2.22.2006

Counterinsurgency School >>> Yesterday I related the success of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and Col. H.R. McMaster in applying counterinsurgency tactics in Iraq. Unfortunately, not every US military unit and their respective officers are as competent as McMaster and the 3rd ACR at dealing with an issue as complicated as COIN. This is the attempt to change that.

Jamaat ul-Fuqra in Canada >>> CP has the details, as usual.

Golden Mosque Bombing >>> This is not your ordinary bombing in Iraq. The nature of the target makes it highly inflammatory, and the chances of Iraq's low-level civil war escalating into a real one have just gotten higher. By a lot. Omar at Iraq the Model relates the tension which is now gripping Baghdad and other parts of Iraq. Indeed, the whole place seems to have gone into lockdown; just reading his post gives you a sense of how close Iraq is to the edge of full-on civil war. Fortunately, both al-Sistani and al-Sadr have called for restraint from Iraqi Shiites, but this isn't over yet.

UAE Port Debacle >>> There has been a whole lot of shouting going back and forth about this deal--much of it is pretty senseless--but the CT Blog provides the most balanced and informative picture that I've seen so far. Sandmonkey also has a complete wrap-up of what everyone is saying. Oh yeah, and the deal actually affects eight ports, not just six.

PFC Janelle Zalkovsky >>> Murdoc gets a chance to interview an American woman serving in Iraq.

South Korean Kids Love the North >>> Well, there's no point trying to protect a nation that doesn't want our protection in the first place, so let's pull out the 2nd ID and use them somewhere else where they're badly needed. If North Korea invades, we can send the South Koreans nice little note saying "We told you so", and then see if they want our help. Sounds fair to me.

Sidewinders For Submarines >>> I'm kind of surprised that it's taken them this long to do this....