What Are You Currently Reading? 2011
I just started Marin Van Creveld's The Changing Face of War: From the Marne to Iraq, which I have mixed feelings about so far. Although it is promising to provide me a picture of how war has progressed and transformed from the beginning of the 21st Century to today.
I'm also reading Michael Handel's Master's of War, which has some good readings of the classics of warfare and international relations in it.
The Psychology of Counter-Terrorism
This is an edited volume by Andrew Silke, with a variety of generally superb chapters and yes SWC member Randy Borum writes the second chapter. Full of gems and an easy read.
Link to publisher's USA website:http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415558402/
Link to editor's academic bio:http://www.uel.ac.uk/law/staff/andrewsilke.htm
Family Of Secrets-The Bush Dynasty-by Russ Baker
Just finished reading it, and will turn right around and read it again!....some book to say the least. Link to several author interviews and book comments.
http://www.familyofsecrets.com/
Books on tape count, right?
Listening to Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton.
It's been slow lately, not much going on exept a little traffic enforcement, so books on tape are great. I've got 1776 to start on next.
we don't do that at st.xavier's
Just started: Wars of Empire by Douglas Porch, a solid read so far;
Quote:
Every good imperial commander knew that he must deliver success at low cost. History is not about supplying 'lessons' for the future. It tells its own story. But no modern commander in Kosovo or East Timor can ignore the perils of conducting operations, far from home, with a narrow political base of support, any more than could his predecessors in earlier centuries in Africa or Asia. (from the Acknowledgements)
Wars of Empire - Amazon
Douglas Porch - Wikipedia
Also, Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite: Evolution and the Modular Mind by Robert Kurzban, not sure what to make of this guy's take on things;
Quote:
Mod makes a comeback in an entertaining explanation of brain functioning that cuts the two-hemispheres theory down to size and minces the mind into modules. Coming from a background in evolutionary psychology, Kurzban suggests that the human mind is not the unified operator of actions contributing to survival and success, as many claim and even more assume, but rather a multi-faceted system of functioning parts that are not always on the same side-or even aware of the same information. The modules perform different, often separate, functions, which can account for confusing, inconsistent, and apparently contradictory behavior and speech. (from the Amazon editorial blurb)
Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite - Amazon
Robert Kurzban - Wikipedia
Vietnam - The Fall of Saigon and the Aftermath
This is a nicely-done collection of oral histories from a wide-ranging number of people:
http://www.amazon.com/Tears-Before-R...0647320&sr=8-1
Quote:
Harrowing, heartrending and bitter by turns, these recollections by 75 eyewitnesses form a tragic epic of a country in the throes of violent death. Soldiers and civilians, both American and South Vietnamese, tell what it was like in the spring of 1975 as Hanoi carried out its final, successful offensive against the Republic of Vietnam. Generals, ambassadors, CIA officials, pilots, Marines, politicians, doctors, seamen, flight attendants, journalists and ordinary citizens describe the growing chaos, demoralization and panic as the collapse gained momentum. Survivors recall the chilling helicopter airlift from the U.S. embassy roof in Saigon with raw emotions, the Americans still brooding painfully over the abandonment of their South Vietnamese allies. In an Aftermath section, several former boat people relate in hair-raising detail their encounters with Thai pirates. A moving collection of painful memories
Catching up and slowing down - my reading list
Not in order of priority.
'The Watchers: The Rise of America's Surveillance State' by Shane Harris, Pub. Penguin Press 2010. A surprisingly good read, aided clearly by getting insiders to talk, notably John Poindexter in particular and Jeff Jonas.
'Islamic Radicalism and Multicultural Politics: The British Experience' by Tahir Abbas, Pub. Routledge 2011. The first two chapters From the historical to the contemporary and Islamic political radicalisation: origins and destinations provide an excellent, thorough guide to the issues globally.
'Agent Zigzag: The True Wartime Story of Eddie Chapman, Lover, Betrayer, Hero, Spy' by Ben Macintyre. An amazing true story of Eddie Chapman, a British petty criminal who became an double-agent for both England and Germany in WW2 and so full of adventure, puzzles and more it is as if it's a novel.
Started and a rare venture for me into the 'big' Vietnam War: 'Grab Their Belts: The Viet Cong's Big Unit War Against the US 1965-1966' by Warren Wilkins. Pub. NIP 2011. So far impressive, particularly the explanation of how the VC and NVA became so skilled.
Pending, again different as I keep away from economists: 'Radical, Religious and Violent: The New Economics of Terrorism' by Eli Berman, Pub. MIT Press 2009. Update when read.
more things in Heaven and Earth
Reading Structured Analytic Techniques for Intelligence Analysis by Richards J. Heuer Jr. and Randolph H. Pherson. Way over my brain grade, but exhaustive and fascinating.
Quote:
Anyone involved in any serious forecasting of politics or other social disciplines must have, read, and use this book. Rather than an etherial, academic reflection on why analysis is relevant, or 'what is the role of intelligence analysis', or a mathmatical treatise on Games and Decisions, this is a working reference and practical guide to structured analytical techniques. Although the title specifies "for intelligence analysis", the methodology is applicable to problem sets that are only partially or non-quantifiable, and especially applicable to issues that are ambiguous and where only incomplete information is available.
In many ways, this is the sequel to Psychology of Intelligence Analysis, also by Richard Heuer. Where "Psychology of Intelligence Analysis" focused on analytical biases, with a limited discussion of rigorous approaches to intelligence analysis, "Structured Analytic Techniques" approaches similar issues from a more pragmatic direction. As valuable as the discussion of cognative biases is, the comprehensive set of analystical tools in "Structured Analytic Techniques" does more (when applied) to mitigate many of the biases than mere knowledge of their existance, and the analytical techniques will counteract many biases, even when those biases have not been identified.
Of particular interest is the emphasis on analytical teams and group analysis, both the strengths and weaknesses, and methods for maximizing the strengths and mitigating the weaknesses. (from Amazon reviewer, E.M. Van Court)
Structured Analytic Techniques for Intelligence Analysis - Amazon
More CIA Pubs & an earlier Heuer
The CIA Library - Books and Monographs - includes the 1999 Psychology of Intelligence Analysis, by Richards J. Heuer, Jr. (cited in post above); and the 2005 Curing Analytic Pathologies, by Jeffrey R. Cooper.
Regards
Mike
Counterinsurgency and PsyWar
For "leisure":Kilcullens accidental guerilla, who will be my holiday companion
for research: different texts from and about James Burnham and Psyops during the early years of cold war.
Regards
PB