Bibi could’ve gotten a total surrender from Hamas on the acceptance of a future state after a heavy UN occupation. With it, ending Right of Return, destroying settler power, and resetting all positions in the ME. Instead, he got a terrible ceasefire, and destroyed goodwill in the US on all sides.
Yes. Because Israel, especially under Bibi, is anti-solutionist.
They’re incapable of discussing end states because there is only one realistic thing anyone wants from Israel—a Palestinian state on the ‘67 borders.
Bibi’s entire career is built on denying that, so it’s all tactics to disable it.
Totally. It’s the same equations every time for officers.
‘Politics’ = anti-slavery, which they don’t want to confront.
‘Politics’ = anti-Empire, which they’re in favour of.
‘Politics’ = anti-colonisation, which is communism and therefore treason
‘Politics’ = anti-neoliberalism, which is freedom
Remember, Schwarzkopf called everyone in the West Point Social Science division a “communist”.
The point is that EVERYTHING should be Congressionally approved within 5 days on initiation. With automatic removal from office as the constraining mechanism.
All of this should be in Constitutional and legislative language and norms.
Because what is happening now was long foreseen.
Again, why we need a War Powers Amendment.
On different levels, Decl. of War for Big Show; Theater Contingency for Korea/Vietnam/Iraq style; AUMF for limited use like raids; Ongoing Approval for things like CT attacks; Defensive response for defense.
With new approvals required each Cong. Term.
Whats the bet that any ceasefire deal would require a Trump Tower built in Tehran?
I came here to make the exact same joke. Seems everyone is finally getting the point that its not actually a joke. These fools genuinely do believe planning, local knowledge, multi-ordered thinking, and forethought is woke and therefore treason.
Yup. AirSea Battle was the Navy and the Air Force salivating over the idea of getting all the GWOT money now that 'that' was over. Oops.
And the Gulf War.
This is the path dependency to strategic failure that is inherent in US Nat sec.
Now pushed to the extremes by a dolchstoss driven Admin.
Plans are woke and therefore treason.
It’s the rapist-abuser logic inherent to MAGA. They demand everyone kowtow to them, can’t imagine why they don’t, so increase the violence when they don’t get what they want.
Also, if I can find a good enough job post-PhD, I was thinking about doing a 25 yr retrospective book.
*awkward cough.
We did write it. No one cared.
For the record, one of the few ways to get Iran to sign a surrender agreement would be for the US to accept territorial continuity under all circumstances.
Further proof Trump et al are the worst at this
This means it’s smaller companies that design and innovate systems, get patents, etc., but larger government concerns build them. Think the NASA arsenal system during Apollo and before.
But at the same time, a lot could be fixed by making fundamental changes. I’d like to see options about nationalising Lockheed Martin and the Defence side of Boeing. The idea being they, and other primes, can be run as government builders with some independence; no stock issuances, saving money.
Also, the stated aim in the Gulf War was never to liberate Kuwait, it was to return peace and security to the region. In all documents, liberation of Kuwait is treated as a military goal only.
In that agreement, signed by Saddam in person, on intl. TV, would have been a formal acceptance of Kuwait’s sovereignty, promise of reparations, all RGs go into POW camps, agree to end all WMD, war crimes trials, etc.
Formal televised embarrassment is how Saddam falls.
I genuinely never understand why people think the only options after the ‘91 was the dumb way it did end or marching on Baghdad.
The best way to have ended it was to cut off the Iraqi escape, turn those left into POWs as bargaining chip, and then hold formal surrender negotiations and ceremony
It’s fine having the top level be political. That’s how it should work. But much needs to be professionalised. J6 proved that intrinsically.
And in doing so, the US needs things like graduate programs so there is a constantly flow of new young people in. Relying on former mil with clearances hurts.
I think we need to return to more professionals than career. If politicians want more dynamic and effective bureaucracies, they have to build them. Hacks constantly moving through makes everything harder.
But awe just a lot more places need to be open. We need State to be 4x its current.
The problem is when everyone’s personal wealth is based on the stock price of the contractors you’re deciding who gets to Build what
It’s not bad that you need spaces for people to hang out in between government positions. I personally believe that academia is better for them as it forces them to stay in the real world. Or Services Academies. Private sector after a high position can be seen as a corruption of Nat Sec.
As always the real solution is a new Nat Sec Act.
There should be no need for Think Tanks. Depts, agencies, and HQs should have built into systems.
All these people should be in govt anyway in some capacity, and, above all else, they need to stay in their specialist areas, not branch out.
Welcome to the Revolution.
Yup. That’s precisely what CNAS was supposed to be. CSIS was nominally leaning left, but still heavily establishment, but went insane for money.
