Category: Defense and Security

The Select Committee on the January 6 Insurrection

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One hearing Down, five to Go. How it is Going, What Stands Out

 

Some Very Quick Observations

The next hearing is this Monday morning- Today – 10 AM ET.

About everyone who has the means to do so has been writing about the hearings. That is mostly a good thing, but I don’t want to add to the long list. Besides, a lot of us watched it live (more on that shortly).

Therefore, some very short observations on the way forward and where we are.

First, the Historical Analogies –

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Four Great Reasons to Quit Carbon Energy

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No Matter Your Politics or Economics, Now is the Time

Energy Remains a Defining Element of Human Life

The ability to harness energy has been a defining qualify of human existence for a very long time. So much of what we know, do, and assume is based on harnessing energy. That is not going to change any time soon. More likely is that it will never change.

While I admire, and to at least some degree support, calls to minimize energy usage, it is most unlikely that we will economize our way out of the problems this posting highlights.  

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Two Completely Unrelated Thoughts

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OK, Not Completely Unrelated. JUSTICE is the Common Thread

Two Topics

Two subjects have taken up much of my consciousness in recent days. At first they are world’s apart. One is domestic, one is international. But as I began thinking about this blog, I recognized that the simple, foundational matter of justice connected these two issues in important ways.

Justice is a powerful, powerful concept. We should devote a blog or two to talking about that as a central human issue sometime. The longer I look around, the more I cherish justice over peace or any other desirable outcome.

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Big & Little Things Noted Lately

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Funny How Things Catch Your Attention. Here are a Few That Caught My Eye Today

 TV Interviews at Home

 One thing the pandemic made routine was people on tv being interviewed in their homes. We have been doing this for two years now, and some people are on tv regularly being seen from their homes.

For these repeaters, I am really surprised that we see that we are in their bedrooms, or kitchen, or some other space that looks unprofessional. By now, one would think they would put up a background screen or use one of the electronic backgrounds readily available,

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A Unique Thought About How History Plays Out

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History is Full of Unforeseen and Unintended Consequences. How to See Then Coming?

You Are Living in History Right Now

There may have been a time when such a statement as the one above might have sounded a bit too pompous or heavy handed to many of us. I bet not so much now. After two years of a global pandemic, a war in Europe that reeks of the dark past and threatens a new world war, and foundational challenges to our own democracy, we get it – history is alive and all around us. We make it,

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Some Interesting Military Notes from the War in Ukraine

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Valuable – and Expensive – Russian Lessons in Combat with Ukraine

 The End State May Not Change. The Route There Certainly Has Detoured

Today we focus on the essence of combat thus far. This is a bit of a change from most of what we see online. Rather than looking at the political, strategic, or humanitarian issues (all of which are very important), I thought we might take a moment to look at the current situation from the perspective of combat units on the battlefield.

This is something of a “busman’s holiday” for those of us who are veterans with combat experience.

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Ukraine is an Even Bigger Issue Than Many of Us Realize

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Think This is Just Russia Mucking Around in It’s Back Yard? Think Again

Events are Moving, Rapidly and in Unexpected Directions

When I started drafting this article, war was looking likely but had not come. Now that it has, news is coming fast, often unclear, or inaccurate, and ometimess as very unexpected.

Half the things we discuss here may be overcome by events in the short time between when this is published and when you read it. Such is the nature of this thing. Keep checking for current updates

Why is Putin Doing This?

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One More Relook at Afghanistan – Surely Not the Last – Part II

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Who Did What – Accountability is Due- And What Can Be Learned

Part II

On our last outing together. we attempted to frame how we got where we are. Not the harder part. What might we learn and what should we do?

 How Did We Get to This Point? Was This a Unique Thing in Our History?

This is the hard part to state. This was not unique, and we got to this point the same way we have before. We failed to know when to leave, we overestimated our allies and underestimated our opponents.

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One More Relook at Afghanistan – Surely Not the Last – OK, Two Looks

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Who Did What – Accountability is Due- And What Can Be Learned

Part I

My intent today was to post a modest review of a few key points we should keep in mind about Afghanistan. Turns out it is more than “a few” points, so today is Part I of a two part posting, the second one coming next Friday. With apologies for excessive verbosity, but this one just would not fit into one tiny box. Off we go.

Public Perceptions

 The general public does not seem to think much of America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan,

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Why Armed Conflict with China, and Perhaps Russia, is Likely

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Turns Out Countries, Like People, Carry a Chip on the Shoulder for a Long Time

 

The Past is Seldom Ever Left in The Past

It is most interesting to note how periods of national humiliation, real or perceived, play many years later into national psyche. That shows up, often repeatedly and in different events, in foreign policy. Long term consequences result.

We should be careful with any stereotyping (he said, just before stereotyping…), but it seems that there are such things as national characteristics,

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