Cross-posted on The Conjecturer.
Defense
- Three months in, the surge has had no noticeable impact on violence in Iraq. I really wish the Pentagon would stop undermining the war by talking it down to the liberal media.
- The FBI has broken the law 1000 times in its attempts to spy on us. Because the war on terr-uh is for liberty, natch.
- Of course, when you have an invisible bomber with a perfect operational record, updating it is the first priority. Actually, I’m being unfair; 30 years is a reasonable time frame over which to develop new aircraft.
- But whenever I feel over-frustrated at our own DoD, I imagine what it’s like to have to fight and wrangle over a few aircraft carriers.
- Following up on that GI Guide for Iraq: it’s useful to compare the version in 1943 and 2003. Somehow the one from 64 years ago seems more realistic.
Around the World
- How Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, one of my heroes, accidentally sold out Russia.
- Heh: Lou Dobbs has been hating the wrong kind of immigrant. Bastard.
- Interesting news from India: labeling one’s political philosophy can be problematic, especially when it seems to be impossible to register a non-socialist political party. I don’t know enough about India’s political system to comment further, but it makes for interesting reading.
- The challenges and concerns of Caspian energy politics.
- Along the Tajik-Afghan border, there remains a problem with drug smuggling warlords.
- Afghan bodybuilders love the Ah-nuld.
- Meanwhile, David Axe keeps burying the lede, barely mentioning the police intimidation of people who speak to the press in Kabul. He also mentions the obvious, that Iraq is not Afghanistan. Umm, I agree. And we need to stop accusing Iran of things it might not be doing—like directly supporting the same Taliban it once nearly invaded.
- What lessons can we draw from the growing drug-fueled insurgency in Mexico? Perhaps lessons for Afghanistan and Colombia. Though it’s worth noting the ambassador to Mexico isn’t being sent to South Asia.
- Markel hates doggies (boo!). I loves doggies. So does our friend Dear Volodiya. And he uses doggies to intimidate Merkel.
- U.S. Congress: trade protectionism for me, but not for thee. Maybe they’re worried about China’s insane desire to have a modern military?
Back at Home
- Yes, we should ask the candidates better questions on foreign policy. I would include more, however, on the developing dynamics in Central and South Africa, and see if they had any ideas for the Horn of Africa—namely how to minimize their impact on the U.S. I think there is a real danger in these kinds of things of turning into “if you ruled the world, what would you do?” The responses are usually as immature, extremist, and useless as “I’d give everyone puppies and make the bad men stop.”
- Ron Bailey looks at China and asks, “What the Fukuyama?”
- Boeing thinks there will be a tripling of air traffic over the next 20 years. Of course they would—they make planes. But it might be true anyway.
- So do you think there aren’t any workers to harvest cucumbers because Mexicans stole the jobs? Or, hrm, is that backwards…