Actually, Foreign Nations Pay Billions For U.S. Military Bases from the National Memo
"The Pentagon spends an estimated $10 billion a year on overseas bases. More than 70 percent of the total is spent in Japan, Germany and South Korea, where most U.S. troops abroad are permanently stationed. In return, the Pentagon receives various forms of compensation from the host countries, like rent-free real estate for the bases and cash payments to offset U.S. costs. ... "But we gain the most out of these alliances because it helps keep threats much farther from our shores than they otherwise would be," he said."
Showing posts with label Defense policy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Defense policy. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Saturday, April 9, 2016
The Upside of Downsizing the Import of the National Security Council
How the NSC Hijacked U.S. Foreign Policy from the National Interest
"In the last year, the Obama administration began a little-noticed process that should be embraced by the next president: the downsizing of the National Security Council (NSC). ..., while the paring back of the NSC is unlikely to feature in presidential debates or stump speeches, it is a consequential initiative that, if supported by the incoming administration, will help the next commander-in-chief more effectively deploy America’s diplomatic resources."
"In the last year, the Obama administration began a little-noticed process that should be embraced by the next president: the downsizing of the National Security Council (NSC). ..., while the paring back of the NSC is unlikely to feature in presidential debates or stump speeches, it is a consequential initiative that, if supported by the incoming administration, will help the next commander-in-chief more effectively deploy America’s diplomatic resources."
Friday, March 25, 2016
ISIS Losing on Most Fronts
Will the Islamic State survive 2016? from Al-Monitor
"If IS continues to lose territory at the same pace, some people believe the year 2016 could well be its last. But experts are maintaining a cautious optimism in agreeing with this prediction, which is frequently voiced by Iraqi decision-makers."
"If IS continues to lose territory at the same pace, some people believe the year 2016 could well be its last. But experts are maintaining a cautious optimism in agreeing with this prediction, which is frequently voiced by Iraqi decision-makers."
ISIS in Retreat
In Syria and Iraq, the Islamic State is in retreat on multiple fronts from the Washington Post
"These are just two of the many fronts in both countries where the militants are being squeezed, stretched and pushed back. Nowhere are they on the attack. They have not embarked on a successful offensive in nearly nine months. Their leaders are dying in U.S. strikes at the rate of one every three days, inhibiting their ability to launch attacks, according to U.S. military officials."
"These are just two of the many fronts in both countries where the militants are being squeezed, stretched and pushed back. Nowhere are they on the attack. They have not embarked on a successful offensive in nearly nine months. Their leaders are dying in U.S. strikes at the rate of one every three days, inhibiting their ability to launch attacks, according to U.S. military officials."
Sunday, February 14, 2016
TODAY's BIG NUGGET: Obama, the "Grandmaster" in Foreign Policy?
Breaking the chessboard: the geopolitics of Obama's Asia pivot (Rosanna Ryan) from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
"As far as McCoy is concerned, Obama is in the league of only two other Americans in the field of geopolitics: Theodore Roosevelt's secretary of war, Elihu Root, and president Jimmy Carter's national security advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski. These three men, he says, are the only ones who can really be described as 'grandmasters' of the game. 'The world is a chessboard, and a leader is very skilful in moving the pawns and the rooks and the pieces about the board,' McCoy says. 'But the grandmaster actually breaks the chessboard itself into pieces and manoeuvres those pieces."
"As far as McCoy is concerned, Obama is in the league of only two other Americans in the field of geopolitics: Theodore Roosevelt's secretary of war, Elihu Root, and president Jimmy Carter's national security advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski. These three men, he says, are the only ones who can really be described as 'grandmasters' of the game. 'The world is a chessboard, and a leader is very skilful in moving the pawns and the rooks and the pieces about the board,' McCoy says. 'But the grandmaster actually breaks the chessboard itself into pieces and manoeuvres those pieces."
Monday, January 18, 2016
Russian Economic Downturn: Taking Down the Middle Class
A Dark Cloud Is Descending Over Russia's Economy (Samuel Bendett) from Real Clear World
"A number of economic bubbles, created when the economy heavily depended on oil and gas for its well-being -- such as for example, in real estate -- will burst sooner or later, leading to the collapse of the well-being of many of those who used to consider themselves the Russian middle class."
"A number of economic bubbles, created when the economy heavily depended on oil and gas for its well-being -- such as for example, in real estate -- will burst sooner or later, leading to the collapse of the well-being of many of those who used to consider themselves the Russian middle class."
Iran and Saudi: Squaring Off Each for their own Reasons
Why Saudi Arabia and Iran May Be Seeking a New Crisis (Fred Kaplan) from Slate
"The Saudi royal family and Iranian hard-liners both could benefit from the tensions."
