Iraq Observations
Military collapses come fast, creating pressure for prompt action. Domestic politics weigh heavily on the decision. Will the administration be blamed for losing Iraq if it does not order military intervention? Or will history judge the president wise for keeping US forces out of war as it did President Eisenhower for not bombing Vietnam in […]
A Bigger, But Less Unified, Al Qaeda
Al Qaeda’s universe may be rent by centrifugal forces resulting from its own recent expansion, but that expansion itself reflects a remarkable achievement. Although thousands of volunteers had passed through its training camps in Afghanistan before 9/11, by the end of 2001, al Qaeda consisted of a few hundred fighters on the run. The camps’ scattered alumni […]
The Invasion of Iraq: A Balance Sheet
Historically, wars were fought primarily for material gain: livestock, treasure, tribute, or territory. More recently, however, the profit motive for war has declined as life has become more precious and conquest and plunder have become less acceptable, although conflicts waged for control of diamonds and other precious commodities continue in parts of the world. International law […]
Brian Michael Jenkins Selected for World Economic Forum
Brian Michael Jenkins, senior adviser to the president of the RAND Corporation, has been chosen as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Terrorism. He will travel to Dubai in mid-November to attend the Forum’s Summit on the Global Agenda, billed as the world’s largest brainstorming meeting, bringing together thought leaders […]