SWJ Blog
04-09-2009, 08:21 AM
9 April SWJ Roundup (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/2009/04/9-april-swj-roundup/)
Entry Excerpt:
And what I’m trying to put at the table are representatives of those who spend about 10 percent of the budget. Their work has been funded principally through supplementals over the last six or seven years. I want to get that capability into the base budgets so that it will continue and we don’t forget, as we did after Vietnam, how to do what we’re doing right now so successfully in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
--Sec. Def. Robert Gates
AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN TRIBAL AREAS
Corruption Undercuts US Hope for Afghan Police (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/asia/09ghazni.html?ref=world) - Richard A. Oppel Jr., New York Times
As part of his new strategy for Afghanistan, President Obama has announced plans to send 4,000 more American troops this spring to train the Afghan National Police and Army.But a shortage of American trainers is only one factor hampering the Afghan police. If the experience of the American troops already training police officers in Ghazni Province is any indication, better policing may be impossible for Afghanistan unless government officials at all levels stop cannibalizing their civil administration and police force for a quick profit.In two weeks of interviews in this mountainous region of poor farmers and shepherds, exasperated American soldiers said it was hard to determine which was their more daunting opponent - the few thousand Taliban who ruled villages through a shadow government of mullahs, or corruption so rife that it had deeply undercut efforts to improve the police and had destroyed many Afghans’ faith in government.More at The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/asia/09ghazni.html?ref=world).
Early Rifts in Taliban Alliance Signal Threat to Terrorist Leader (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/09/early-rifts-in-taliban-alliance-signal-threat-to-t/) - Raza Khan, Washington Times
A 2-month-old alliance of Pakistani Taliban factions is beginning to fray and could undermine Baitullah Mehsud, a Taliban leader who has claimed responsibility for recent terrorist attacks far from Pakistan's tribal regions and even threatened the United States.A militant commander in the Haji Nazeer group - one of three groups in the alliance - told The Washington Times that the main lieutenant in the group has expressed opposition to the accord.A second Nazeer commander also is objecting, said a Pakistani official in South Waziristan, a rugged tribal area on the border with Afghanistan. He spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect himself from retribution.More at The Washington Times (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/09/early-rifts-in-taliban-alliance-signal-threat-to-t/).
Taliban Pushing Deep into Pakistan (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25311749-2703,00.html) - Amanda Hodge, The Australian
Taliban militants, who struck a peace deal in the Swat Valley in February in exchange for the implementation of sharia law, have begun extending their reach deeper into Pakistan, confirming US fears the agreement would embolden extremists.The Islamic militants, who waged a two-year campaign of beheadings and bombings in Swat before the Pakistan Government ceded to their demands, fought a fierce battle with troops and tribal leaders in the neighbouring Gokand Valley yesterday.Twenty-one people were killed in the clashes -- 16 militants, three police officers and two local militia men -- after tribal elders failed to convince the Taliban in several rounds of talks to leave the area. Pakistani media reported the militants said they were under orders from Tehrik-e-Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud to consolidate their hold on the region, less than 200km north of the capital, Islamabad.Mehsud has claimed responsibility for several attacks in Pakistan in recent weeks, including the ambush of Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore in which eight people died. He is also suspected of masterminding the December 2007 assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.More at The Australian (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25311749-2703,00.html) and:
Taleban Storm District Near Swat (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7990401.stm) - BBC News
IRAQ
7 Killed in Baghdad Near Shiite Shrine (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040803944.html) - Sudarsan Raghavan and Qais Mizher, Washington Post
A bomb tucked inside a plastic bag detonated yards from Baghdad's most important Shiite shrine Wednesday, killing seven people and injuring more than 20, authorities said, the latest of several attacks targeting mostly Shiite areas in recent days.The assault occurred around noon in the capital's Kadhimiyah neighborhood, as worshipers made their way to the Imam Musa al-Khadim shrine. Witnesses said that women and children were among the victims and that Iraqi security forces blocked ambulances from entering the crowded area.The attack occurred a day after a car bomb detonated in the same neighborhood, killing nine people, including a woman whose son was rescued from a burning taxi by a man, who later handed the infant to his uncle, police said. On Monday, six car bombs detonated across Baghdad, killing at least 34 people. The violence came as President Obama made his first trip to Iraq since taking office.More at The Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040803944.html) and:
Explosion Near Iraqi Shi'ite Shrine Kills 7 (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-04-08-voa16.cfm) - Voice of America
Bomb Attack Near Iraq Shia Shrine (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7989627.stm) - BBC News
IRAN
US to Join Iran Talks Over Nuclear Program (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/middleeast/09iran.html?ref=world) - Mark Landler and Nazila Fathi, New York Times
The Obama administration said Wednesday that the United States would start participating regularly with other major powers in negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.The decision was a further step toward the direct engagement with Iran that President Obama has promised. It followed an invitation to Iran to join in a new round of talks, which would include Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. And it coincided with an unusual expression of conciliation toward the United States by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran.More at The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/middleeast/09iran.html?ref=world).
Iran Softens Stance as Obama Diplomacy Bears Fruit (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6062688.ece) - Tim Reid, The Times
Iran’s hardline President said yesterday that his country would welcome talks with America should Barack Obama prove “honest”, a clear sign that the US leader’s recent videotaped message to the Iranian people had increased pressure on Tehran to respond.The conciliatory comments by President Ahmadinejad show that he does not want to appear extremist towards the new US Administration before elections in June. There is an enormous desire among most Iranian voters for an end to its international isolation.More at The Times (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6062688.ece).
