POST: Would Iran strike preemptively? Thomas P.M. Barnett on November 4, 2008
ARTICLE: Top Iran officials recommend preemptive strike against Israel, By Barak Ravid, Haaretz, October 22, 2008
If true, then this is how the MAD-ness begins: the claim to equal danger for both sides.
Read your history. The shoe-banging has begun for real.
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Lessons Of The Surge, (Washington Times)…Michael O’Hanlon, Nov 4, 2008.
Many Americans and Iraqis think of the recent surge in Iraq as simply the temporary addition of more U.S. troops to the war effort in 2007 and the first half of 2008. This is incorrect. It is also dangerous.
At the risk of falling victim to Pentagonese, I would propose we broaden our understanding of the surge by thinking of that word as an acronym.
“S” in surge should be understood as an emphasis on security.
“U” stands for unity of effort.
“R” must stand for reconciliation.
“G” stands for government capacity in Iraq
“E” stands for excellence in execution.
Lessons Of Iraq, (International Herald Tribune)…Christopher M. Schnaubelt, Nov 1, 2008.
There are three key lessons from in Iraq that NATO should consider for Afghanistan, even if there is no substantial increase in troops.
First, there must be a broad and candid analysis of the situation.
Second, probably the most important change in Iraq was shifting the military focus to protecting the population – a task that should be the cornerstone of any counterinsurgency operation.
Finally, the change in strategy in Iraq included a “civilian surge” that doubled the number of Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq. The increased capability helped to promote national reconciliation efforts and to improve the legitimacy of Iraq’s government by facilitating connections between the central government and provincial and local leaders.
Christopher M. Schnaubelt holds the Transformation Chair at the NATO Defense College in Rome.
North Korean Plane Was Grounded At U.S. Request, (Wall Street Journal)…Jay Solomon, Krishna Pokharel and Peter Wonacott, Nov 1, 2008. India blocked a North Korean plane from delivering cargo to Iran in August, responding to a U.S. request based on fears about the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
In Asia, Doubts Grow About A Nuclear-Free North Korea, (Miami Herald)…Tim Johnson, McClatchy News Service, Nov 1, 2008. As negotiations over North Korea’s nuclear program stumble along, some scholars and policymakers around Asia now believe that the talks may never lead Pyongyang to cede all of its nuclear weapons.
Who Is For Missile Defense?, (Washington Times)…James T. Hackett, Nov 2, 2008
The effort to defend against Iran’s missiles took a new turn in late September when Washington delivered an X-band radar manned by 120 U.S. personnel to the first permanent U.S. military base in Israel.
The radar sent to Israel is the same as the high-powered transportable model now operating in northern Japan. It is ideal for detecting short- and medium-range missiles such as Iran’s Scuds that can reach U.S. bases in Iraq and its Shahab-3 that threatens Israel. The advantage over Israel’s Green Pine radar is that the X-band radar can track missiles from launch, providing extra minutes to intercept. A Shahab-3 flies about 9 minutes from Iran to Israel, so a gain of several minutes is invaluable.
Some Israelis Feel An Urgency To Attack Iran, (Los Angeles Times)…Ashraf Khalil and Paul Richter, Nov 2, 2008
With international efforts to increase sanctions against Iran at a standstill, many Israelis believe their nation alone stands in the way of Tehran eventually building nuclear weapons.
Officials say other nations quietly want Israel to act unilaterally against Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. But an effective strike would be difficult and could stir up a wider conflict.
New Beltway Debate: What To Do About Iran, (New York Times)…Carol Giacomo, Nov 3, 2008
It is a frightening notion, but it is not just the trigger-happy Bush administration discussing — if only theoretically — the possibility of military action to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
One of the most thorough discussions is in a report by the Washington-based Bipartisan Policy Center, founded by four former senators — the Republicans Robert Dole and Howard Baker and Democrats Tom Daschle and George Mitchell — to devise policy solutions both parties might embrace.
With Iran projected to produce enough fuel for a nuclear weapon by 2010, the next president is going to have to concentrate his mind quickly. We hope he, unlike George W. Bush, will encourage a broader public debate about all of America’s options, and the high cost of another war. I will certainly be a lot more skeptical.
Partnering For Cyberspace Security, (Washington Post)…Walter Pincus, Nov 3, 2008.
In two recent speeches that have attracted little notice, Donald Kerr, principal deputy director of national intelligence, has called for a radical new relationship between government and the private sector to counter what he called the “malicious activity in cyberspace [that] is a growing threat to everyone.”
Kerr said the most serious challenge to the nation’s economy and security is protecting the intellectual property of government and the private sector that is the basis for advancements in science and technology.
Calling for “a fundamental rethinking of our government’s traditional relationship with the private sector,” Kerr said that “a high percentage of our critical information infrastructure is privately owned, and both government and industry must recognize that an individual vulnerability is a common weakness.”
Fighting With Photons Unattributed. November 1, 2008
(Economist)…Unattributed
…The first serious battlefield ray gun is now being deployed. And the next generation, now in the laboratory, is coming soon.
The deployed ray gun (or “directed-energy weapon”, in the tedious jargon that military men seem compelled to use to describe technology) is known as Zeus.
If Zeus works, it will make soldiers’ lives noticeably safer. But what would really make a difference would be the ability to destroy incoming artillery rounds. The Laser Area Defence System, LADS, being developed by Raytheon, is intended to do just that—blowing incoming shells and small rockets apart with laser beams. The targets are tracked by radar and (if they are rockets) by infrared sensors. When they come within range, they are zapped.
If it works, LADS will be a disruptive technology in more senses than one.
It’s time, The Economist print edition, Oct 30th 2008.
For all the shortcomings of the campaign, both John McCain and Barack Obama offer hope of national redemption.
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