The Utility of Assassination

By George Friedman

The apparent Israeli assassination of a Hamas operative in the United Arab Emirates turned into a bizarre event replete with numerous fraudulent passports, alleged Israeli operatives caught on videotape and international outrage (much of it feigned), more over the use of fraudulent passports than over the operative’s death. If we are to believe the media, it took nearly 20 people and an international incident to kill him.

STRATFOR has written on the details of the killing as we have learned of them, but we see this as an occasion to address a broader question: the role of assassination in international politics.

Defining Assassination

We should begin by defining what we mean by assassination. It is the killing of a particular individual for political purposes. It differs from the killing of a spouse’s lover because it is political. It differs from the killing of a soldier on the battlefield in that the soldier is anonymous and is not killed because of who he is but because of the army he is serving in.

The question of assassination, in the current jargon “targeted killing,” raises the issue of its purpose. Apart from malice and revenge, as in Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, the purpose of assassination is to achieve a particular political end by weakening an enemy in some way. Thus, the killing of Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto by the Americans in World War II was a targeted killing, an assassination. His movements were known, and the Americans had the opportunity to kill him. Killing an incompetent commander would be counterproductive, but Yamamoto was a superb strategist, without peer in the Japanese navy. Killing

The Meaning of Marjah

STRATFOR

Peter Zeihan and Nathan Hughes

On Feb. 13, some 6,000 U.S. Marines, soldiers and Afghan National Army (ANA) troops launched a sustained assault on the town of Marjah in Helmand province. Until this latest offensive, the U.S. and NATO effort in Afghanistan had been constrained by other considerations, most notably Iraq. Western forces viewed the Afghan conflict as a matter of holding the line or pursuing targets of opportunity. But now, armed with larger forces and a new strategy, the war — the real war — has begun. The most recent offensive — dubbed Operation Moshtarak (“Moshtarak” is Dari for “together”) — is the largest joint U.S.-NATO-Afghan operation in history. It also is the first major offensive conducted by the first units deployed as part of the surge of 30,000 troops promised by U.S. President Barack Obama.

The United States originally entered Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. In those days of fear and fury, American goals could be simply stated: A non-state actor — al Qaeda — had attacked the American homeland and needed to be destroyed. Al Qaeda was based in Afghanistan at the invitation of a near-state actor — the Taliban, which at the time were Afghanistan’s de facto

The Jihadist CBRN Threat

By Scott Stewart

In an interview aired Feb. 7 on CNN, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she considers weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the hands of an international terrorist group to be the largest threat faced by the United States today, even bigger than the threat posed by a nuclear-armed Iran. “The biggest nightmare that many of us have is that one of these terrorist member organizations within this syndicate of terror will get their hands on a weapon of mass destruction,” Clinton said. In referring to the al Qaeda network, Clinton noted that it is “unfortunately a very committed, clever, diabolical group of terrorists who

Germany’s Choice

By Marko Papic and Peter Zeihan

The situation in Europe is dire.

After years of profligate spending, Greece is becoming overwhelmed. Barring some sort of large-scale bailout program, a Greek debt default at this point is highly likely. At this moment, European Central Bank liquidity efforts are probably the only thing holding back such a default. But these are a stopgap measure that can hold only until more important economies manage to find their feet. And Europe’s problems extend beyond Greece. Fundamentals are so poor across the board that any number of eurozone states quickly could follow Greece down.

2010 Worst Snow of the New Decade

Many countries were hit hard with heavier snow storms this year. The snow storm affected operations in different sectors of  industry-local and national.The weather forecasts have been predicting and giving warning that weather will get worse as snow moves around across many

What Jobs Offer a Steady and Stable Income?

Even in a shaky economy, these hands-on jobs pay $30… $40… $50K and up!

By Cherise Asato

Are you a recent high school graduate looking to start a hands-on career in the Tech industry? Perhaps you’re a veteran of the workforce who wants to transition to a more Tech-y field.

The state of the economy is still grim, at best. Downsizing and outsourcing are no longer the rarity, but the norm. All things considered, it’s important to know the facts and weigh your career options carefully.

Helping Brazil to help itself

The IMF should end its Washington consensus policies and encourage Brazil to strengthen, not eliminate, capital controls

Kevin Gallagher
guardian.co.uk
Thursday 10 December 2009 20.00 GMT

In an effort to stem the appreciation of its currency, the real, Brazil has twice resorted to capital controls. In response to these measures, IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn says capital controls are “not something that come from hell”, but the IMF won’t be recommending them any time soon to remedy the current crisis.

Enough is enough. Given the economic evidence and in the wake of the current crisis, the IMF should change more than its rhetoric and do away with its Washington consensus policies by encouraging Brazil to strengthen its capital controls, not eliminate them.

A man wearing thong?

From Mop:

Both overwhelming and shocking, on a beach under the big blue sky, flowery butt man wearing thong plays in the water

Handicapped Chinese Man Fixes Bicycle Tire With His Feet

There are still many reasons to smile , to hang on , to keep on when things are bad , difficult , and burdens are too heavy to bear. Why give up when you can still smile , keep your hope…life can have miracles.

See the miracle !!!

Proverbs for Abundant Living

In life we are to encourage and build up each other;
not to discourage and tear down one another.

In life we are to add, not subtract;
to multiply, not divide.

In life we are to leave an enduring impression;
not a careless dent. (??????? http://friends.englishcn.com)

In life we are to smooth out the rough roads along the journey;
not create new potholes. (??????? http://bbs.englishcn.com)

In life we are to sing a joyful song;
not just drone a groan.