Dive into the archives.
- To read: The Places In Between
As many of you know I am a Mac (as opposed to a PC) and when I am not cataloguing the latest developments of Japanese military policy, or thinking about theoretical FutureWarTM, I am keeping up with the latest Apple news. One of the best sources out there is MacBreak Weekly, a great podcast that [...]
- Capturing the battlespace
House search. Baghdad, Iraq 2007. By Luke Wolagiewicz
Battlespace is an online exhibition of photojournalism from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The slideshow is stunning. There are some disturbing images, so be warned. These aren’t the “breakfast table” images you see in the newspapers.
Combat photography is obviously a very difficult job. The photos in [...]
- Finally a role for the navy
I have previously complained about the seemingly listless navy personnel trapped in the current paradigm of COIN. Here is an article that proves that naval personnel can even have a role in a landlocked country:
Navy bomb defusers adapt to Afghanistan roads
Canadian navy divers are putting their underwater expertise to use along the sand roads of [...]
- Grain of Salt
Here’s the WSJ on the US intelligence report that Tehran has, for reasons yet to be explained, stopped atomic research for military purposes:
Before rolling out the peace banners, though, it’s worth looking at the agencies’ track record in getting these sorts of “estimates” right. As a matter of fact, U.S. intelligence services have so far [...]
- Turkey Looking to Iran
Disappointed with the weak show of support from America and Europe, Turkey is now looking further east for support for its planned operations in Iraq. And they need look no further than Iran, also battling its own Kurdish independence movement. Al Jazeera reports that the foreign ministers of Iran and Turkey are increasingly expressing their [...]
- Not quite the “transparency” we had in mind
Spotted on page 91 of the Asian version of this week’s The Economist.
- Do not adjust your television sets
I can’t help but chuckle at this news story: Iran bans negative petrol stories. In reaction to rationing of gasoline and outrage by the public that resulted in several gas stations being torched, the top Iranian security body ordered local journalists not to report on the gasoline problems.
Of course, television stations initially didn’t even [...]
- Zoroastrian Hindus
Thanks to Dr. Alfred Russel Wallace for this fascinating online article on Zoroastrian Hindus in modern-day Azerbaijian from a travelogue dating from the 1920s, translated and posted by Soli Dastur.
About hundred to two hundred years ago, our Hindustan used to have a very good trade with the Central Asian cities like Samarkand, Bokhara, etc. Also, [...]
- Dress for success… or else!
The great debate over Islamic dress is not only happening in France and the UK, but also in Islamic countries. The war against cultural imperialism seems to start with outward appearances. I mean one of the great symbols of globalization is American bluejeans, and the imams know this. Heck, jeans were worn by rebellious youth [...]
- Style over substance
This irks me a bit. Slate’s Ryan Grim wrote :
The 14 male sailors were dressed in snazzy if ill-fitting suits, stylishly without ties; the female sailor was decked in what looked to be clothes from a Tehran thrift store.
Other than the ad hominem attack on Iranian fashion, the authour seems rather ill-informed. To dress “without [...]
