As always, repeated at The Conjecturer.
Defense
- Quote of the Day definitely goes to Anthony Cordesman, who accompanied Michael O’Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack to Iraq. His take? “[T]he US now has only uncertain, high risk options in Iraq. It cannot dictate Iraq’s future, only influence it, and this presents serious problems at a time when the Iraqi political process has failed to move forward in reaching either a new consensus or some form of peaceful coexistence.” Yes. I think we’re down to choosing between highly uncertain, all unsatisfying “solutions” to a problem we can barely define. Can our all-star team of diplomats save us? I doubt it—Iraq doesn’t need diplomats, it needs to be rid of America.
- Both Weinberger and Van Riper are correct to be skeptical of DARPA’s efforts to quantize, categorize, and predict human behavior. In fact, the goal behind DARPA’s “computational social science” programs is fundamentally impossible: while I know I’m skirting (or jumping knees-deep into) the qualitative debate, I firmly believe humans are fundamentally unpredictable. Meaning, you cannot quantize human behavior, not even (or especially even) in group dynamics. However, that doesn’t mean the DoD shouldn’t be trying to understand the cultures it is forced to operate in, as its mission has been perhaps permanently bloated beyond that silly, limited “defending the country” thing. So I support them learning about more cultures… just not like this. And don’t we have a State Department to help with this kind of stuff?
- I am an increasing fan of Navy Secretary Donald Winter.
- Robo-drones over Iraq. Better than bombs over Baghdad, I suppose?
Around the World
- Beijing is so horribly polluted the IOC is considering delaying certain events. That bit about Sochi being too close to Chechnya, though, is a big, fat red herring. Not only is there not much fighting anymore in Chechnya, but Sochi has had a thriving, attack-free tourist industry for years.
- Kvass to me is much like kumice—something interesting to say you drink, but my God is it disgusting. The best part of that link, by the way, is the video of Coca-Cola’s efforts to get into making and selling kvass. Will they also have the rancid smelling yellow tanks set up around, say, Lafayette Square? One can only hope.
- That the prices of staple food products in Tajikistan are eerily similar to Wegman’s shouldn’t be too surprising—I’ve written of how poor regulation and poor markets have contributed to simply unlivable economic conditions before. But it is the realization that most Tajiks live off Lavash and weak green tea that depresses me. I get depressed when I only have six or seven different food places within walking distance. To be reduced to such a state is… well, it’s depressing.
- In Russia, they are mysteriously beaten to death. In Kazakhstan they are simply run over. I suppose at least the Kazakhs can claim they have really bad traffic, but there is no excuse for this.
- I am not the only one deeply dissatisfied with The Economist‘s international coverage. I feel better now for claiming poverty when I was seriously considering subscribing.
Back at Home
- At some point, the right started believing in a police state. I don’t know why or how that happened.
- I can’t say it enough: I love Wonkette.
- Hrm. Maybe there is something to the GOP’s hostility to gays beyond the stated desire to defend families. So, Democrats cheat on their wives with women; Republicans sexually assault younger men? Obviously, both characteristics are unfair. But why does it appear there is a very lopsided concentration of chickenhawks on the Right?
- Clearly, our own Congressional recess is to blame for Iraq’s political collapse. Now we must keep the warring Christian tribes of the midwest from planting IEDs along Rock Creek Parkway, and maybe move our soldiers from Georgetown to Anacostia to quell the last dregs of the liberal insurgency.