Mastermind Century Group

DeM Banter...A little history...."Nevertheless, the administration believed that something had to be done. If the United States allowed itself to be humiliated by the regime, then its military credibility would be seriously undermined. The regional alliance that the United States led might dissolve as the area's countries lost faith in American protection. Across the world, …

Continue reading "Obama Weighing Limited Strike On Syria By Karen DeYoung and Anne Gearan (and a little history)"

DeM Banter: strategic piece from Eliot Cohen...historically can we show where this option has provided the outcome sought? I understand we keep talking Kosovo as THE example, but there were many other issues at play there that are not at play here. Obviously Cohen has his own biases as well...but it is important to examine …

Continue reading "Downrange Dreams ‘Therapeutic bombing’ of Syria would accomplish little By Eliot A. Cohen"

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: 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 …

Continue reading "Obama Officials Weigh Response To Syria Assault By Mark Landler, Mark Mazzetti and Alissa J. Rubin"

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"