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I, along with so many of my peers, have been professionally involved in, adjacent to, or forced to reckon with American regime-change efforts since Panama. I was a young officer when Noriega was removed quickly, decisively, and—by historical standards—cleanly, an experience that would later prove to be the exception rather than the rule. From Panama …
Continue reading "Regime Change Is an Event. Instability Is a Process: DeMarco Banter"
In the winter of 2028, the lights in the western hemisphere didn't go out all at once. They flickered—on screens, in minds, in institutions—until the world quietly realized it had entered a new kind of darkness. A darkness not of power, but of perception. Not of silence, but of signal. It was the year the …
The Comfort of “Good Enough” There’s a peculiar danger that stalks successful organizations, leaders, and even artists: the trap of “good enough.” When the metrics look solid, when the crowd is clapping, when the machine is humming along smoothly, the temptation is to keep things as they are. Why rock the boat? Why introduce turbulence …
Artificial Intelligence is no longer a speculative concept but a defining condition of our era. Leaders across sectors have grown comfortable describing AI as a “tool,” yet this framing is already outdated. A tool waits passively to be used; a condition saturates the environment whether we engage it or not. Just as weather, markets, and …
The Song as Prophecy Leonard Cohen’s “Everybody Knows” first appeared in 1988, yet it sounds like it was written yesterday. Its refrain—everybody knows—is a haunting chorus of resignation, a recognition that corruption, betrayal, and decay are not hidden but openly visible. We live in an age of unprecedented transparency: livestreamed wars, financial scandals dissected in …
1. Nietzsche’s Enduring Challenge to Conventional Leadership Paradigms Few thinkers unsettle as profoundly as Friedrich Nietzsche. His writings on morality, truth, and meaning strike at the roots of Western culture, exposing what he saw as its life-denying foundations. He argued that conventional values—humility, obedience, piety—emerged not from vitality or strength but from what he called slave morality: the …
The Obsolescence of Decisive Battle The strategic logic of the 20th century rested on a singular premise: wars are decided on the battlefield. The state that destroyed its opponent’s armed forces dictated political outcomes. Clausewitz’s dictum—that war is “an act of force to compel our enemy to do our will”—framed the entire modern era of …
Continue reading "Paralysis as Victory: The Architecture of 21st Century Conflict: DeMarco Banter"
This is not a political piece....just saying... I know everything quickly becomes that... This is a strategic reflection—a thought experiment grounded in humility and foresight. It’s not about parties or administrations. It’s about possibility. About asking a question many don’t want to touch: What happens if America loses the AI race? It sounds dramatic. Maybe …
Part I: The Metaphysics of the Force: A Syncretic Foundation The enduring cultural resonance of the Star Wars saga is inextricably linked to its central metaphysical concept: the Force. More than a mere plot device, the Force serves as the philosophical and spiritual bedrock of its universe, a complex tapestry woven from the threads of …
The Hype Cycle: A Mirror for Institutional Behavior In the world of technological forecasting and organizational transformation, few conceptual tools have had the lasting impact of the Gartner Hype Cycle. Introduced in the mid-1990s by the research and advisory firm Gartner, Inc., the Hype Cycle sought to explain a recurring pattern: how emerging technologies rise …
Continue reading "The Innovation Trap: How the USAF Gets Stuck in the Hype Cycle: DeMarco Banter"
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