One of Donald Rumsfeld’s big goals for the American military was “transformation,” a process by which the armed forces modernized and adopted a more “network-centric” approach to combat. It worked spectacularly during the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, with Special Forces troops laser-targeting opposing forces and ground commanders getting a God’s-eye view of their operations theatre. But network-centric warfare has turned out to be a bust for winning the peace, as Wired Magazine details.
Amnesty International made a film featuring a performance artist going through six hours of the allegedly non-tortuous treatment that prisoners of American forces endure when being interrogated. The artist isn’t acting; every single whimper out of the guy is the real thing. Kind of puts the whole “war on terror” thing in perspective.
I’m a firm believer that the fanciful tales of drones and controlled demolitions spun by 9/11 “Truthers” (worst….name….ever!) are utter nonsense. It’s nice to see Noam Chomsy, a voice of reason from the Left, express his disdain for such theories and point out how utterly illogical they are. Check out parts one and two of his thoughts below.
A new book by GQ reporter Robert Draper called “Dead Certain” details just how out of touch President Bush is with reality. In a great review of the book in the New York Times, it’s revealed that Bush was convinced there were WMDs in Iraq three years after the invasion, and displays a colossal ignorance of both Iraq’s past and the nature of Islam. And that despite the continued bloodshed in Iraq, he remains sure that history will acquit him. Good luck on that one, George.
Remember the news about a week ago about State Department employees being forced to serve time in Iraq? Turns out they’re not very happy with the idea, likening the task to a “death sentence.”
Nope, it doesn’t involve duct tape or keeping an eye on your neighbours for possible un-American activities. Wired magazine profiles a suburban Montana woman who spends her days at an office, but her nights monitoring jihadi activity online.
The New York Times Magazine lays down a definite maybe. With the rise of global capitalism and the shift to electronic trading that doesn’t even occur in a physical space, Wall St. may be losing its edge.