Monthly Archives: September 2013

Syria submits inventory data

Posted on September 21, 2013 by Pat Lang

  "… a spokesman for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which is responsible for policing the treaty outlawing chemical arms, said Syria's submission was an "initial declaration". Mr Luhan said it was now being examined by … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Affairs, Syria | 4 Comments

“Why Iran seeks constructive engagement” By Hassan Rouhani

Posted on September 20, 2013 by Pat Lang

"At their core, the vicious battles in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria are over the nature of those countries’ identities and their consequent roles in our region and the world. The centrality of identity extends to the case of our peaceful … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran | 35 Comments

Of shotguns and on-line checks.

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Pat Lang

That is a Remington 870 pump action shotgun.   This is a sporting weapon.  You can hunt deer or people with it but mostly it is useful for hunting ducks, pheasants and rabbits.  Aaron Alexis bought one of these legally at … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Affairs, Gun Control | 20 Comments

HARPER: A SILK ROAD FUTURE FOR AFGHANISTAN?

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Harper

Colonel Lang's reminder that next year, American and NATO forces will be gone from Afghanistan "for good" underscores the fact that Afghan's future is in doubt. On Sunday night on Sixty Minutes, the just-retired Deputy Director of the CIA Michael … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 30 Comments

Bacevich on Brooks

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Pat Lang

"A military composed of warrior-professionals suits the agenda of hawkish conservatives at least as well as hawkish liberals. For those who dream of liberating the oppressed abroad and reversing the corrupting tide of liberalism at home here is an instrument … Continue reading →

Posted in Media | 37 Comments

VCJCS Winnefeld Tells Army: Forget Long Land Wars – Sidney Freedberg

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Pat Lang

"Winnefeld said the nation would probably not need an Army sized to do any large-scale, long-duration ground operations. The admiral did not only downplay the possibility of prolonged counterinsurgencies like Afghanistan, Iraq, or Vietnam, although he certainly emphasized the decline … Continue reading →

Posted in government, The Military Art | 11 Comments

A Virginia Gentleman – TTG

Posted on September 15, 2013 by Andrei Martyanov

Photo taken by L. Todd Spencer of the Virginian-Pilot    Tomorrow the UN will release its report on the Ghouta gas attack and the next round of pressurizing debate will begin. In the meantime, I invite all members of this … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 12 Comments

“Of Thee I Sing: Noisy Mediocrities” by Richard Sale

Posted on September 15, 2013 by Pat Lang

  National conceit governs the world.  No country views itself with impartial eyes.No country ever gives a full and solid account of its shortcomings, itsfailures, its lack of skill and essential capacities. In order to belittle each other, every country … Continue reading →

Posted in government | 41 Comments

Recasting “The Great Game” – TTG

Posted on September 14, 2013 by Andrei Martyanov

Some Iranian news agencies have reported that a message from Obama was carried to Iran last month by Oman’s ruler, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, whose country was a mediator before — when Iran released three Americans convicted of espionage despite … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, Middle East, TTG | 53 Comments

Trollhunter, a review by Alan Farrell

Posted on September 13, 2013 by FarrellAF

Directed by: Andre Ovredahl (also written by him, too, the which make him an auteur, concept requiring some transduction, I’m thinking, into Skandanavian ethos/culture, explicable perhaps by that “Andre” of obvious Mediterranean extraction coupled with the more manly and Norse … Continue reading →

Posted in Farrell, Film | 10 Comments