The 1976 movie All the President’s Men popularized the phrase “Follow the money.” I’ve never actually seen the film. However, if one does follow the money—meaning determines who benefits from a situation—everything becomes clear. Latin: Cui bono? Who stands to gain? Always ask yourself that. Follow the propaganda Before I continue, I have to say…
Stolen dreams is why I write about the Middle East
July 24, 2016
Authoritarianism results in stolen dreams. Recently tens of thousands of Middle Easterners began reading my blog. A few days ago I saw a video that profoundly moved me. It made me finally realize why I write so much about the Middle East. Stolen for fun I’ve had a terrible life. There’s no need to go…
Defeat the enemy without giving him a reason to rise again
July 23, 2016
Although I’ve studied warfare for over forty years, I was wrong about how to defeat the enemy. This is what I used to believe. This is actually not true. Killing large numbers of combatants causes trauma that will never heal. Death is the main reason that the western powers can’t create peace in any region…
Firepower now has multiple applications
July 12, 2016
For centuries, firepower meant only one thing. The “best” weapons killed the largest number of people in the the shortest amount of time. Probably in around 2005, the Gulf Cooperation Council made peace with Israel. Together they created weapons that increase firepower and narrow its scope. To me, the motivation doesn’t matter. I don’t care…