Category: Journal ISSN 1078-1935

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Journal: Afghanistan & Iraq–Opportunity Knocks for an Afghan Airlift and a Six-Month Muslim-Centered Multinational Multiagency “Advise & Assist” Transition Toward Departure from Both Countries

Collaboration Zones, Communities of Practice, Ethics, InfoOps (IO), Key Players, Methods & Process, Mobile, Policies, Policy, Real Time, Reform, Strategy, Threats

NIGHTWATCH Special Report:  October in Afghanistan 27 November 2009

Taliban and other anti-government fighters have begun to go to winter quarters, in Pakistan or in Afghanistan. The fighting will drop somewhat during the winter, but in the core provinces of the Pashtun south, weather is not a factor.

Based on Taliban public statements, their attacks will remain focused on disruption of the overland truck lifeline for Afghan and NATO forces, mainly by using improvised bombs. In the face of renewed NATO resolve, the Taliban also will wait for the next opportunity to attempt to take power.

Taliban cannot defeat NATO forces, but NATO forces cannot defeat Taliban, especially without combat air support. The government in Kabul cannot survive without NATO forces, but by this time next year the Afghan forces will need more logistics and air support rather than combat soldiers, if the US and European NATO trainers are competent.

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Journal: Cultural Intelligence (Or Not)

Cultural Intelligence

Amazon Page
Amazon Page

Mother of All Conspiracy Theories: “Cultural Cleansing in Iraq”

The Iraq Crisis List has publicized a new book entitled, Cultural Cleansing in Iraq Why Museums Were Looted, Libraries Burned and Academics Murdered.

According to Iraq Crisis,

Convention sees accidents of war and poor planning in a campaign to liberate Iraqis. The authors argue instead that the invasion aimed to dismantle the Iraqi state to remake it as a client regime.

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Journal: Right on the Left and Left on the Right

09 Justice, Civil Society, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, InfoOps (IO), Methods & Process
Incoherence Left and Right
Obama, Palin, and Paul

Phi Beta Iota: The incoherent insanity of BOTH the left and the right, of both those in power and those without power, is cresting.  While the Obama Administration does everything it can to emulate and extend the Constitutional violations of the Cheney-Bush regime, the far right is losing its mind completely.  Below are two items, just a taste of what happens when gerbils learn to read and write.

What Is Sarah Palin?

It seems that Palin– the attractive, outdoors-loving “hockey mom”-is popular solely because of her personality, not any specific policy positions. Notes columnist Steve Chapman “Who needs policy? In her world – and the world of legions of conservatives who revere her – the persona is the policy. Palin is beloved because she’s (supposedly) just like ordinary people, which (supposedly) gives her a profound understanding of their needs.” When dissecting political cults of personality, it would seem that Palin has become the Republicans’ Obama–handsome, charming and a human comfort blanket for partisans.

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Worth a Look: Books on Real Wealth Economy

Capitalism (Good & Bad), Economics, Environment (Problems), Environment (Solutions), Worth A Look
Amazon Page
Amazon Page

Agenda for a New Economy: From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth

Today's economic crisis is the worst since the Great Depression. However, as David Korten shows, the steps being taken to address it do nothing to deal with the reality of a failed economic system. It's like treating cancer with a bandage. Korten identifies the deeper sources of the failure: Wall Street institutions that have perfected the art of creating “wealth” without producing anything of real value: phantom wealth. Our hope lies not with Wall Street, Korten argues, but with Main Street, which creates real wealth from real resources to meet real needs.

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Journal: China May Demand Physical Gold

02 China, 03 Economy, 04 Inter-State Conflict, 10 Transnational Crime, Commerce, Ethics, Government

SPECIAL FROM OUR SOURCES IN ASIA

Gold could be about to get disorderly also as it approaches the key $1200 call option strike. The strong rumour is the large $1200oz Dec call owner is the Peoples Bank of China. Gold traders increasingly believe that China will force physical delivery of 2.8moz of gold instead of the usual cash settlement. My contacts suggest short-term mayhem may be about to break out in gold for a few days as those who have sold the call and get exercised scramble to buy physical for delivery.   To put this in context 2.8moz is around 80 tonnes of gold. Yes, it's that big and you can see why there is short-covering everywhere in gold.

Phi Beta Iota: If John Mack becomes Secretary of the Treasury, we anticipate China having a subtle but respected influence on the US Treasury as a condition for selective cover-ups, and China managing the situation so it ultimately gets compensation for all the gold stolen by Japen and confiscated by the US to create the Treasury Black Eagle Trust and Golden Lily slush funds.  China did NOT sign the San Francisco Treaty and is on solid ground.  We respect John Mack, he might possibly be the first truly multinational Secretary of the Treasury, and if he can make a commitment to Open Money and Real Wealth as a future path for the global economy, he could conceivably be the single most important person in the 21st Century.  For background see

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