Thanks to Professor Borum. He has id'd a website monitoring events in Sudan (not just the South): http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/files...dan/sudan.html and there is a list of other websites.
A new blogsite:http://www.pakistanconflictmonitor.org/ and introduction says:Recommended by Steve Coll: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/stevecoll/#Replayan initiative of the Human Security Report Project at the School for International Studies at Simon Fraser University.
davidbfpo
Thanks to Professor Borum. He has id'd a website monitoring events in Sudan (not just the South): http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/files...dan/sudan.html and there is a list of other websites.
davidbfpo
Each year the World Bank puts out a book-length publication on an aspect of international development, called the World Development Report. Recent WDRs have, for example, focused on youth (2007), agricultural development (2008), changing economic geography (2009), and the environment (2010). The 2011 edition will focus on conflict and development:
As part of the process, the 2011 WDR team has set up a blog, which may be of interest to the SWJ community: http://blogs.worldbank.org/conflict/Violent conflict is a major development challenge: conflict causes human misery, destroys communities and infrastructure, and can cripple economic prospects. Poverty rates in conflict-affected countries are averaging 54 percent, compared with 22 percent for low-income countries as a whole. The goal of this World Development Report is to contribute concrete, practical suggestions to the debate on how to address and overcome violent conflict and fragility.
I'm sure they would welcome input and feedback--especially with regard to where they should best focus their attention. While the WDR is the primary output of the project, there is also scope for other ongoing contributions, products, and outputs.
They mostly come at night. Mostly.
- university webpage: McGill University
- conflict simulations webpage: PaxSims
Hat tip to Leah who recommends this experienced UK reporter's Nick Fielding's blogsite:http://circlingthelionsden.blogspot.com/
Some items I'd seen before, others not and would be worth checking for those immersed in things Afghan.
Here is the UK general in charge of MND-South on MG Flynn's report:In:http://circlingthelionsden.blogspot....on-please.htmlWhat we're dealing with in Afghanistan is not just purely enemy matters. It's what's often called the white picture; it's understanding the politics, the governance dynamics, the tribal dynamics, the anthropological issues. It's those issues which don't strictly come under the definition of intelligence but are none the less the information environment, which if you don't understand it and you don't work out how to corral it you simply won't make the sort of progress we were describing.
davidbfpo
Re-discovery as another had found this and absorbing what is on offer: http://www.tribalanalysiscenter.com
The focus is on Af-Pak and there are a variety of PPTs available. The 'Who are we' explanation indicates experience, ex-US government analysts.Traditional anthropological research conducted among tribes inhabiting remote areas where insurgents and criminals operate has become increasingly difficult to implement. Studies carried out among people living in small-scale societies now are nearly impossible due to the physical dangers associated with the civil and religious unrest found in those areas. Swat, for example, has become so dangerous that Frederick Barth’s studies only could be repeated at the risk of the investigator’s life. Similar research is not feasible among Burma’s Rohinga tribes located on both sides of the border with Bangladesh, as well as with the Pashtuns in Afghanistan’s interior and within Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas, where even Pakistan’s army enters with reluctance.
Given the difficulties of conducting direct fieldwork in conflictive areas, the Tribal Analysis Center utilizes an indirect approach. Using multidisciplinary research, we seek to collect and analyze data obtained from a wide variety of sources, both current and historical. In the absence of new ethnographic fieldwork to update our base of knowledge, the Tribal Analysis Center compiles and summarizes existing research and documents on tribal societies, combining this material with contemporary press reports and articles. We assume that much can be gleaned from well-informed observers who are not anthropologists, ranging from journalists and travelers to government officials.
Judge yourself.
davidbfpo
This blog is an extension of the Joint Irregular Warfare Wargamming that is currently underway. All thoughts and input are wanted. Spread the word, the more participation equates to more scholarly driven content.
http://jointirregularwarfare.blogspot.com/
Last edited by silas7; 04-06-2010 at 06:37 PM. Reason: mispelled word
This might be of interest:
A list of "Afghanistan Blogs":
http://afghanistan-analyst.org/blogs.aspx
Future Crimes: Anticipating Tomorrow's Crimes Today
About
Future Crimes is a futurist-oriented group dedicated to studying and discussing the effects of scientific and technological progress on crime, policing and the criminal justice system.
Criminals have always been quick to adopt new technologies with the police often trailing behind. The unprecedented rapid rate of scientific progress is creating new opportunities for transnational criminal organizations to exploit these technological advancements for unintended nefarious purposes.
While many are focused on the common cyber crimes of today, this group will adopt a futurist’s approach that looks beyond today’s cyber crimes in anticipation of the next generations of criminality. Initially, the group will have a noted emphasis on virtual world crime, augmented / mixed reality crime, criminal MMORPG’s, robotic crime, nanotechnology crime, artificial intelligence/automated criminality, criminal justice implications of cloud computing and bio/genome related crimes.
Welcome to Future!
A close friend turned me on to this blog several months ago. I recommend it to all. Mr. Wing does a great job in analyzing open source reports, better than many professionals I have known and far better than most think tank denizens.
For an example, see:
Best,Iraqi Officials Claim 80% Or More Of Sons Of Iraq Integrated
In August 2010 two Iraqi officials claimed that 80% or more of the Sons of Iraq (SOI) had been integrated. First, on August 12, Zuhair Chalabi, head of the National Reconciliation Committee, said that 80% of the SOI in Baghdad had been given jobs, with 9,418 joining the Interior Ministry. He stated that around 12,000 in the province still needed to find public employment, and that would happen after security improved. Later in the month, the chief of the Tribal Affairs Department in the Interior Ministry was recorded as saying that 20% of all the SOI had been given jobs in the Interior and Defense Ministries, and 75% were in other government agencies. If these two reports are true, than the Iraqi government would finally be close to its commitment to integrate 20% of the SOI into the security forces, and the other 80% in other government positions.