US Journalist Held in Iran Faces Charges of Spying (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040801504.html) - Thomas Erdbrink, Washington Post
Roxana Saberi, an American freelance journalist who has been in custody in Iran since January, has been charged with spying, the judge in the case told Iranian state television Wednesday."This accused has been coming and going to certain government circles under the cover of reporter and without a permit," Sohrab Heydarifard said. "She has perpetrated actions to compile and gather information and documents and transferred them to American intelligence services."The judge said Saberi was arrested on the basis of tips from Iran's counterintelligence agency.More at The Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040801504.html) and:
US to Join Big-Power Nuclear Talks With Iran (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-04-08-voa59.cfm) - Voice of America
US to Join Future Talks on Iran (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040802254.html) - Washington Post
US to Join Europe's Talks with Iran (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/08/us-to-join-europe39s-talks-with-iran/) - Washington Times
Iran Offered New Nuclear Talks (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/5128000/Iran-is-offered-new-nuclear-talks.html) - Daily Telegraph
New Nuclear Talks Offer for Iran (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7990492.stm) - BBC News
Iran Charges US Journalist as Spy (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123919750142201177.html) - Wall Street Journal
Morgenthau vs. Tehran (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123923602366403369.html) - Wall Street Journal editorial
PIRACY
US Captain Is Hostage of Pirates; Navy Ship Arrives (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/africa/09pirates.html?_r=1&hp) - Mark Mazzetti and Sharon Otterman, New York Times
A high-seas drama unfolded off the coast of Africa on Wednesday, as Somali pirates seized a United States-flagged cargo ship and held 20 American sailors hostage. The crew managed to retake the ship within hours, but not before the pirates had spirited away the ship’s captain and held him for ransom.The unarmed container ship, the Maersk Alabama, was the first American vessel to be captured in a wave of pirate attacks off the Horn of Africa, one of the most notoriously lawless stretches of international waters.An episode that at times seemed ripped from the pages of a Robert Louis Stevenson novel had its own 21st-century twists: the pirates conducted ransom negotiations using satellite telephones, and a United States Navy guided missile destroyer and other warships were sent to aid the hostages.More at The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/africa/09pirates.html?_r=1&hp) and:
US Crew Retakes Hijacked Cargo Ship (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-04-08-voa18.cfm) - Voice of America
Somali Pirates Capture American Sea Captain (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040800940.html) - Washington Post
US Cargo Ship Repels Pirates (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123918590857500753.html) - Wall Street Journal
Pirates Hold US Ship Captain Hostage (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/09/somali-pirates-seize-us-ship-20-americans-onboard/) - Washington Times
Somalia Pirates Hold US Captain (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-somali-pirates9-2009apr09,0,4104857.story) - Los Angeles Times
Pirate Attack Foiled by Ship’s Crew, Defense Officials Say (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53843) - AFPS
Pirates Defeated as US Crew Seizes Ship Back (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article6061399.ece) - The Times
Drama as US Crew Recapture Vessel (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7990896.stm) - BBC News
Somali Piracy Hits Every Consumer (http://features.csmonitor.com/economyrebuild/2009/04/08/somali-piracy-hits-every-consumer/) - Christian Science Monitor
Capt. Richard Phillips Knows Pirates (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-somalia-hijack-captain9-2009apr09,0,2171932.story) - Los Angeles Times
Obama's Next Hostage Crisis (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123923550659203341.html) - Wall Street Journal editorial
Pirates of Puntland (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/09/editorial-pirates-of-puntland/) - Washington Times editorial
MORE NEWS AND OPINION
Afghanistan / Pakistan Tribal Areas
Pakistan Reports 4 Dead in Suspected US Strike (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-04-08-voa49.cfm) - Voice of America
Pakistan Drone Attacks to Intensify (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0408/p99s01-duts.html) - Christian Science Monitor
Suicide Bomber Kills 5 Afghan Police (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/04/09/world/AP-AS-Afghanistan.html?ref=world) - Associated Press
Mullen, Holbrooke Work to Build Trust in Pakistan (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53842) - AFPS
Iraq
For Shiite Cleric, Good and Bad are Intermixed (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq-cleric9-2009apr09,0,89868.story) - Los Angeles Times
The Long War
UK: Police Chief's Blunder Puts Terror Raids at Risk (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article6061914.ece) - The Times
Terror Blunder Chief Under Pressure to Resign (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/5127953/Terror-blunder-Met-anti-terror-chiefs-mistake.html) - Daily Telegraph
Terror Raids Follow Files Blunder (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7990719.stm) - BBC News
UK Counter-Terror Police Arrest 12 (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123922240645502383.html) - Wall Street Journal
Extremist Web Sites Are Using American Hosts (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040804378.html?hpid=topnews) - Washington Post
US Department of Defense
Obama Risks Backlash on War Funding (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123923540395603311.html) - Wall Street Journal
Fighter Slips by Pentagon Reforms (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25306305-31477,00.html) - The Australian
You Can't Kill F-22, Georgians Tell Gates (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0408/p02s01-usmi.html) - Christian Science Monitor
United States
Obama Returns to US After 1st Overseas Trip (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-04-08-voa11.cfm) - Voice of America
US Outreach to Islamic World Will Pay Dividends, Gates Says (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53832) - AFPS
Will Islam Return Obama's 'Respect'? (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123923457420703137.html) - Wall Street Journal editorial
A Superpower No More (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0408/p09s01-coop.html) - Christian Science Monitor opinion
Naïveté Invites Aggression (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123923509427103247.html) - Wall Street Journal opinion
Apologizing for America (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/08/apologizing-for-america/) - Washington Times opinion
Humility Can be a False Virtue (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/09/lambro-humility-can-be-a-false-virtue/) - Washington Times opinion
Africa
Sierra Leone Rebel Leaders Sentenced for War Crimes (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-04-08-voa44.cfm) - Voice of America
Sierra Leone RUF Rebels Sentenced (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7990065.stm) - BBC News
Rwandan Genocide Extradition Collapses (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/5125104/Four-men-accused-of-taking-part-in-1994-Rwandan-genocide-win-battle-against-extradition.html) - Daily Telegraph
Rwandans: Reeducation in How to Live Together (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0408/p25s08-woaf.html) - Christian Science Monitor
Ex-combatants Find Their Way Back to a Changed Rwanda (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0408/p06s24-woaf.html) - CS Monitor
A Threat to Africa's Turnaround (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040803599.html) - Washington Post opinion
Americas
Exiles Want to Expand US-Cuba Relations (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/us/politics/09cuba.html?ref=us) - New York Times
Coddling Cuba (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040803769.html) - Washington Post editorial
Lee's Cuban Dream (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/09/editorial-lee39s-cuban-dream/) - Washington Times editorial
Asia Pacific
Rocket Launch Shows N. Korean Progress in Technology (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-04-08-voa14.cfm) - Voice of America
China Cracks Down Ahead of Sensitive Anniversaries (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0408/p06s14-woap.html) - Christian Science Monitor
Two Tibetans Sentenced to Death (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7989962.stm) - BBC News
Tens of Thousands Rally Against Thai PM (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-04-08-voa12.cfm) - Voice of America
Thousands Demand New Thai Leadership (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040801690.html) - Washington Post
Thousands Rally Against Thai Leader (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/asia/09thai.html?ref=world) - New York Times
Mass Thai Protest Over Leadership (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7989048.stm) - BBC News
