– More on the cringe of the West. The Spiegel‘s Henryk Broder writes of the West as “choked by fear.”
– Kings of War has a great article on the nature of “100% readiness” and why it’s an impossible goal. The 7:1 ratio of applicants to recruits who make it through training are just further proof that the risk-averse society is losing effectiveness, even if there’s a point to be made in comparison with American replacements in Vietnam.
If you’ve ever played Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, you’ll remember the AC-130 level. It’s even more accurate and realistic than I’d realized (the level could have been even less professional in tone, and still outdone the real-world scenario). It’s also something that was missing from the recent sequel.
Bonus: is Modern Warfare 2 sexist? A girls’ night in determines the answer…
The face of “new antisemitism“
Every time I think I’m disgusted by my school, it gets worse. I thought we’d reached a low when the London School of Economics voted to twin (my personal conspiracy is that the vote was scheduled on American Thanksgiving so none of the ‘Israel-loving’ Americans would show up) with the Islamic University of Gaza, which was founded by Ahmed Yassin. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because he also founded a little organization called Hamas. Aside from hosting Hamas’s R&D program for the Qassam rocket, IUG’s ‘distinguished’ faculty has referred to gays as “perverts” and “morally sick,” and proclaimed the university to be an absolute reflection of Hamas and its philsophy.
Ridiculous as it is, maybe it ends there? Not so fast.
– Christopher Hitchens asks “WTF?” as the survivor of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki dies.
– From Wired: how the risk-averse society stopped bombing in Afghanistan (except for close-air support, really).
– If you’re a fan of ComingAnarchy, you’ll be pleased to know that Curzon is planning on making a visit to London next week. Open offer to meet up; who’s with me?
– Kazys Varnelis offers predictions for the coming decade. A number of things here, of course, but I think he’s spot on with the dissolving middle class and possible polarization/further fragmentation of the U.S. on a state-by-state basis. However, I think his outlook for suburbia is perhaps a little rosy.
– Socio-economics in Russia may put a stop to change. But would that change be good?
The next couple weeks will see some longer link collections than usual (if I remember to do them, that is). So much happens these days…
A nifty little infographic from The Economist on the “global tinderbox” that is the world of 2010. Merry New Year, everyone!
– An amazing story in New York about the self-destruction of John Edwards and the sheer absurdity of the Rielle Hunter affair’s cover-up. The depths and the self-delusion… On a semi-related note, is it possible that the National Enquirer deserves a Pulitzer for first breaking the story?
– Yet another relevant TED talk: ‘how the net aids dictatorships’. Tech enables blowback. And where do you start, when it comes to the internet? With the very alphabet you use to type a URL with.
Patrick Porter’s Military Orientalism provides an excellent analysis of the recent culturally-focused bent within western military thinking. “It is not a question of whether culture matters,” writes Porter, “but how it matters, and how to conceptualise [sic] it.” This is expressed through several case studies: British perceptions and accounts of the Russo-Japanese War, interwar military thinking and the “lessons” of Ghengis Khan (particularly as expressed by Basil Liddell Hart), the United States and the Taliban in Afghanistan, and finally Israel’s experience in the 2006 Lebanon War.
Sorry for the incredibly long delay. Between flying, driving, holidays, and snow, I haven’t had much time to post or write much.
I have, however, had plenty of time to catch up on some reading. I finally finished Military Orientalism, and while it seems a bit rushed towards the end, it’s an excellent, insightful analysis that is well worth your time. I’ll have a review up shortly.
Rounding off an excellent Christmas, I received a ton of books for both the holiday and my recent birthday (which I’d otherwise prefer not to think about). The plane ride was enough time to finish Michael Crichton’s new posthumous Pirate Latitudes, which was a great, quick read. Yesterday I was still on a fiction kick, so I finally got around to Arthur C. Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama. It’s even better than I had imagined, and my only regret is that I’d put it off for so long.
Currently, I’m in the middle of John Robb’s Brave New War (it’s about time, no?) and Michio Kaku’s Physics of the Impossible.
Other books that I now own and am waiting to dive into:
Marcus Aurelius – The Emperor’s Handbook: A New Translation of the Meditations
Allan Dulles – The Craft of Intelligence
Alistair Horne – The Price of Glory: Verdun 1916
Theodore Roosevelt – The Naval War of 1812
Russell Weigley – The American Way of War
Here’s some food for thought (before an absurdly huge links collection tomorrow): Ray Kurzweil declares solar power on the verge of providing 100% of human energy needs. One more benefit of solar? It’s decentralized and “safe from disaster and sabotage.” No more Iraqi pipelines?
Automatic Ballpoint 