"The Saudi royal family and Iranian hard-liners both could benefit from the tensions."
Sunday, January 3, 2016
TODAY's BIG NUGGET: 2015: A Losing Season for ISIS?
Mapped: The Islamic State Isn’t Doing as Well as You Think from Foreign Policy Magazine
"The Islamic State began 2015 in control of vast swaths of Syria and Iraq and at one point this summer controlled three of Iraq’s biggest cities. The terrorist group ends the year in far worse shape, with a U.S.-led air campaign hammering its fighters from the skies while Iraqi soldiers, Iranian paramilitary operatives, Shiite militias, Syrian rebels, and Kurdish Peshmerga battle them on the ground.
"The Islamic State began 2015 in control of vast swaths of Syria and Iraq and at one point this summer controlled three of Iraq’s biggest cities. The terrorist group ends the year in far worse shape, with a U.S.-led air campaign hammering its fighters from the skies while Iraqi soldiers, Iranian paramilitary operatives, Shiite militias, Syrian rebels, and Kurdish Peshmerga battle them on the ground.
The GOP's Muscular Mantra
The GOP Plan to Bring Back a Unipolar World from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Republicans seems to think that by banging the drum for increased defense spending, they can restore America's greatness. They're wrong. ... Policies and public expenditures in pursuit of this muscular mantra would not only fail, but would also systematically weaken U.S. leadership and influence."
"Republicans seems to think that by banging the drum for increased defense spending, they can restore America's greatness. They're wrong. ... Policies and public expenditures in pursuit of this muscular mantra would not only fail, but would also systematically weaken U.S. leadership and influence."
Saturday, December 26, 2015
The Forces Coalescing Against China
The Forces Awakening Against an Antagonistic China from the National Interest
" In an effort to augment its sovereignty claims over what it considers as its national “blue soil,” China has inadvertently encouraged a growing number of nations to coalesce against it."
" In an effort to augment its sovereignty claims over what it considers as its national “blue soil,” China has inadvertently encouraged a growing number of nations to coalesce against it."
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Russia's Behavior Keeps NATO Expanding
In the Balkans, NATO has outmuscled Russia from the Economist [of London]
"Montenegro’s accession fills in one of the few remaining gaps in the Western alliance."
"Montenegro’s accession fills in one of the few remaining gaps in the Western alliance."
The BRICS All Coming on Hard Times
No, the BRICs Aren’t Overtaking America from the Daily Beast
"Despite 15 years of hype, developing countries still have a long way to go to claim the 21st century as theirs."
"Despite 15 years of hype, developing countries still have a long way to go to claim the 21st century as theirs."
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
TODAY'S BIG NUGGET: What Obama ReALLY Thinks About the Threat of ISIS
How Obama Thinks About Terrorism (Peter Beinart) from the Atlantic
"At the core of Barack Obama’s terrorism speech on Sunday night lay a contradiction. He gave the address to convince an increasingly fearful nation that he takes the terrorist threat seriously. But he doesn’t, at least not in the way his political opponents do."
"At the core of Barack Obama’s terrorism speech on Sunday night lay a contradiction. He gave the address to convince an increasingly fearful nation that he takes the terrorist threat seriously. But he doesn’t, at least not in the way his political opponents do."
ISIS's Script for the US and Europe
Following the Terrorists’ Script (Nicholas Kristof) from the New York Times
"The Islamic State is trying to create a religious divide and an anti-refugee backlash, so that Muslims will feel alienated and turn to extremism. If so, American and European politicians are following the Islamic State’s script. Let’s be careful not to follow that script further and stigmatize all Muslims for ISIS terrorism."
"The Islamic State is trying to create a religious divide and an anti-refugee backlash, so that Muslims will feel alienated and turn to extremism. If so, American and European politicians are following the Islamic State’s script. Let’s be careful not to follow that script further and stigmatize all Muslims for ISIS terrorism."
The Masterson Test in Syria
The Refugees & the New War (Michael Ignatieff) from the New York Review of Books
"Strategists will tell you that it is a mistake to fight the battle your enemies want you to fight. You should impose your strategy on them, not let them impose theirs on you. These lessons apply to the struggle with the leaders of ISIS. We have applied pressure upon them in Syria; they have replied with atrocious attacks in Ankara, Beirut, and now Paris. They are trying to provoke an apocalyptic confrontation with the Crusader infidels. We should deny them this opportunity."