Voting Begins in Indonesia Poll (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7991067.stm) - BBC News
Six Dead as Indonesian Elections Loom (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123923530732703289.html) - Wall Street Journal
Indonesia Supports Secular Politics (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040804077.html) - Washington Post
Democracy in Indonesia: The Next Test (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/asia/09indo.html?ref=world) - New York Times
Ballot Full of Parties as Indonesia Votes (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-indonesia-election9-2009apr09,0,5951267.story) - Los Angeles Times
Prabowo Subianto to Fight Indonesia Election (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6062555.ece) - The Times
Election Marks Indonesian Democracy's Wobbly Advance (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0408/p06s23-woap.html) - CS Monitor
Appeal for Calm as Indonesians Vote (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25310650-5017272,00.html) - The Australian opinion
NK: Running Unopposed, Kim Secures a Third Term (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/10/world/asia/10kim.html?ref=world) - New York Times
North Korea's Kim Consolidates Power (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123921857629802139.html) - Wall Street Journal
Europe
Strong Aftershocks Hit Central Italy (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123925010761604311.html) - Wall Street Journal
Italy Prepares to Bury Quake Victims (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-04-08-voa13.cfm) - Voice of America
After Italy Quake, Homeless Struggle (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/europe/09quake.html?ref=world) - New York Times
Moldovans Erupt in Protest After Decades of Silence (http://features.csmonitor.com/globalnews/2009/04/08/moldovans-erupt-in-protest-after-decades-of-silence/) - Christian Science Monitor
After a ‘Spontaneous’ Riot, Moldovans Look for Answers (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/europe/09moldova.html?ref=world) - New York Times
Georgians Plan Big Protest of President (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123922347625702461.html) - Wall Street Journal
Middle East
Lebanon to Turn Over Files on Hariri Slaying to UN (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123922682730302685.html) - Wall Street Journal
Kuwait's Democracy Faces Turbulence (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123911916184897231.html) - Wall Street Journal
Israeli Leaders Mislabelled by Foes (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25310897-7583,00.html) - The Australian opinion
South Asia
US Envoy Says India Is Not Being Pressured (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040802381.html) - Washington Post
In India, US Envoy Cites ‘Common Threat’ (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/asia/09holbrooke.html?ref=world) - New York Times
US Policy Makers Tout India's Role (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123919429771401043.html) - Wall Street Journal
UN Issues New Sri Lanka Warning (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7989509.stm) - BBC News
BOOK REVIEWS
The Battlefield Can Be an Unforgiving Teacher (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/26/books/26masl.html?_r=3&ref=books) - Janet Maslin, New York Times book review of The Unforgiving Minute (http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9781594202025,00.html?The_Unforgiving_Minute_Cr aig_M._Mullaney) by Craig M. Mullaney.
Soldiers of Misfortune (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/books/review/Glanz-t.html?ref=world) - James Glanz, New York Times book review of Joker One: A Marine Platoon’s Story of Courage (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400067731?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1400067731) by Donovan Campbell.
A Counterinsurgency Primer (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123714994416834083.html?mod=googlenews_wsj) - Max Boot, Wall Street Journal book review of The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195368347?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0195368347) by David Kilcullen.
Reluctant Warriors (http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13272076) - The Economist book review of both The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594201978?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1594201978) by Thomas Ricks and The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195368347?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0195368347) by David Kilcullen.
BOOKS
Joker One: A Marine Platoon’s Story of Courage (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400067731?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1400067731) - Donovan Campbell.
Donovan Campbell, first as a Marine and then as a writer, shows us that the dominant emotion in war isn’t hatred or anger or fear. It’s love. His story stands as a poignant tribute to his men–their courage, their dedication, their skill, and their love for one another, even unto death.The Battle for Peace: A Frontline Vision of America's Power and Purpose (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1403971749?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1403971749) - Anthony Zinni and Tony Koltz
The intellectual complement to Zinni and Clancy's bestselling Battle Ready (2004), a narrative memoir salted with specific policy recommendations, this volume provides the former US Central Command chief's analysis of America's current global position. Zinni begins by asserting that America's status as "the most powerful nation in the history of the planet" has created a de facto empire. The US has no choice: if it fails to take the lead, nothing significant happens. At the same time, Americans must recognize that, in a global age, there can be no zero-sum games.The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594202028?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1594202028) - Craig Mullaney
The Unforgiving Minute is the ultimate's soldier's book - universal in its raw emotion and its understanding of the larger issues of life and death. Mullaney, a master storyteller, plunges the depths of self-doubt, endurance, and courage. The result: a riveting, suspenseful human story, beautifully told. This is a book written under fire - a lyrical, spellbinding tale of war, love, and courage. The Unforgiving Minute is the Three Cups of Tea of soldiering.Great Powers: America and the World after Bush (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0399155376?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0399155376) - Thomas P.M. Barnett
In civilian and military circles alike, The Pentagon’s New Map became one of the most talked about books of 2004. “A combination of Tom Friedman on globalization and Carl von Clausewitz on war, the red-hot book among the nation’s admirals and generals,” wrote David Ignatius in [I]The Washington Post. Barnett’s second book, Blueprint for Action, demonstrated how to put the first book’s principles to work. Now, in Great Powers, Barnett delivers his most sweeping - and important - book of all.The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195368347?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0195368347) - David Kilcullen
A remarkably fresh perspective on the War on Terror. Kilcullen takes us "on the ground" to uncover the face of modern warfare, illuminating both the big global war (the "War on Terrorism") and its relation to the associated "small wars" across the globe: Iraq, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Chechnya, Pakistan and North Africa.The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594201978?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1594201978) - Thomas Ricks
Thomas E. Ricks uses hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews with top officers in Iraq and extraordinary on-the-ground reportage to document the inside story of the Iraq War since late 2005 as only he can, examining the events that took place as the military was forced to reckon with itself, the surge was launched, and a very different war began.Why Vietnam Matters: An Eyewitness Account of Lessons Not Learned (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591146747?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1591146747) - Rufus Phillips
Phillips details how the legendary Edward G. Lansdale helped the South Vietnamese gain and consolidate their independence between 1954 and 1956, and how this later changed to a reliance on American conventional warfare with its highly destructive firepower. He reasons that our failure to understand the Communists, our South Vietnamese allies, or even ourselves took us down the wrong road. In summing up US errors in Vietnam, Phillips draws parallels with the American experience in Iraq and Afghanistan and suggests changes in the US approach. Known for his intellectual integrity and firsthand, long-term knowledge of what went on in Vietnam, the author offers lessons for today in this trenchant account.Baghdad at Sunrise: A Brigade Commander's War in Iraq (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/030014069X/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=030014069X) - Peter Mansoor
