The truth at any cost lowers all other costs — curated by former US spy Robert David Steele.
Dealing With Assange and the Secrets He Spilled By BILL KELLER The New York Times, January 26, 2011 Bill Keller is the executive editor of The New York Times. This essay is adapted from his introduction to “Open Secrets: WikiLeaks, War and American Diplomacy: Complete and Expanded Coverage from The New York Times,” an ebook …
For years, Alison and I have been hearing glowing reports of Tunisia from fellow sailors. We finally sailed there and spent five weeks in Tunisia last summer (August and early September). To our surprise, the local people struck us as the least welcoming of those in the Arab countries we have visited over the last …
Continue reading “TUNESIA: Reality, US Insouciance, & WikiLeaks”
This reference strives to demonstrate that the “true cost of oil” to the USA between 1976 and 2007 should include the cost of the aircraft carriers and related forces to the Middle East. The author has two major flaws in his argument, stating that each forward-deployed carrier requires eight others (vice two more, one down, …
Continue reading “Reference: Cost of US Force Projection to Middle East”
More wasted money….. Program to modernize Afghan justice system yields little so far MORE FROM MCCLATCHY McClatchy’s November investigation of contracting in Afghanistan Military bans two U.S. firms from Afghan contracting Contractor Louis Berger settles in Afghan overbilling probe Follow Afghanistan developments at McClatchy’s Checkpoint Kabul See Also: Reference: Quadrennial Diplomacy & Development Review Graphic: …
Continue reading “Journal: Microcosm of US Failure in Afghan Development”
Published on Wednesday, January 5, 2011 by Reuters WikiLeaks: Israel Aimed to Keep Gaza Economy on Brink of Collapse by Reuters Cable from the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv says Israeli officials wanted Gaza’s economy ‘functioning at the lowest level possible consistent with avoiding a humanitarian crisis.’ Israel told U.S. officials in 2008 it would …
Continue reading “Journal: Wikileaks & Israel, Wikileaks & Vatican”
Phi Beta Iota: The author, Michael O’Hanlon, remains one of our most respected commentators on defense, and his suggestions within this document are entirely reasonable. However, he does not go far enough. A 10% reduction of a military-industrial complex budget that has nearly tripled in 30 years is not serious, nor is there innovation in …
Continue reading “Reference: Cutting the Defense Budget + RECAP”
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 …
Continue reading “Review: Why Leaders Lie–The Truth About Lying in International Politics”
