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…
Arrogance blinds even the smartest people to reality
January 28, 2016
I’ve always been a patriotic American. Our nation’s ideals are truly unique. However, I’ve recently had to accept that much of the criticism we experience as a world power is completely warranted. The worst thing about us is our arrogance. We believe that we’re the best and always will be the best. This is wrong….
Turkey confirms that Arab League special forces are in Syria
January 23, 2016
I don’t blame people for being wrong about what’s happening in Syria. What does anger me is fearmongering and the notion that only westerners are capable of solving the problems in the region. American politicians say that the US has to lead the fight. Actually, our attempts to do so have made everything worse. The…
Tishreen Dam was taken in a ferocious battle
January 21, 2016
With each passing day, I’m more impressed by the ability of the Syrian Democratic Forces (QSD) and the Arab League to conceal what they’re doing in Syria. My little blog posts won’t change anything, because the plausible deniability is perfect. Operations security (OPSEC) is perfect. If I thought I were endangering anything, I wouldn’t do…