This is a unique contribution to the burgeoning literature on the Iraq war, analyzing the day-to-day performance of a US brigade in Baghdad during 2004-2005. Mansoor uses a broad spectrum of sources to address the military, political and cultural aspects of an operation undertaken with almost no relevant preparation, which tested officers and men to their limits and generated mistakes and misjudgments on a daily basis. The critique is balanced, perceptive and merciless - and Mansoor was the brigade commander. Military history is replete with command memoirs. Most are more or less self-exculpatory. Even the honest ones rarely achieve this level of analysis. The effect is like watching a surgeon perform an operation on himself. Mansoor has been simultaneously a soldier and a scholar, able to synergize directly his military and academic experiences.The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400067014/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1400067014) - Bing West
From a universally respected combat journalist, a gripping history based on five years of front-line reporting about how the war was turned around - and the choice now facing America. We interpret reality through the clouded prism of our own experience, so it is unsurprising that Bing West sees Iraq through the lens of Vietnam. He served as a Marine officer there, and he thinks politicians and the media caused the American public to turn against a war that could have been won. Now a correspondent for the Atlantic, West has made 15 reporting trips to Iraq over the last six years and is almost as personally invested in the current conflict as he was in Vietnam; this book, his third on Iraq, is his attempt to ensure that the "endgame" in Iraq turns out better than in his last war.Tell Me How This Ends: General David Petraeus and the Search for a Way Out of Iraq (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1586485288/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1586485288) - Linda Robinson
After a series of disastrous missteps in its conduct of the war, the White House in 2006 appointed General David Petraeus as the Commanding General of the coalition forces. Tell Me How This Ends is an inside account of his attempt to turn around a failing war. Linda Robinson conducted extensive interviews with Petraeus and his subordinate commanders and spent weeks with key US and Iraqi divisions. The result is the only book that ties together military operations in Iraq and the internecine political drama that is at the heart of the civil war. Replete with dramatic battles, behind-doors confrontations, and astute analysis, the book tells the full story of the Iraq War’s endgame, and lays out the options that will be facing the next president.The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416558977/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1416558977) - Bob Woodward
Woodward interviewed key players, obtained dozens of never-before-published documents, and had nearly three hours of exclusive interviews with President Bush. The result is a stunning, firsthand history of the years from mid-2006, when the White House realizes the Iraq strategy is not working, through the decision to surge another 30,000 US troops in 2007, and into mid-2008, when the war becomes a fault line in the presidential election. As violence in Iraq reaches unnerving levels in 2006, a second front in the war rages at the highest levels of the Bush administration. In his fourth book on President George W. Bush, Bob Woodward takes readers deep inside the tensions, secret debates, unofficial backchannels, distrust and determination within the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, the intelligence agencies and the US military headquarters in Iraq. With unparalleled intimacy and detail, this gripping account of a president at war describes a period of distress and uncertainty within the US government from 2006 through mid-2008. The White House launches a secret strategy review that excludes the military. General George Casey, the commander in Iraq, believes that President Bush does not understand the war and eventually concludes he has lost the president's confidence. The Joint Chiefs of Staff also conduct a secret strategy review that goes nowhere. On the verge of revolt, they worry that the military will be blamed for a failure in Iraq.We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061147761/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0061147761) - Harold Moore and Joe Galloway
In their stunning follow-up to the classic bestseller We Were Soldiers Once... and Young, Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and Joe Galloway return to Vietnam and reflect on how the war changed them, their men, their enemies, and both countries - often with surprising results. It would be a monumental task for Moore and Galloway to top their classic 1992 memoir. But they come close in this sterling sequel, which tells the backstory of two of the Vietnam War's bloodiest battles (in which Moore participated as a lieutenant colonel), their first book and a 1993 ABC-TV documentary that brought them back to the battlefield. Moore's strong first-person voice reviews the basics of the November 1965 battles, part of the 34-day Battle of the Ia Drang Valley. Among other things, Moore and Galloway (who covered the battle for UPI) offer portraits of two former enemy commanders, generals Nguyen Huu An and Chu Huy Man, whom the authors met - and bonded with - nearly three decades after the battle. This book proves again that Moore is an exceptionally thoughtful, compassionate and courageous leader (he was one of a handful of army officers who studied the history of the Vietnam wars before he arrived) and a strong voice for reconciliation and for honoring the men with whom he served.In a Time of War: The Proud and Perilous Journey of West Point' Class of 2002 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/080508679X/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=080508679X) - Bill Murphy
The West Point cadets Murphy follows through their baptism by fire are an admirable sample of young American men and women: intelligent, ambitious and intensely patriotic. Most come from career military families and hold conservative opinions. Murphy describes their four years at West Point with respect even when discussing their love lives and marriages. All yearn for battle, and most get their wish. The book's best passages describe the confusion of moving to Iraq or Afghanistan and fighting insurgents, for which they lack both training and equipment. All feel something is not right but concentrate on the job at hand; some inevitably die or are grievously wounded.Iraq and the Evolution of American Strategy (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1597971960/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1597971960) - Steven Metz
Today the US military is more nimble, mobile, and focused on rapid responses against smaller powers than ever before. One could argue that the Gulf War and the postwar standoff with Saddam Hussein hastened needed military transformation and strategic reassessments in the post–Cold War era. But the preoccupation with Iraq also mired the United States in the Middle East and led to a bloody occupation. What will American strategy look like after US troops leave Iraq? Metz concludes that the United States has a long-standing, continuing problem “developing sound assumptions when the opponent operates within a different psychological and cultural framework.” He sees a pattern of misjudgments about Saddam and Iraq based on Western cultural and historical bias and a pervasive faith in the superiority of America’s worldview and institutions. This myopia contributed to America being caught off guard by Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, then underestimating his longevity, and finally miscalculating the likelihood of a stable and democratic Iraq after he was toppled. With lessons for all readers concerned about America’s role in the world, Dr. Metz’s important new work will especially appeal to scholars and students of strategy and international security studies, as well as to military professionals and DOD civilians. With a foreword by Colin S. Gray.EVENTS
The US Army / US Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Center (http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/coin/index.asp) announces the next COIN Leadership Workshop.
From 27 April - 1 May 2009, the United States Army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Center will present its next Counterinsurgency Leader Workshop at the Lewis and Clark Center in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This event is a five-day program focused on understanding the fundamentals of insurgency and counterinsurgency. This is a version of the same extremely popular workshop offered to hundreds of military and civilian attendees over the past two years.
This workshop will feature presentations from prominent general officers and guest speakers from the interagency community on the COIN environment in addition to the instructional material.
We have expanded the number of slots available to compensate for the high demand of previous sessions. The proceedings are UNCLASSIFED and registration is open to all interested US government and allied personnel.
The COIN Leader Workshop Site is open for registration. Please head to the COIN Center website (http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/coin/index.asp), click on "Events" and then click on the "27 April - 1 May 2009 COIN Leader Workshop" to view more detailed information and register.
