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DeM Banter: Some very good points here and it could be a book...but we have tried the "smack down" approach and we have tried the "hug it out" approach and we still have issues in the Mid East. What worked in the Cold War simply will not work in this Info Age world we live …
Continue reading "FOREIGN POLICY BY WHISPER AND NUDGE By Thomas L. Friedman"
DeM Banter: Back when the USAF had money to travel... I was fortunate enough to attend a conference on The Hill where Aaron David Miller spoke. What impressed me about Dr Miller was he appeared to be very non-biased and very much a realist... I am sure some will disagree with his thoughts on "national interest," …
Continue reading "A REPORT CARD FOR U.S. POLICY IN THE MIDEAST By Aaron David Miller"
DeM Banter: However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results. -Sir Winston Churchill Wall Street Journal August 24, 2013 Pg. C1 The Saturday Essay In the beginning, the Hebrew Bible tells us, the universe was all "tohu wabohu," chaos and tumult. This month the Middle East seems to be reverting to that …
Continue reading "THE FAILED GRAND STRATEGY IN THE MIDDLE EAST By Walter Russell Mead"
DeM Banter: This just hurts on so many levels... the death toll in July varied between 80,725 and 106,425 ...and now we are going to wait for evidence of chemical weapons use (M-9 tape?). On another level...we ground 33% of our combat aircraft and then want to look at airpower options. These situations are immensely …
DeM Banter: Oh that pesky thing called history...it just keeps coming up again and again. This sure is not easy...but we have to get bigger and ponder what will this look like in 3 to 5 to 10 years? What do we want it to look like? Something we ponder in chapter 1 of Wondering …
Continue reading "HISTORY’S LESSON: CUT OFF EGYPT By Max Boot"
DeM Banter: Another case for something we used to call strategy.... I think Gen Mattis says it best below..."I would challenge anyone today to tell us what our Mideast strategy is. The realist and interventionist schools of foreign-policy thought are not established on any strategic basis. The crises are blowing away an intellectual fog, revealing …
Continue reading "IN MIDEAST, U.S. POLICY MODELS BOG DOWN By Jay Solomon and Julian E. Barnes"
Recently I was struggling with some…what I will call frustrations at work. I could not really put my finger on it, I have a great job, work with great people, and have a great boss. I spent some time pondering and praying over this frustrated state and through that--it dawned on me. I have spent …
DeM Banter: Many issue with the article below, but the message rings loud and clear...we have some leadership issues in the DoD...heck in the nation... At War (NYTimes.com) August 19, 2013 The military has taken its fair share of institutional blows lately, including scandals that have humbled generals and admirals, a rising suicide rate, embarrassing …
Continue reading "Crises Can Be Averted By Dismissing Toxic Leaders By Adrian Bonenberger"
DeM Banter: Third Generation B-52 family...and this is only the beginning if we can't purchase to weapons systems...is this a good news or a bad news story? I guess we can see both. August 19, 2013 Los Angeles Times August 19, 2013 Pg. 1 The Air Force is giving yet another overhaul to its trusty …
Continue reading "The Plane That Won’t Die By W.J. Hennigan"
DeM Banter: Ponder a map of the Middle East today... and where there is trouble. Off the top of my bald head... we know there is an Egyptian "situation," there is Syria (not getting much press over the past couple days), there is Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan (albeit not true mid east), Pakistan, Yemen, Libya (forgotten), …
Continue reading "Mideast Issues/Global Crisis? 18 Aug 2013: Multipul Sources and DeMarco Banter"
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