Reuters – Japan has called on the governments of three Southeast Asian nations for help after armed pirates kidnapped three crew members from a Japanese tugboat they attacked in the Malacca Strait
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Piracy – Pirates storm Indonesian tanker
BBC – Pirates have attacked a gas tanker in the Malacca Strait, kidnapping its captain and chief engineer for ransom.
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Indian Navy – UPI Intelligence Watch
United Press International – India still cannot persuade Russia to lease Akula-class nuclear powered submarines to it.
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Geopolitics / Empire – Our Currency, Your Problem
New York Times Magazine – Niall Ferguson on why Asian banks finance the U.S. way of life???and the power these banks therefore hold over US foreign policy.
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Editorial Note – NOSI on break until March 14
NOSI is taking a break and will next be updated on Monday March 14th.
In the meantime, I have provided background reading for the next three weekends. Enjoy!
US Marines – In Fallujah's wake, marines go west
Christian Science Monitor – US and Iraqi forces have launched Operation River Blitz, targeting insurgents in cities along the Euphrates.
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Piracy – The pirates will be back
New York Times – An unsuspected bit of good news related to the Indian Ocean tsunami was revealed recently when the International Maritime Bureau released its annual report on pirate attacks against international shipping. The new figures showed a 27 percent decline in 2004, to 325 incidents from 445 in 2003, and noted that there had not been single attack in the pirate-infested waters off Sumatra since the earthquake. Now, while these figures show an improvement, the positive trend should not distract us from the huge threat that piracy, and its connection to terrorism, poses to the global economy.
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Ground Warfare – Thunder Run
LeanWrite – I just finished reading Thunder Run by David Zucchino, which is a superb account of the Battle of Baghdad as waged by the Third Infantry Division. It is being called the “Black Hawk Down” of Operation Iraqi Freedom. An excellent study of urban warfare and small unit cohesion.
More can be learned about this key battle here:
StrategyPage – The Battle of Baghdad
Army Magazine – Baghdad: The Crossroads
Daily Telegraph – The 10-Hour Battle for Curly, Larry, and Moe
PBS Frontline – The Invasion of Iraq – Interview with Col. David Perkins
Washington Post – 3 Key Battles Turned Tide of Invasion
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US Navy – Building the Future Fleet: Show Us the Analysis!
Naval War College Review – Since 11 September 2001, the U.S. defense budget has risen by about 25 percent, after factoring out inflation. The reasons for such an increase are numerous: simultaneously fighting wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq, increases in military pay and benefits, and more money for some major weapons programs. In this same time period, money devoted to building the Navyís ships has only bounced around. In fiscal year 2001, the Navy spent $12 billion on ships. The Presidentís request for ships in 2005 is $11 billion. Why might this be the case?
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Geopolitics / Peacekeeping – No Size Fits All
Foreign Affairs – Three new studies of the international community’s attempts at postwar state reconstruction in the 1990s offer valuable lessons about how best to handle the job, but they also overgeneralize and miss critical differences among their cases.
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Geopolitics / Morality – Jus Post Bellum – The Moral Responsibilities of Victors in War
Naval War College Review – Traditionally, the categories of jus ad bellum (a just decision to wage war) and jus in bello (just behavior in war) have defined “just war.” This theory has been continually adapted and revised to reflect ever-changing geopolitical realities, and events in Afghanistan and Iraq suggest it is time for a fundamental expansion of scope. Has the time come to embrace a third category-jus post bellum, justice in the postconflict stage of war?
Geopolitics / Morality – Principia Leviathan – The Moral Duties of American Hegemony
Naval War College Review – How should the United States provide for its security in a context of both unprecedented power and vulnerability? Is it required in this situation to act as Leviathan to promote a Pax Americana? The United States can pursue its security interests and an ethical foreign policy at the same time, and that would be the most promising route to success in both the war on terror and the promotion of democracy and stability.
History – Knee-Deep: Sailers' Assault on Salerno
World War II Magazine – Without the presence of the U.S. Navy’s 4th Beach Battalion on the fire-swept beaches of Salerno, Operation Avalanche might well have failed.
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History – Daring Recon Preceded Iwo Invasion
Sea Power – A look at the reconnaissance preceding the invasion of Iwo Jima.
Terrorism – Outsourcing Torture
New Yorker – The secret history of America’s “extraordinary rendition” program.
An interview with the author: New Yorker – Torture by Proxy.
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US Navy – For Norfolk, stakes unchanged whether carrier retired, mothballed
Virginian Pilot – If the USS John F. Kennedy were mothballed, what are the chances it would ever be brought back into service?
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Taiwanese Navy – Taiwanese naval vessels to visit Pacific nations
ABC – Three Taiwanese naval vessels are to visit a number of Pacific island nations as part of what is being dubbed a world ‘gunboat diplomacy’ tour.
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US Marines – Female Marines Put Training to the Test
Leatherneck – This month, female Marines celebrate 62 years of continuous service since they were allowed to join the Women’s Reserve on Feb. 13, 1943, during World War II. When Congress passed the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act in 1948, women were allowed to serve as permanent regular members of the U.S. Armed Forces. Today women are contributing significantly to the success of the Marine Corps through a variety of roles. This article introduces a few good Marines serving their country overseas.
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Geopolitics – Dear Mr. President, Here's How to Make Sense of Your Second Term, Secure Your Legacy, and, oh yeah, Create a Future Worth Living
Esquire – Thomas P.M. Barnett lays out what he feels the Bush Administration’s foreign policy should be in its second term. Fascinating reading???
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Iraq – Insurgents Wage Precise Attacks on Baghdad Fuel
New York Times – An excellent look at the Fourth Generation Warfare campaign being waged by the insurgency in Iraq against the country’s infrastructure.
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