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Entry Excerpt:
And what I’m trying to put at the table are representatives of those who spend about 10 percent of the budget. Their work has been funded principally through supplementals over the last six or seven years. I want to get that capability into the base budgets so that it will continue and we don’t forget, as we did after Vietnam, how to do what we’re doing right now so successfully in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
--Sec. Def. Robert Gates
AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN TRIBAL AREAS
Corruption Undercuts US Hope for Afghan Police (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/asia/09ghazni.html?ref=world) - Richard A. Oppel Jr., New York Times
As part of his new strategy for Afghanistan, President Obama has announced plans to send 4,000 more American troops this spring to train the Afghan National Police and Army.But a shortage of American trainers is only one factor hampering the Afghan police. If the experience of the American troops already training police officers in Ghazni Province is any indication, better policing may be impossible for Afghanistan unless government officials at all levels stop cannibalizing their civil administration and police force for a quick profit.In two weeks of interviews in this mountainous region of poor farmers and shepherds, exasperated American soldiers said it was hard to determine which was their more daunting opponent - the few thousand Taliban who ruled villages through a shadow government of mullahs, or corruption so rife that it had deeply undercut efforts to improve the police and had destroyed many Afghans’ faith in government.More at The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/asia/09ghazni.html?ref=world).
Early Rifts in Taliban Alliance Signal Threat to Terrorist Leader (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/09/early-rifts-in-taliban-alliance-signal-threat-to-t/) - Raza Khan, Washington Times
A 2-month-old alliance of Pakistani Taliban factions is beginning to fray and could undermine Baitullah Mehsud, a Taliban leader who has claimed responsibility for recent terrorist attacks far from Pakistan's tribal regions and even threatened the United States.A militant commander in the Haji Nazeer group - one of three groups in the alliance - told The Washington Times that the main lieutenant in the group has expressed opposition to the accord.A second Nazeer commander also is objecting, said a Pakistani official in South Waziristan, a rugged tribal area on the border with Afghanistan. He spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect himself from retribution.More at The Washington Times (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/09/early-rifts-in-taliban-alliance-signal-threat-to-t/).
Taliban Pushing Deep into Pakistan (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25311749-2703,00.html) - Amanda Hodge, The Australian
Taliban militants, who struck a peace deal in the Swat Valley in February in exchange for the implementation of sharia law, have begun extending their reach deeper into Pakistan, confirming US fears the agreement would embolden extremists.The Islamic militants, who waged a two-year campaign of beheadings and bombings in Swat before the Pakistan Government ceded to their demands, fought a fierce battle with troops and tribal leaders in the neighbouring Gokand Valley yesterday.Twenty-one people were killed in the clashes -- 16 militants, three police officers and two local militia men -- after tribal elders failed to convince the Taliban in several rounds of talks to leave the area. Pakistani media reported the militants said they were under orders from Tehrik-e-Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud to consolidate their hold on the region, less than 200km north of the capital, Islamabad.Mehsud has claimed responsibility for several attacks in Pakistan in recent weeks, including the ambush of Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore in which eight people died. He is also suspected of masterminding the December 2007 assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.More at The Australian (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25311749-2703,00.html) and:
Taleban Storm District Near Swat (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7990401.stm) - BBC News
IRAQ
7 Killed in Baghdad Near Shiite Shrine (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040803944.html) - Sudarsan Raghavan and Qais Mizher, Washington Post
A bomb tucked inside a plastic bag detonated yards from Baghdad's most important Shiite shrine Wednesday, killing seven people and injuring more than 20, authorities said, the latest of several attacks targeting mostly Shiite areas in recent days.The assault occurred around noon in the capital's Kadhimiyah neighborhood, as worshipers made their way to the Imam Musa al-Khadim shrine. Witnesses said that women and children were among the victims and that Iraqi security forces blocked ambulances from entering the crowded area.The attack occurred a day after a car bomb detonated in the same neighborhood, killing nine people, including a woman whose son was rescued from a burning taxi by a man, who later handed the infant to his uncle, police said. On Monday, six car bombs detonated across Baghdad, killing at least 34 people. The violence came as President Obama made his first trip to Iraq since taking office.More at The Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040803944.html) and:
Explosion Near Iraqi Shi'ite Shrine Kills 7 (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-04-08-voa16.cfm) - Voice of America
Bomb Attack Near Iraq Shia Shrine (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7989627.stm) - BBC News
IRAN
US to Join Iran Talks Over Nuclear Program (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/middleeast/09iran.html?ref=world) - Mark Landler and Nazila Fathi, New York Times
The Obama administration said Wednesday that the United States would start participating regularly with other major powers in negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.The decision was a further step toward the direct engagement with Iran that President Obama has promised. It followed an invitation to Iran to join in a new round of talks, which would include Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. And it coincided with an unusual expression of conciliation toward the United States by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran.More at The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/middleeast/09iran.html?ref=world).
Iran Softens Stance as Obama Diplomacy Bears Fruit (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6062688.ece) - Tim Reid, The Times
Iran’s hardline President said yesterday that his country would welcome talks with America should Barack Obama prove “honest”, a clear sign that the US leader’s recent videotaped message to the Iranian people had increased pressure on Tehran to respond.The conciliatory comments by President Ahmadinejad show that he does not want to appear extremist towards the new US Administration before elections in June. There is an enormous desire among most Iranian voters for an end to its international isolation.More at The Times (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6062688.ece).
