Interesting Posts From The Bivouac - 5 August 2008

Today is links from our mil-bloggers and anything of interest to them. There are also links from military, national security and counter-terrorism sites.
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Art: Soldiers Fighting, Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, circa 1860

Blackfive is blogging that Sadrist literature is now calling for disaramament. That is called a win-win. Also at Blackfive, if you happen to like military history, see the argument on whether Von Clausewitz, author of "On War," is still applicable to today's strategy and tactics.

Mark Grimsley is a blogger and Military History prof at the U.S. Army War College. His blogging has been slow of late as he has been doing a PCS move. But do check out his blog - its good. His latest is on the poor writing coming out of the DOD.

At Strategy Page, a post on "the sniper revolution."

CIDC has a very informative post on triablism in Afghanistan and the problems it poses for creation of a nation state. While we will succeed in Afghanistan, success will look nothing like Iraq.

Michael Yon and Andrew Cochran at Counterterrorism Blog both blog on Gen McCaffery's report on Afghanistan. Cochran has posted excerpts from LTG (ret). Barry McCaffery's just issued report on Afghanistan. Here is a portion of it:

"2009 will be the year of decision. The Taliban and a greatly enhanced foreign fighter presence will: strike decisive blows against selected NATO units; will try to erase the FATA and Baluchi borders with Afghanistan; will try to sever the road networks and stop the construction of new roads (Route # 1 -- the Ring Road from Kabul to Kandahar is frequently now interdicted); and will try to strangle and isolate the capital. Without more effective and non-corrupt Afghan political leadership at province and district level, Afghanistan may become a failed state hosting foreign terrorist communities with global ambitions. Afghan political elites are focused more on the struggle for power than governance."

You can find the full report here.

At LWJ, they are mapping the rising violence in Afghanistan.

Greyhawk at Mudville Gazette gives his thoughts on the British in Iraq after the revelation that British intelligence made a secret deal with Sadr.

Pat Dollard is blogging on the recently arrested Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani mother of three with a degree from MIT and a doctorate in behavioural neuroscience from Brandeis University. She is married to the nephew of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

Major John at Miserable Donoughts is having to readjust to the presence of plant life in his immediate environs.

Ace of Spades has a fascinating post up on how Democrats are trying to game the energy debate and how Minority Leader John Boehner just upped the anti. On a related note, Shield of Achilles has a post on the Progressive's Profiles In Shame. You might recognize a few of the names.

In the closing the barn door after the horses leave department, the U.S. Army, responding to the revelations that Dr. Ivens at Fr. Dietrich may have been the person who mailed the anthrax, just issued new regs saying psychopathic people can no longer work with our most deadly pathogens. Nice of them to establish a standard.

At MG Valley's site, a post on the CIA's "dysfunctional intelligence culture."

At 7.62mm Justice, an Aussie blogger discusses how Kevin Rudd and the socialist Labour Party took over the country at the last election and is now proceeding to put the screws to it. The campaign promises turned out to be nothing more than saying what the electorate wanted to hear to get elected. Boy do I hope I am not foreshadowing in writing this.

Lastly, don't miss the superb roll-up of military news at Thunder Run.