Journal: Afghanistan as a Failure of Imagination

Flawed projects prove costly for Afghanistan, U.S. Contractor leaves Afghan police stations half-complete U.S. hires firms with questionable pasts for Afghan jobs Factory, coal mine show connections matter most in Afghan business Phi Beta Iota: Our political, policy, and military leaders simply do not know what they do not know.  Assuming–desiring–that they have the best …

Review: Why Leaders Lie–The Truth About Lying in International Politics

John J. Mearsheimer Cornerstone, Not the Whole Building January 2, 2011 By no stretch should this book be dismissed as a three. While I might normally have gone with a four, I am settling on five for balance and because the author not only covers an extraordinarily important topic in a sensible measured way, but …

Building a Constituency for the Director of National Intelligence

Decision-support (intelligence) is the ultimate objective of information processes. One must carefully distinguish between data which is raw text, signal, or image; information which is collated data of generic interest; and intelligence which is information tailored to support a specific decision… Robert David Steele Vivas  On Intelligence (AFCEA, 2000) As noted in an earlier Journal …

NIGHTWATCH Extracts: Self-Delusions About AF-PK

Afghanistan: A Coalition officer told the US press today that “There is no practical way to secure the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and the U.S. military will fight insurgents outside Afghan villages where they are vulnerable.” The officer remarked that securing the border would take an inordinate amount of resources and would require more cooperation from tribes …