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By Donna Cassata, Associated Press WASHINGTON -- U.S. military leaders clearly expressed reluctance about using American might to stop the unending violence in Syria, insisting that diplomacy remains the best option to force President Bashar Assad to end the brutal crackdown on his own people. Testifying before Congress, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Army Gen. …
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New York Times April 19, 2012 NATO can be proud of the role it played in supporting the overthrow of Libya’s murderous dictator, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. But the alliance’s own confidential assessment, reported in The Times on Sunday, pointed out that European members, who were among the first to call for military action, could never …
by Mike Mazarr LT Benjamin Kohlmann’s piece in SWJ (“The Military Needs More Disruptive Thinkers”) is a fascinating and provocative essay. It’s partly about the need for radical thinkers to disrupt military and defense bureaucracies—but much of the commentary targets professional military education (PME), and these parts of the essay share many of the characteristics …
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How The Dead Poets Society Advocated Disruptive Thinkers, Why DoD Shouldn't Encourage More Disruptive Thinkers, and 10 Principles for Those That do Think Disruptively Dead Poets Society In the movie Dead Poets Society, Robin Williams plays a private school English teacher who attempts to encourage his students to think for themselves. He encourages them with …
Continue reading "Disruptive Thinkers: The Disruptive Poets Society by Grant Martin"
New York Times April 17, 2012 London -- THE Arab Spring, the threat of Iran as an emerging nuclear power, the continuing violence in Syria and the American reluctance to get involved there have all signaled the weakness, if not the end, of America’s role as a world policeman. President Obama himself said in a …
Continue reading "Echoes Of The End Of The Raj By Kwasi Kwarteng"
The concept of disruptive thinkers is a good description of the concept of individuals that are innovative, passionate, and seek to change their organization . However, a disruptive thinker is only half of the equation. It is very difficult for a vast organization to sift through thousands of members to identify those with good ideas. …
Continue reading "Disruptive Thinkers and Opportunistic Leadership by Brett A. Friedman"
New York Times April 15, 2012 Pg. 1 By Eric Schmitt WASHINGTON — Despite widespread praise in Western capitals for NATO's leadership of the air campaign in Libya, a confidential NATO assessment paints a sobering portrait of the alliance's ability to carry out such campaigns without significant support from the United States. The report concluded …
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The Iron Triangle Some conservatives keep citing dissenters in the Pentagon who don't want the budget cut. If that's true, it's time we heard from them. By Kevin Baron While you were on spring break, the growing divide between GOP defense hawks and the generals cracked open into a virtual Grand Canyon. First, House Budget …
Continue reading "Do The Brass Support The Obama Defense Budget?"
by Eric Garland An industry that once told hard truths to corporate and government clients now mostly just tells them what they want to hear, making it harder for us all to adapt to a changing world -- and that's why I'm leaving it. I recently quit my job as a "futurist" and "strategic intelligence …
Continue reading "Peak Intel: How So-Called Strategic Intelligence Actually Makes Us Dumber"
by Micah Zenko On February 15, General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House Armed Services Committee: “I can’t impress upon you that in my personal military judgment, formed over thirty-eight years, we are living in the most dangerous time in my lifetime, right now.” Two weeks later, during a …
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