Chuck Spinney: Syrian Use of Chemical Weapons? Bullshit. + Syria Regional Meta-RECAP

Pressure is mounting for the US to become involved in the Syrian civil war.  Advocates of intervention have all sorts of motives.  Once of the most attractive talking points from the perspective of the interventionists is the Syria’s alleged use of chemical weapons on its own people.  This short and well focused essay addresses that …

Berto Jongman: US Special Operations Command Goal — Prevent Wars, Bottom Up Community Based Resilience — Never Mind Strategic-Level Blunders, Ideology, & Predatory Policies, Drones, Dictators…1.1

Socom’s goal: Pre-empt wars Tampa is headquarters for the commandos who are gaining a bigger role in military operations around the globe. Military writer Howard Altman travels with them this month in Afghanistan. By Howard Altman | Tribune Staff Tampa Tribune,  May 19, 2013 They make small footprints at the edges of the Earth. Sometimes …

References: NATO Transformation Process Documents — and Gaps + Peace from Above RECAP

Connected Forces Initiative (latest NATO HQ initiative, should prioritize future ACT work, currently under initial study) After 2014, NATO is expected to shift its emphasis from operational engagement to operational preparedness. This means NATO will need to remain capable of performing its core tasks – described in its Strategic Concept¹ – and of maintaining its …

David Isenberg: Harvard Paper on Financial Legacy of Iraq and Afghanistan

  The Financial Legacy of Iraq and Afghanistan: How Wartime Spending Decisions Will Constrain Future National Security Budgets Faculty Research Working Paper Series Linda J. Bilmes, Harvard Kennedy School Abstract: The Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, taken together, will be the most expensive wars in US history – totaling somewhere between $4 to $6 trillion. This …

Jean Lievens: Digital World Increasing Access and Value of Old Content

The digital world is changing the value of media content Free of shelf-space limitations, the web’s ability to make ‘golden oldies’ accessible to everyone forever will force us to reassess the importance of ‘newness’ EXTRACT: So, in the not too distant future, “the newest” may not be the most attractive. It’s going to change the …