There are several problems about the officials’ remarks. First, hiring of the SOI has been on hold since the end of 2009 because of arguments over the budget and the security situation. At the end of July, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) noted that only 41,000 out of 94,000 SOI, 45% of the total, had been offered jobs. If now 80-85% of the SOI had been integrated, 75,200-79,900 fighters, than that would mean 34,200-38,900 were given jobs in just one month. That seems far above the capacity of the Iraqi government. It should also be noted that the SIGIR has undermined Baghdad’s previous claims because it found that the Iraqi authorities count offering a job to an SOI as integration, whether they take it or not. Given that track record, its hard to believe what the National Reconciliation and Tribal Affairs chiefs said.
Tom
Three sites:
- MISH'S
Global Economic Trend Analysis
- http://www.zerohedge.com/
- Naked capitalism - Yves Smith
Been paying real attention for the last 4-5 weeks (about 3 weeks before MSN picked up on it) over the entire Foreclosure issue(s) affecting foreclosures currently in the pipeline, as well as what may have already occurred.
These guys have really been covering the entire story, as it unfolds.
Now, to say these 3 blogs are all "opinionated" would be a VAST UNDERSTATEMENT, but that's the price one pays when working to obtain differing points of view and a cross-section of both opinion, and information.
I'd like to add a few interesting adresses from Europe.
Thomas Schäubli, a graduate from the University of Zurich, Switzerland is blogging on topics concerning international relations (in English):
http://blirg.wordpress.com/
Another interesting blog about Swiss and international security policy is offiziere.ch. Unfortunately most of the articles are in German:
http://offiziere.ch/
And something for those of you who speak French:
http://secretdefense.blogs.liberation.fr/defense/
Joseph Bermudez, a SME on North Korea, has finally got his site up and running....
http://www.kpajournal.com/
Defence IQ: Top 10 Defence Blogs 2011
Entry Excerpt:
Yes, we made the top ten cut at Defence IQ. So did Danger Room, Abu Muqawama, Ares Blog, Kings of War, Michael Yon, War is Boring, Information Dissemination, The Best Defense, and RAF Airman’s Blog. Congrats to all!
Here's the write-up on SWJ: "There is nothing particularly small about the topics covered by the Small Wars Journal Blog, which is aimed at engaging small wars practitioners. Run by numerous passionate and high profile contributors, Small Wars Journal Blog offers searing analysis on small wars topics from guerrilla warfare in Colombia to counterinsurgency operations in the Middle East. OK, so we admit that there was a bit of friction as to whether SWJ fell into ‘blog’ or ‘journal’ territory. Either way, both are a good read. So add them to your bookmarks."
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Read the full post and make any comments at the SWJ Blog.
This forum is a feed only and is closed to user comments.
Paul Pillar has a regular blog at The National Interest:
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/paul-pillar
From his Georgetown faculty bio:
Professor Pillar retired in 2005 from a 28-year career in the U.S. intelligence community, in which his last position was National Intelligence Officer for the Near East and South Asia. Earlier he served in a variety of analytical and managerial positions, including as chief of analytic units at the CIA covering portions of the Near East, the Persian Gulf, and South Asia. Professor Pillar also served in the National Intelligence Council as one of the original members of its Analytic Group. He has been Executive Assistant to CIA's Deputy Director for Intelligence and Executive Assistant to Director of Central Intelligence William Webster. He has also headed the Assessments and Information Group of the DCI Counterterrorist Center, and from 1997 to 1999 was deputy chief of the center. He was a Federal Executive Fellow at the Brookings Institution in 1999-2000. Professor Pillar is a retired officer in the U.S. Army Reserve and served on active duty in 1971-1973, including a tour of duty in Vietnam.
Journalist-Soldiers: Blogs, Books, and Freedom on the Battlefield
Entry Excerpt:
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Read the full post and make any comments at the SWJ Blog.
This forum is a feed only and is closed to user comments.
Standing Well Back
This blog is an opportunity to discuss and develop understanding of terrorism around the world and how it is evolving- not from a political perspective but from the perspective of first responders and those with professional interest in counter-terrorism. Terrorism remains a global problem and constantly evolves - there are always lessons to be learnt. I don't intend to enter into specific technical and tactical details of counter-terrorist capabilities which would not be appropriate in this public forum but rather highlight issues that might concern the community.
I have a blog: Terrorism In Africa
Terrorism in Africa covers the latest news, commentary and analysis of the breadth of terrorist activity on the continent. We draw from correspondents with major news outlets as well as local twitter reporters on the ground.
I am interested in guest blog posts with a slant that fits the blog.
This is a new, free e-journal following the model of Wilf Owen's 'Infinity Journal'. JOMO is dedicated to military operations as well as tactics; the Editor is Dr. Jim Storr, a.k.a Colonel Storr, author of 'The Human Face of War'. Registration is free: https://www.tjomo.com
The first edition has six articles, the first by SWJ contributor Sergio Miller compares the ARVN and the ANSF. Next to read is one looking at Orde Wingate's paramilitary operations, whose Gideon Force obtained the surrender of 14,000 Italian soldiers - the force being 140 strong!
davidbfpo
The editorial list is impressive as well. I enjoyed Wilf's article on the redundancy of the operational level of war - it picked up where the discussion on this forum left off.
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