Last night I realized that the Arab League war-fighting doctrine is “counterinsurgent insurgency” (COIN-IN). In order for COIN-IN to succeed, it must be clandestine. That means that politicians and the military must junk the concept of transparency. President Obama’s words read like lines from a bad movie. This has no bearing on reality. The ugly…
Mediocre people usually hate the exceptional
June 14, 2016
I’ve never been competitive. Therefore I don’t understand the hostility that the mediocre feel for those who are far more skilled. I was a mediocre student who was accepted into college only because I sent in the strangest application that the school had ever seen. Since my grades were bad, and I didn’t belong to…
Polite reformer has already carried out his mission
April 28, 2016
Every day brings me new evidence that this is the best era in which to live. The polite Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman has already transformed Saudi Arabia. It happened almost instantaneously. Why do I call him polite? He clearly is polite, but I’m also quoting writer Robert A. Heinlein….
Incrementalism is how great change is made permanent
April 26, 2016
It’s official: The Saudis are remaking the Middle East. Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman gave his first press conference to foreign journalists, and he confirmed what retired Saudi General Anwar Eshki said at the Council on Foreign Relations on June 4, 2015. The key to successful change is incrementalism. You have…
Explanation is in order. Here you go
April 25, 2016
Tonight’s post is an explanation of what and why. I’ve been struggling with this decision for two years. It was eating me alive. I’ve been unable to answer e-mails or get my life back in order. It was a kind of agonizing paralysis. Explanation of what After my father Edward died on February 23, 2013,…
Balloon has gone up. Last night and just now
April 21, 2016
How fitting! “The balloon has gone up” originated during World War I. Before a major operation, attackers raised observation balloons. The enemy would see and say, “Aw, crap! The balloon has gone up!” They knew that hostilities had commenced. Last night and just now, the balloon went up. A new phase in the liberation of…
Fatuous self-genocide in slow motion
April 15, 2016
One of my favorite words is “fatuous.” It means “inanely foolish.” Think of it as deeply silly stupidity. Only intelligent people are capable of being fatuous. What’s a good example of fatuity? Well, this, of course. Bradley Manning is not a woman. He was not discharged from the US Army even though at the time,…
Wildest imagination has become fact
April 5, 2016
Because of my brutal childhood, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Middle East. It haunted me. There seemed to be no end to the suffering. Not even in my wildest fantasies did I imagine what’s now happening. And it’s picking up speed. The end of the suffering is imminent. Wildest technology I’m going…
Prediction: Peace between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims
March 25, 2016
My gut told me that something extraordinary was happening in Syria. It took me weeks to find the evidence. I’m now convinced that I’m right, so my prediction is that Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims will make peace within the next five years. A prediction based on fact I found video of something that I won’t…