DeM Banter: interesting...great SAASS thesis here. There is a need for somebody to do something, so it must be the US. Although the US is tapped out and other nations have made a conscience decision to let their might falter in the belief the the US will always be there. Could this be a possible …
Sequestration Threatens Cuts Everywhere By Darren Samuelsohn
DeM Banter: what could possibly go wrong? Politico.com November 18, 2012 The Pentagon is soaking up most of the attention around the looming budget cuts that would take place at the start of the new year, but there are a host of other national security programs caught up in the fiscal cliff debate, too. Sequestration …
Continue reading "Sequestration Threatens Cuts Everywhere By Darren Samuelsohn"
Honey, I Shrunk The Pentagon By Bill Keller
DeM Banter: let's play "Is This Anything?" Well Dave...what do you think? Paul...nope... I don't know what do you think? New York Times November 19, 2012 Pg. 21 LET’S imagine you are the new secretary of defense, and, wow, has Secretary Panetta left you a full docket. You have to extract more than 60,000 troops …
Continue reading "Honey, I Shrunk The Pentagon By Bill Keller"
If Iran Gets The Bomb By Paul Bracken
DeM Banter: would tend to agree on one point....have we honestly given the situation the intellectual rigor it deserves? Wall Street Journal November 17, 2012 Pg. C3 How would U.S. and Israeli strategists deal with a much riskier Middle East? You don't have to fire a nuclear weapon to gain a strategic advantage from it. …
Change In U.S. Defense Strategy Could Ease Fiscal Challenge: Report By David Alexander
DeM Banter: Strategic Agility? For some reason....I think I have seen this movie before... Reuters.com November 15, 2012 WASHINGTON -- A group of national security experts on Thursday proposed a new U.S. defense strategy they said could be safely implemented at different budget levels, enabling President Barack Obama to cut Pentagon spending by more than …
Obama’s Nightmare By Thomas L. Friedman
DeM Banter: love Friedman's stuff...even when I don't agree, always thought provoking. This theory seems sound, but need to chew on it a bit. "United States in Iraq performed the geopolitical equivalent of falling on a grenade — that we triggered ourselves." Not sure I have looked at it as such. But it does seem …
Continue reading "Obama’s Nightmare By Thomas L. Friedman"
The Price Of Security By Robert Kagan
DeM Banter: been waiting for this article for a long time...so why can't our leaders in Washington make this case? I'm quite sure they intuitively understand it? Is is a lack of strategic thinking, a crisis of leadership...or is it the generation of ME? Thoughts? Washington Post November 13, 2012 Pg. 19 In the interest …
Questioning the Brass by Thomas E. Ricks
view original / nytimes.com / Thomas E. Ricks DeM Banter:  More from Mr Ricks and his new book...interesting points to ponder...wonder if the book has any "legs."  Anyone hearing anything out there? November 11th, 2012 OVER the last 11 years, as we fought an unnecessary war in Iraq and an unnecessarily long one in Afghanistan, the civilian American leadership …
Hidden Threats By Thanassis Cambanis
Boston Globe November 11, 2012 Pg. K1 DeM Banter: these Foreign Policy Editorials will dry up soon...I find them fascinating. Most are just rehashings of what we already know....but, I'm still drawn to them... The Internationalist Forget China and the Middle East: The real global crises for Obama's next term may be just the ones …
Strike On US Drone Suggests Some In Tehran Are Spoiling For A Fight By Julian Borger
The Guardian (UK) November 10, 2012 DeM Banter: the bigger strategic issues...not to mention the obvious act of war... Analysis A mid-air incident in which Iranian warplanes fired at a US surveillance drone has brought home how nuclear tensions and increased military hardware in a confined area can lead to a clash that could escalate …
Mastermind Century Group 