We Just Lost the Initiative.....

Figure 1 - MENA region with IS territory in red The year is 2020 and the world map has been significantly altered. ISIS controls a larger swath of territory running through Iraq, Syria, parts of the Sinai, Sudan, Libya, the Fezzan, and northern Mali. Allied groups terrorize Yemen, Lebanon, Mauritania and Western Sahara. From these locations, ISIS cells have strategic reach into Turkey, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, and even into parts of Europe. Rome is a primary target with NATO and its allies in the crosshairs. The turmoil has further compounded Palestinian and Israeli relations, as well as allowed China to press its strategic advantage in the Pacific and the Russians to play devils advocate in Eastern Europe, with a further distingration of Ukranian national borders, threats to the Baltic countries, and movement to integrate countries in the Balkans.  Where has the United States been as these...

We no longer live in our parents neatly defined geopolitical world. The map makers of the 20th Century (Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States) no longer are the Masters of the Universe. Look at what is happening with Syria and Iraq: political boundaries are disintegrating before our eyes as the Old World Order undergoes a volcanic upheaval. Sectarian interests are shredding the world map. So how do we navigate these seismic fluctuations. First, we need to understand that the current political breakdown as we know it is changing. Many of the established political boundaries are colonial fabrications that did not take into account tribal, religious, or historical territory realities "on the ground." As an example, the Sykes - Picot agreement divvied up the Ottoman Empire after World War I creating French and English spheres of influence in the Middle East to the detriment of Arab self-determination. Puppet leaders were installed to ensure the continuat...

In my previous post I floated the notion of the U.S. recognizing an independent Kurdish state and bemoaned the fact that in political and diplomatic circles (and lets throw in the pundit class in this since they are as culpable as the politicians and policies they pontificate on) this idea is not receiving any real consideration. So why is that?   Simple, U.S. foreign policy is thought of, by the political class, as a linear thought process with the starting point being one presidential election and ending when administrations change. Instead, for an effective foreign policy, one needs to think of it as a network with synapses building linkages across seemingly dissimilar issues. The political class cannot fathom foreign policy as something other than an election soundbite. Let's take a look: September 11th hits and President Bush strives to dislodge Al-Qaeda from Afghanistan through a military operation. The military overwhelms the Taliban regime, dislodges the Taliban and A...

Ahhh...government, the bane of rationale thought (or at least in this time period in the United States). And when it comes to foreign policy.....hell what am I saying there is no coherent foreign policy and both Republicans and Democrats are to blame. For the politicians it is about the sound bite, the next campaign. Very few of these "august leaders" have the balls to take a controversial position and propose some outside the box thinking. Let's take the current situation in Iraq and Syria as an example. We have a rogue inter-state within parts of Syria and Iraq. The Islamic State (IS) has made great strides in conquering territory and driving those who do not ascribe to their ultra-orthodox Islamic vision from their homes and in significant numbers into a grave. So what is our response, limited bombing to relieve the humanitarian crisis on Mount Sinjar and establish a corridor for the Yazidis to escape into Kurd held territory.  Lately there is discussions of sending ...

We are the silent majority (the left-center, centrist, and right center moderates)! As political Jedi it is our duty to express a moderate viewpoint that counters the current ideological gridlock. Yes, many will equate that sentiment as being anti-Tea Party but I see it being the prevailing discourse in DC, left wingers are just as adamant in their political ideology and, in some case, even more hypocritical. Our task is an uphill battle. We must first take on the the political hacks and shrills who blunt any attempt to express a moderate and balanced viewpoint with their ideological blather and shrouded in hypocrisy. T he political establishment and their entrenched bases are weak minded clones, marching expressionless to the orders of their overlords. Only through critical independent thinking, not beholden to special interest or ideological rigidity can we counter the establishment. So what we do we face these days?   Clanging bells, or helmet heads (perfect hair plast...

When I first started thinking about doing a political themed blog (ATTENTION: I do also have a blog that is related to my business and the two do not mix) I wrestled with a name that expresses my disillusion with the current political environment. In the movie Black Hawk Down , BG Garrison utters, “We just lost the initiative” when the first Uh-60 Black Hawk helicopter is shot down in the middle of Mogadishu, Somalia. To me BG Garrison's frustrated statement, is perfect to define what is happening in Washington, DC. As a political moderate/centrist, I see any opportunity to make any real headway in getting the country moving again to be lost. And who is to blame for this environment? The media that speaks to certain segments of the political landscape, thus creating an echo chamber? The hardline left and right wingers who are more inclined to ensure ideological purity instead of governance?  A political system that rewards incumbents by rigging elections (yes, I said it)...