SOUTHCOM Week in Review Ending 27 Oct 09

Hot Topics AA: Uruguay #1 for Prosperity in South America; Venezuela and Bolivia the Worst 10/26/09 CL: Chile president proposes limiting military courts 10/27/09 CO: Uribe requests repatriation of Colombians murdered in Venezuela 10/26/09 DO: Lucrative charcoal spurs Dominican- Haitian crime cartels 10/26/09 HN: Honduran forces blast recordings of sound effects outside Brazilian embassy 10/22/09 …

Review: The Fourth Star–Four Generals and the Epic Struggle for the Future of the United States Army

Been There, Done That, Shinseki & LISTENING October 26, 2009 Greg Jaffe This is unquestionably a great book but it is so narrow, and so oblivious to the larger context within which the U.S. Army Chief of Staff General Shinseki GOT IT RIGHT and knew exactly what was needed, and the impeachable offenses of Chenez, …

Journal: Strategic Analysis & Culture Matter

The Afghanistan Problem The huge cultural misunderstandings between Western forces and the Afghan people make it unlikely any counterinsurgency mission in the countryside will succeed. By Gilles Dorronsoro In the countryside, Westerners are essentially perceived as corrupt and threatening to traditional Afghan or Muslim values. Contrary to our self-perception, the villagers see the foreigners as …

Journal: How NOT to Decide on Afghanistan

The Real Reason for More Troops in Afghanistan Michael Gaddy LouRockwell.com    October 20, 2009Anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of our quest for empire over the past six decades realizes that Obama’s contemplation of whether to send additional troops to Afghanistan is simply those who control him providing Obama with the opportunity to look “presidential.” The decision …