Iraq or Afghanistan which are battles still in play as of this writing.
It is apparent that there is a limited view of what is really going on in the MENA arena. Zawahri is tied to the Muslim Brotherhood, who is beginning to appear to be the real underlying role player in the so called “Arab Spring” that most American policy makers (read the Administration) believe want democracy. It has become very apparent that is not the case. Zawahri's ties therefore place him, and by association AQ, in tandem with
the Brotherhood. But the IC has completely missed this point because of their focus, or lack thereof….
WASHINGTON — American counterterrorism officials all but welcomed the announcement on Thursday that Ayman al-Zawahri would succeed Osama bin Laden as leader of Al Qaeda, arguing that his deep flaws are likely to weaken the core of the terrorist network.
Phi Beta Iota: Secular corruption is the common enemy of the people. The US Government is just as guilty of secular corruption as are the Arab government, and on a global scale, does vastly more damage to the Earth and commits vastly more crimes against humanity than any individual dictatorship. The general US public–and the so-called literati–have been dumbed down and channeled to the point that they are relatively useless as a countervailing force. Alone among the candidates for the Presidency, Ron Paul and Cynthia McKinney each in their respective ways, champion truth in governance.
Looking backward, there is a great deal to be said for leaving well enough alone, which is more difficult than one might think. Western Europe in the 19th century is now generally looked back upon as having constituted a pinnacle of Western civilization. Certainly in literature, music and the plastic arts this was so, the last-named in the century’s final decade, when painting ceased its period as domestic decoration and exploded into a myriad of ways to perceive not only the external world but the interior universe as well.
The modern Western intelligence was invented then, and the world has since played variations on 19th century political themes: nationalism, colonialism, imperialism, populism, class liberation, revolution, anarchism, class and racial warfare. The Napoleonic wars began the century and transformed its political institutions. The Franco-Prussian War ended the century, setting the scene for the hyper-destructive 20th century.
. . . . . . .
There is a Muslim community of peace for Turkey to inspire.
Phi Beta Iota: Science and religion and philosophy, when at their best, seek to establish “best truths.” All three have been corrupted by politics, dogma, and laziness. Peace costs one third of what is now spent on war, and infinite wealth for the many can only be achieved in the context of a universal peace. If Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, and India come together on this point, Islam will be a global force in the 21st Century, not least because it will control secular corruption.
I pretty much lost it while watching David Gergen, a veteran of the Nixon White House, trying to make sense of sexting. The CNN analyst surely witnessed his share of villainy in that administration and the three others he served in, and he probably has no problem comprehending something like the illegal bombing of Cambodia or the near-elimination of welfare. But who sends pictures of his penis to strangers?
A lot of people, as it turns out. There is a culture gap in this country, between people who are happy to enjoy what’s left of their privacy and people who just don’t think about it. It’s not that No. 1 NBA draft pick Greg Oden wanted to expose his penis to fans—it just never occurred to him that anybody but his lady friend would get a peek. There are a number of professional athletes—and at least one politician—for whom the previous sentence would work.
Phi Beta Iota: The pornographic criminally insane behavior of the senior politicians is vastly more harmful and costly that a little weiner on Twitter. This is the core point. There is no “sense” in Washington, it is all theater of the absurd fronting for the on-going looting and depraved indifference of the few at the expense of the many.
Al Fateh University (Arabic: جامعة الفاتح) is the largest and most important institute of higher education in Libya, providing undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate levels of study. It is located in the capital Tripoli. The university was founded as an independent university in 1973 as the University of Tripoli when the University of Libya was divided up. It is home to more than 45,000 students with a faculty of more than 2,500. TUITION IS FREE.
On June 14, NATO bombed this civilian university, damaging the library and disrupting the end term preparations for final exams. Several buildings suffered serious structural damage, and much of the library's stock was ruined. Students and university staff pitched in to do a major cleanup of black dust and smoke damage. If it weren't for a last-minute scheduling change, two of the damaged buildings would have been packed with students, and hundreds, if not thousands, would have been killed. Fortunately, no one was killed.
