Five Good Reads - War Edition

The Long War Journal is an outstanding site that cuts through the BS in war reporting we see from most of the establishment. This story caught our attention this morning, particularly in the wake of the recent following the Supreme Court's ruling June 12 that Guantanamo detainees have a right to access US courts. Congress doesn't get asked enough hard questions on this topic, because they really need to be working to develop the legal framework to help guide the courts, because the consequences of failing to manage those captured in a war where the enemy isn't held accountable for promoting tactics defined as war crimes leads to more war crimes.

Iran has found a new way to wage war against the Kurds, just in time for summer too. Instead of using bullets and bombs, Iran is cutting off their sources of water. There have been many intellectuals predicting the use of water as a weapon in the 21st century, looks like we are seeing the first case where it could happen, because the Kurds, who are very well armed, will not sit quiet and die. The Israeli's, who have been reported to work with the Kurds quietly for years in regards to military training, could factor in this...

Armchair Generalist is looking into the face of the Marines catch-22 in Afghanistan and isn't happy. We don't disagree with his position, but we don't disagree with the reasons the Marines don't follow his advice either. Long term solution combines security and an alternative crop the local population can utilize to grow the economy. We vote biodiesel via algae, but the technology is still a few years away, and the security is at least that long away until Europe steps up.

If you ask me which milblog is the best in terms of all factors one would consider for judgment, my vote goes to Kaboom. No style is as unique, few stories are more interesting, and there are very few first person blogs where you will learn more lessons relevant to the world we live in. As huge fans we want to wish him congratulations on one of his most difficult and rewarding endeavors yet.

Tony Blankley is right, the debate is worth having. It is easy to rush to answer yes or no, but would one have weighed costs and benefits before politics rushes the answer out of ones mouth? Unlikely. One problem with having the debate centric to Bush is that managing the costs and managing the benefits will be an important job for the next administration, and if we are being honest, we don't have much faith in either candidate to reduce the burden of the costs to the American citizen or military while capitalizing on the benefits of victory in the Iraq theater (should it happen) to forwards American interests.

* We have been on the road thus the reduced posting this week, but promise our readers their high expectations for quality content on the blog will be met as time allows.