US Journalist Held in Iran Faces Charges of Spying (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040801504.html) - Thomas Erdbrink, Washington Post
Roxana Saberi, an American freelance journalist who has been in custody in Iran since January, has been charged with spying, the judge in the case told Iranian state television Wednesday."This accused has been coming and going to certain government circles under the cover of reporter and without a permit," Sohrab Heydarifard said. "She has perpetrated actions to compile and gather information and documents and transferred them to American intelligence services."The judge said Saberi was arrested on the basis of tips from Iran's counterintelligence agency.More at The Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040801504.html) and:
US to Join Big-Power Nuclear Talks With Iran (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-04-08-voa59.cfm) - Voice of America
US to Join Future Talks on Iran (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040802254.html) - Washington Post
US to Join Europe's Talks with Iran (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/08/us-to-join-europe39s-talks-with-iran/) - Washington Times
Iran Offered New Nuclear Talks (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/5128000/Iran-is-offered-new-nuclear-talks.html) - Daily Telegraph
New Nuclear Talks Offer for Iran (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7990492.stm) - BBC News
Iran Charges US Journalist as Spy (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123919750142201177.html) - Wall Street Journal
Morgenthau vs. Tehran (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123923602366403369.html) - Wall Street Journal editorial
PIRACY
US Captain Is Hostage of Pirates; Navy Ship Arrives (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/africa/09pirates.html?_r=1&hp) - Mark Mazzetti and Sharon Otterman, New York Times
A high-seas drama unfolded off the coast of Africa on Wednesday, as Somali pirates seized a United States-flagged cargo ship and held 20 American sailors hostage. The crew managed to retake the ship within hours, but not before the pirates had spirited away the ship’s captain and held him for ransom.The unarmed container ship, the Maersk Alabama, was the first American vessel to be captured in a wave of pirate attacks off the Horn of Africa, one of the most notoriously lawless stretches of international waters.An episode that at times seemed ripped from the pages of a Robert Louis Stevenson novel had its own 21st-century twists: the pirates conducted ransom negotiations using satellite telephones, and a United States Navy guided missile destroyer and other warships were sent to aid the hostages.More at The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/africa/09pirates.html?_r=1&hp) and:
US Crew Retakes Hijacked Cargo Ship (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-04-08-voa18.cfm) - Voice of America
Somali Pirates Capture American Sea Captain (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040800940.html) - Washington Post
US Cargo Ship Repels Pirates (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123918590857500753.html) - Wall Street Journal
Pirates Hold US Ship Captain Hostage (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/09/somali-pirates-seize-us-ship-20-americans-onboard/) - Washington Times
Somalia Pirates Hold US Captain (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-somali-pirates9-2009apr09,0,4104857.story) - Los Angeles Times
Pirate Attack Foiled by Ship’s Crew, Defense Officials Say (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53843) - AFPS
Pirates Defeated as US Crew Seizes Ship Back (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article6061399.ece) - The Times
Drama as US Crew Recapture Vessel (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7990896.stm) - BBC News
Somali Piracy Hits Every Consumer (http://features.csmonitor.com/economyrebuild/2009/04/08/somali-piracy-hits-every-consumer/) - Christian Science Monitor
Capt. Richard Phillips Knows Pirates (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-somalia-hijack-captain9-2009apr09,0,2171932.story) - Los Angeles Times
Obama's Next Hostage Crisis (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123923550659203341.html) - Wall Street Journal editorial
Pirates of Puntland (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/09/editorial-pirates-of-puntland/) - Washington Times editorial
MORE NEWS AND OPINION
Afghanistan / Pakistan Tribal Areas
Pakistan Reports 4 Dead in Suspected US Strike (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-04-08-voa49.cfm) - Voice of America
Pakistan Drone Attacks to Intensify (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0408/p99s01-duts.html) - Christian Science Monitor
Suicide Bomber Kills 5 Afghan Police (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/04/09/world/AP-AS-Afghanistan.html?ref=world) - Associated Press
Mullen, Holbrooke Work to Build Trust in Pakistan (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53842) - AFPS
Iraq
For Shiite Cleric, Good and Bad are Intermixed (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq-cleric9-2009apr09,0,89868.story) - Los Angeles Times
The Long War
UK: Police Chief's Blunder Puts Terror Raids at Risk (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article6061914.ece) - The Times
Terror Blunder Chief Under Pressure to Resign (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/5127953/Terror-blunder-Met-anti-terror-chiefs-mistake.html) - Daily Telegraph
Terror Raids Follow Files Blunder (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7990719.stm) - BBC News
UK Counter-Terror Police Arrest 12 (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123922240645502383.html) - Wall Street Journal
Extremist Web Sites Are Using American Hosts (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040804378.html?hpid=topnews) - Washington Post
US Department of Defense
Obama Risks Backlash on War Funding (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123923540395603311.html) - Wall Street Journal
Fighter Slips by Pentagon Reforms (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25306305-31477,00.html) - The Australian
You Can't Kill F-22, Georgians Tell Gates (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0408/p02s01-usmi.html) - Christian Science Monitor
United States
Obama Returns to US After 1st Overseas Trip (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-04-08-voa11.cfm) - Voice of America
US Outreach to Islamic World Will Pay Dividends, Gates Says (http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53832) - AFPS
Will Islam Return Obama's 'Respect'? (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123923457420703137.html) - Wall Street Journal editorial
A Superpower No More (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0408/p09s01-coop.html) - Christian Science Monitor opinion
Naïveté Invites Aggression (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123923509427103247.html) - Wall Street Journal opinion
Apologizing for America (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/08/apologizing-for-america/) - Washington Times opinion
Humility Can be a False Virtue (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/09/lambro-humility-can-be-a-false-virtue/) - Washington Times opinion
Africa
Sierra Leone Rebel Leaders Sentenced for War Crimes (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-04-08-voa44.cfm) - Voice of America
Sierra Leone RUF Rebels Sentenced (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7990065.stm) - BBC News
Rwandan Genocide Extradition Collapses (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/5125104/Four-men-accused-of-taking-part-in-1994-Rwandan-genocide-win-battle-against-extradition.html) - Daily Telegraph
Rwandans: Reeducation in How to Live Together (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0408/p25s08-woaf.html) - Christian Science Monitor
Ex-combatants Find Their Way Back to a Changed Rwanda (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0408/p06s24-woaf.html) - CS Monitor
A Threat to Africa's Turnaround (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040803599.html) - Washington Post opinion
Americas
Exiles Want to Expand US-Cuba Relations (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/us/politics/09cuba.html?ref=us) - New York Times
Coddling Cuba (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040803769.html) - Washington Post editorial
Lee's Cuban Dream (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/09/editorial-lee39s-cuban-dream/) - Washington Times editorial
Asia Pacific
Rocket Launch Shows N. Korean Progress in Technology (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-04-08-voa14.cfm) - Voice of America
China Cracks Down Ahead of Sensitive Anniversaries (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0408/p06s14-woap.html) - Christian Science Monitor
Two Tibetans Sentenced to Death (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7989962.stm) - BBC News
Tens of Thousands Rally Against Thai PM (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-04-08-voa12.cfm) - Voice of America
Thousands Demand New Thai Leadership (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040801690.html) - Washington Post
Thousands Rally Against Thai Leader (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/asia/09thai.html?ref=world) - New York Times
Mass Thai Protest Over Leadership (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7989048.stm) - BBC News