Some of you may recall the great musical, Guys and Dolls. In it, the #1 gambler, Sky Masterson tells a highly relevant story: When he was a lad, his father came and told him: "One day, son, someone will come to you with an unopened deck of cards with the seal still on it, and he will BET YOU that he can make a Jack of Spades leap out of that deck and squirt cider in your ear! Son, you do not accept this bet because sure as you are standing here, you will end up with cider in your ear." ISIS (and their ilk) are betting that with their tactics, the the US will have to send in huge numbers of troops into Syria and Iraq and that their presence there will substantiate ISIS's message, be the best recruiting tool in the work for their cause -- and that they will be able to get the US bogged down in the region for another ten years slowly bleeding to death for no good purpose. Obama (thankfully) perceives that this bet does not pass the Masterson test and, if he has ANY SAY in the matter, the US will not end up with cider in its ear. -- Nuggetsman
"Strategists will tell you that it is a mistake to fight the battle your enemies want you to fight. You should impose your strategy on them, not let them impose theirs on you. These lessons apply to the struggle with the leaders of ISIS. We have applied pressure upon them in Syria; they have replied with atrocious attacks in Ankara, Beirut, and now Paris. They are trying to provoke an apocalyptic confrontation with the Crusader infidels. We should deny them this opportunity."
Some of you may recall the great musical, Guys and Dolls. In it, the #1 gambler, Sky Masterson tells a highly relevant story: When he was a lad, his father came and told him: "One day, son, someone will come to you with an unopened deck of cards with the seal still on it, and he will BET YOU that he can make a Jack of Spades leap out of that deck and squirt cider in your ear! Son, you do not accept this bet because sure as you are standing here, you will end up with cider in your ear." ISIS (and their ilk) are betting that with their tactics, the the US will have to send in huge numbers of troops into Syria and Iraq and that their presence there will substantiate ISIS's message, be the best recruiting tool in the work for their cause -- and that they will be able to get the US bogged down in the region for another ten years slowly bleeding to death for no good purpose. Obama (thankfully) perceives that this bet does not pass the Masterson test and, if he has ANY SAY in the matter, the US will not end up with cider in its ear. -- Nuggetsman
The New "Containment" Policy
Obama Got It Right on the Islamic State from Foreign Policy Magazine
"The United States can't defeat the jihadist group — it can only hope to contain it."
"The United States can't defeat the jihadist group — it can only hope to contain it."
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
TODAY'S BIG NUGGET: How France Will Probably Proceed
NATO’s Turn to Attack (James Stavridis) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"There’s a time for soft power and playing the long game. But the attacks in Paris prove the Islamic State is overdue for eradication."
An excellent roadmap of how France will probably proceed.
"There’s a time for soft power and playing the long game. But the attacks in Paris prove the Islamic State is overdue for eradication."
An excellent roadmap of how France will probably proceed.
Understanding ISIS ... and Stopping Them
What ISIS Really Wants (Graeme Wood) from the Atlantic
"The Islamic State is no mere collection of psychopaths. It is a religious group with carefully considered beliefs, among them that it is a key agent of the coming apocalypse. Here’s what that means for its strategy—and for how to stop it."
"The Islamic State is no mere collection of psychopaths. It is a religious group with carefully considered beliefs, among them that it is a key agent of the coming apocalypse. Here’s what that means for its strategy—and for how to stop it."
America and Its Allies: The Danger of Doing ISIS's Dirty Work for Them
ISIS can only succeed if we overreact — so we shouldn’t (Ezra Klein) from Vox
"It can only hope to make us so afraid that we do something stupid that either helps it or hurts us. ISIS can only succeed if, blinded by rage and terror, we achieve its goals for it. There are at least two ways that might happen — and one of them is already happening."
"It can only hope to make us so afraid that we do something stupid that either helps it or hurts us. ISIS can only succeed if, blinded by rage and terror, we achieve its goals for it. There are at least two ways that might happen — and one of them is already happening."
ISIS Hates America ... and US Efforts to Help Syrian Refugees
Turning back Syrian refugees isn't just wrong — it helps ISIS (Zack Beauchamp ) from Vox
"ISIS despises Syrian refugees: It sees them as traitors to the caliphate. By leaving, they turn their back on the caliphate. ISIS depicts its territory as a paradise, and fleeing refugees expose that as a lie. But if refugees do make it out, ISIS wants them to be treated badly — the more the West treats them with suspicion and fear, the more it supports ISIS's narrative of a West that is hostile to Muslims and bolsters ISIS's efforts to recruit from migrant communities in Europe."
"ISIS despises Syrian refugees: It sees them as traitors to the caliphate. By leaving, they turn their back on the caliphate. ISIS depicts its territory as a paradise, and fleeing refugees expose that as a lie. But if refugees do make it out, ISIS wants them to be treated badly — the more the West treats them with suspicion and fear, the more it supports ISIS's narrative of a West that is hostile to Muslims and bolsters ISIS's efforts to recruit from migrant communities in Europe."
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