Some items of interest:
- Robert Young Pelton in a Daily News Op-Ed is on the right track with: Abandon the 'mini-surge' and "...go back to what works: Empower the local tribes, enlist Afghans eager to fight the bad guys, don't force them to support a corrupt central government or bow to foreign forces - and keep picking off Al Qaeda with Special Operations troops and drones." Sounds similar to what I told the Armed Services Committee ('... let's just skip to the end game.')
- Some nice conflict maps (Africa) from International Conflict Research in Zurich.
- Piracy Markets (community based). Very cool. LOTS of people sent this in to me (thanks much) since it is a great example of a global guerrilla staple: 'a bazaar of violence'.... '"Four months ago, during the monsoon rains, we decided to set up this stock exchange. We started with 15 'maritime companies' and now we are hosting 72. Ten of them have so far been successful at hijacking," Mohammed said. 'The shares are open to all and everybody can take part, whether personally at sea or on land by providing cash, weapons or useful materials ... we've made piracy a community activity... Piracy investor Sahra Ibrahim, a 22-year-old divorcee, was lined up with others waiting for her cut of a ransom pay-out after one of the gangs freed a Spanish tuna fishing vessel. "I am waiting for my share after I contributed a rocket-propelled grenade for the operation," she said, adding that she got the weapon from her ex-husband in alimony. "I am really happy and lucky. I have made $75,000 in only 38 days since I joined the 'company'." Wow. Very cool to see my theory meet up with reality. ;->
- Call for Boyd Links. If you have a paper, book, video, etc dealing with the theoretical work of John Boyd, plz let me know. I'll post it to the John Boyd site.
- This is one of the coolest government debt clocks I've seen.
- Sullivan, Elkus: Global Cities, Global Gangs.