Voting Begins in Indonesia Poll (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7991067.stm) - BBC News
Six Dead as Indonesian Elections Loom (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123923530732703289.html) - Wall Street Journal
Indonesia Supports Secular Politics (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040804077.html) - Washington Post
Democracy in Indonesia: The Next Test (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/asia/09indo.html?ref=world) - New York Times
Ballot Full of Parties as Indonesia Votes (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-indonesia-election9-2009apr09,0,5951267.story) - Los Angeles Times
Prabowo Subianto to Fight Indonesia Election (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6062555.ece) - The Times
Election Marks Indonesian Democracy's Wobbly Advance (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0408/p06s23-woap.html) - CS Monitor
Appeal for Calm as Indonesians Vote (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25310650-5017272,00.html) - The Australian opinion
NK: Running Unopposed, Kim Secures a Third Term (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/10/world/asia/10kim.html?ref=world) - New York Times
North Korea's Kim Consolidates Power (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123921857629802139.html) - Wall Street Journal
Europe
Strong Aftershocks Hit Central Italy (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123925010761604311.html) - Wall Street Journal
Italy Prepares to Bury Quake Victims (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-04-08-voa13.cfm) - Voice of America
After Italy Quake, Homeless Struggle (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/europe/09quake.html?ref=world) - New York Times
Moldovans Erupt in Protest After Decades of Silence (http://features.csmonitor.com/globalnews/2009/04/08/moldovans-erupt-in-protest-after-decades-of-silence/) - Christian Science Monitor
After a ‘Spontaneous’ Riot, Moldovans Look for Answers (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/europe/09moldova.html?ref=world) - New York Times
Georgians Plan Big Protest of President (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123922347625702461.html) - Wall Street Journal
Middle East
Lebanon to Turn Over Files on Hariri Slaying to UN (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123922682730302685.html) - Wall Street Journal
Kuwait's Democracy Faces Turbulence (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123911916184897231.html) - Wall Street Journal
Israeli Leaders Mislabelled by Foes (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25310897-7583,00.html) - The Australian opinion
South Asia
US Envoy Says India Is Not Being Pressured (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040802381.html) - Washington Post
In India, US Envoy Cites ‘Common Threat’ (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/asia/09holbrooke.html?ref=world) - New York Times
US Policy Makers Tout India's Role (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123919429771401043.html) - Wall Street Journal
UN Issues New Sri Lanka Warning (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7989509.stm) - BBC News
BOOK REVIEWS
The Battlefield Can Be an Unforgiving Teacher (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/26/books/26masl.html?_r=3&ref=books) - Janet Maslin, New York Times book review of The Unforgiving Minute (http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9781594202025,00.html?The_Unforgiving_Minute_Cr aig_M._Mullaney) by Craig M. Mullaney.
Soldiers of Misfortune (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/books/review/Glanz-t.html?ref=world) - James Glanz, New York Times book review of Joker One: A Marine Platoon’s Story of Courage (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400067731?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1400067731) by Donovan Campbell.
A Counterinsurgency Primer (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123714994416834083.html?mod=googlenews_wsj) - Max Boot, Wall Street Journal book review of The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195368347?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0195368347) by David Kilcullen.
Reluctant Warriors (http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13272076) - The Economist book review of both The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594201978?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1594201978) by Thomas Ricks and The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195368347?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0195368347) by David Kilcullen.
BOOKS
Joker One: A Marine Platoon’s Story of Courage (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400067731?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1400067731) - Donovan Campbell.
Donovan Campbell, first as a Marine and then as a writer, shows us that the dominant emotion in war isn’t hatred or anger or fear. It’s love. His story stands as a poignant tribute to his men–their courage, their dedication, their skill, and their love for one another, even unto death.The Battle for Peace: A Frontline Vision of America's Power and Purpose (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1403971749?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1403971749) - Anthony Zinni and Tony Koltz
The intellectual complement to Zinni and Clancy's bestselling Battle Ready (2004), a narrative memoir salted with specific policy recommendations, this volume provides the former US Central Command chief's analysis of America's current global position. Zinni begins by asserting that America's status as "the most powerful nation in the history of the planet" has created a de facto empire. The US has no choice: if it fails to take the lead, nothing significant happens. At the same time, Americans must recognize that, in a global age, there can be no zero-sum games.The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594202028?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1594202028) - Craig Mullaney
The Unforgiving Minute is the ultimate's soldier's book - universal in its raw emotion and its understanding of the larger issues of life and death. Mullaney, a master storyteller, plunges the depths of self-doubt, endurance, and courage. The result: a riveting, suspenseful human story, beautifully told. This is a book written under fire - a lyrical, spellbinding tale of war, love, and courage. The Unforgiving Minute is the Three Cups of Tea of soldiering.Great Powers: America and the World after Bush (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0399155376?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0399155376) - Thomas P.M. Barnett
In civilian and military circles alike, The Pentagon’s New Map became one of the most talked about books of 2004. “A combination of Tom Friedman on globalization and Carl von Clausewitz on war, the red-hot book among the nation’s admirals and generals,” wrote David Ignatius in [I]The Washington Post. Barnett’s second book, Blueprint for Action, demonstrated how to put the first book’s principles to work. Now, in Great Powers, Barnett delivers his most sweeping - and important - book of all.The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195368347?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0195368347) - David Kilcullen
A remarkably fresh perspective on the War on Terror. Kilcullen takes us "on the ground" to uncover the face of modern warfare, illuminating both the big global war (the "War on Terrorism") and its relation to the associated "small wars" across the globe: Iraq, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Chechnya, Pakistan and North Africa.The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594201978?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1594201978) - Thomas Ricks
Thomas E. Ricks uses hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews with top officers in Iraq and extraordinary on-the-ground reportage to document the inside story of the Iraq War since late 2005 as only he can, examining the events that took place as the military was forced to reckon with itself, the surge was launched, and a very different war began.Why Vietnam Matters: An Eyewitness Account of Lessons Not Learned (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591146747?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1591146747) - Rufus Phillips
Phillips details how the legendary Edward G. Lansdale helped the South Vietnamese gain and consolidate their independence between 1954 and 1956, and how this later changed to a reliance on American conventional warfare with its highly destructive firepower. He reasons that our failure to understand the Communists, our South Vietnamese allies, or even ourselves took us down the wrong road. In summing up US errors in Vietnam, Phillips draws parallels with the American experience in Iraq and Afghanistan and suggests changes in the US approach. Known for his intellectual integrity and firsthand, long-term knowledge of what went on in Vietnam, the author offers lessons for today in this trenchant account.Baghdad at Sunrise: A Brigade Commander's War in Iraq (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/030014069X/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=030014069X) - Peter Mansoor
This is a unique contribution to the burgeoning literature on the Iraq war, analyzing the day-to-day performance of a US brigade in Baghdad during 2004-2005. Mansoor uses a broad spectrum of sources to address the military, political and cultural aspects of an operation undertaken with almost no relevant preparation, which tested officers and men to their limits and generated mistakes and misjudgments on a daily basis. The critique is balanced, perceptive and merciless - and Mansoor was the brigade commander. Military history is replete with command memoirs. Most are more or less self-exculpatory. Even the honest ones rarely achieve this level of analysis. The effect is like watching a surgeon perform an operation on himself. Mansoor has been simultaneously a soldier and a scholar, able to synergize directly his military and academic experiences.The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400067014/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1400067014) - Bing West
From a universally respected combat journalist, a gripping history based on five years of front-line reporting about how the war was turned around - and the choice now facing America. We interpret reality through the clouded prism of our own experience, so it is unsurprising that Bing West sees Iraq through the lens of Vietnam. He served as a Marine officer there, and he thinks politicians and the media caused the American public to turn against a war that could have been won. Now a correspondent for the Atlantic, West has made 15 reporting trips to Iraq over the last six years and is almost as personally invested in the current conflict as he was in Vietnam; this book, his third on Iraq, is his attempt to ensure that the "endgame" in Iraq turns out better than in his last war.Tell Me How This Ends: General David Petraeus and the Search for a Way Out of Iraq (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1586485288/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1586485288) - Linda Robinson
After a series of disastrous missteps in its conduct of the war, the White House in 2006 appointed General David Petraeus as the Commanding General of the coalition forces. Tell Me How This Ends is an inside account of his attempt to turn around a failing war. Linda Robinson conducted extensive interviews with Petraeus and his subordinate commanders and spent weeks with key US and Iraqi divisions. The result is the only book that ties together military operations in Iraq and the internecine political drama that is at the heart of the civil war. Replete with dramatic battles, behind-doors confrontations, and astute analysis, the book tells the full story of the Iraq War’s endgame, and lays out the options that will be facing the next president.The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416558977/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1416558977) - Bob Woodward
Woodward interviewed key players, obtained dozens of never-before-published documents, and had nearly three hours of exclusive interviews with President Bush. The result is a stunning, firsthand history of the years from mid-2006, when the White House realizes the Iraq strategy is not working, through the decision to surge another 30,000 US troops in 2007, and into mid-2008, when the war becomes a fault line in the presidential election. As violence in Iraq reaches unnerving levels in 2006, a second front in the war rages at the highest levels of the Bush administration. In his fourth book on President George W. Bush, Bob Woodward takes readers deep inside the tensions, secret debates, unofficial backchannels, distrust and determination within the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, the intelligence agencies and the US military headquarters in Iraq. With unparalleled intimacy and detail, this gripping account of a president at war describes a period of distress and uncertainty within the US government from 2006 through mid-2008. The White House launches a secret strategy review that excludes the military. General George Casey, the commander in Iraq, believes that President Bush does not understand the war and eventually concludes he has lost the president's confidence. The Joint Chiefs of Staff also conduct a secret strategy review that goes nowhere. On the verge of revolt, they worry that the military will be blamed for a failure in Iraq.We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061147761/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0061147761) - Harold Moore and Joe Galloway
In their stunning follow-up to the classic bestseller We Were Soldiers Once... and Young, Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and Joe Galloway return to Vietnam and reflect on how the war changed them, their men, their enemies, and both countries - often with surprising results. It would be a monumental task for Moore and Galloway to top their classic 1992 memoir. But they come close in this sterling sequel, which tells the backstory of two of the Vietnam War's bloodiest battles (in which Moore participated as a lieutenant colonel), their first book and a 1993 ABC-TV documentary that brought them back to the battlefield. Moore's strong first-person voice reviews the basics of the November 1965 battles, part of the 34-day Battle of the Ia Drang Valley. Among other things, Moore and Galloway (who covered the battle for UPI) offer portraits of two former enemy commanders, generals Nguyen Huu An and Chu Huy Man, whom the authors met - and bonded with - nearly three decades after the battle. This book proves again that Moore is an exceptionally thoughtful, compassionate and courageous leader (he was one of a handful of army officers who studied the history of the Vietnam wars before he arrived) and a strong voice for reconciliation and for honoring the men with whom he served.In a Time of War: The Proud and Perilous Journey of West Point' Class of 2002 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/080508679X/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=080508679X) - Bill Murphy
The West Point cadets Murphy follows through their baptism by fire are an admirable sample of young American men and women: intelligent, ambitious and intensely patriotic. Most come from career military families and hold conservative opinions. Murphy describes their four years at West Point with respect even when discussing their love lives and marriages. All yearn for battle, and most get their wish. The book's best passages describe the confusion of moving to Iraq or Afghanistan and fighting insurgents, for which they lack both training and equipment. All feel something is not right but concentrate on the job at hand; some inevitably die or are grievously wounded.Iraq and the Evolution of American Strategy (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1597971960/002-4808147-8119255?ie=UTF8&tag=smallwarsjour-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1597971960) - Steven Metz
Today the US military is more nimble, mobile, and focused on rapid responses against smaller powers than ever before. One could argue that the Gulf War and the postwar standoff with Saddam Hussein hastened needed military transformation and strategic reassessments in the post–Cold War era. But the preoccupation with Iraq also mired the United States in the Middle East and led to a bloody occupation. What will American strategy look like after US troops leave Iraq? Metz concludes that the United States has a long-standing, continuing problem “developing sound assumptions when the opponent operates within a different psychological and cultural framework.” He sees a pattern of misjudgments about Saddam and Iraq based on Western cultural and historical bias and a pervasive faith in the superiority of America’s worldview and institutions. This myopia contributed to America being caught off guard by Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, then underestimating his longevity, and finally miscalculating the likelihood of a stable and democratic Iraq after he was toppled. With lessons for all readers concerned about America’s role in the world, Dr. Metz’s important new work will especially appeal to scholars and students of strategy and international security studies, as well as to military professionals and DOD civilians. With a foreword by Colin S. Gray.EVENTS
The US Army / US Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Center (http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/coin/index.asp) announces the next COIN Leadership Workshop.
From 27 April - 1 May 2009, the United States Army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Center will present its next Counterinsurgency Leader Workshop at the Lewis and Clark Center in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This event is a five-day program focused on understanding the fundamentals of insurgency and counterinsurgency. This is a version of the same extremely popular workshop offered to hundreds of military and civilian attendees over the past two years.
This workshop will feature presentations from prominent general officers and guest speakers from the interagency community on the COIN environment in addition to the instructional material.
We have expanded the number of slots available to compensate for the high demand of previous sessions. The proceedings are UNCLASSIFED and registration is open to all interested US government and allied personnel.
The COIN Leader Workshop Site is open for registration. Please head to the COIN Center website (http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/coin/index.asp), click on "Events" and then click on the "27 April - 1 May 2009 COIN Leader Workshop" to view more detailed information and register.
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