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Terrorism Works

I wrote a primer on terrorism a few years ago, which discussed why a rational person could be seduced into acting as a terrorist, and we’re seeing that in real time as protests rock college campuses all across the country.  It’s because terrorism works. Contrary to what the pundits on television will have you believe, terrorists like Hamas don’t conduct attacks solely for the bloodlust – although the Hamas foot soldiers who executed the mission on October 7th certainly could be described as such.  The action has a purpose, [...]

By |2024-06-28T18:31:26-04:00May 9th, 2024|Blog, Featured, Uncategorized|0 Comments
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Elon Musk and the Fallacy of Faux Authority

Elon Musk has made multiple headlines in the last few weeks, none of which had anything to do with electric cars or flying to Mars.  First, out of the blue, he posted a poll on Twitter for his solution to the war in Ukraine, which basically involved Ukraine ceding Crimea to Russia, the United Nations overseeing a vote for the rest of terrain Russia has taken, and Ukraine formally promising to remain “neutral” for eternity.  In other words, Elon’s solution is for Ukraine to capitulate to Putin, thereby [...]

By |2022-11-03T14:18:10-04:00October 15th, 2022|Blog, Featured, Uncategorized|3 Comments
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Ukraine’s No-Fly Zone isn’t as Simple as it Sounds

  Discussion continues about a no-fly zone in Ukraine. The discussion of a no fly zone has been debated for weeks, and I’ve answered many questions from neighbors, friends, readers at book events and folks on social media, and at the end of the day, each question was based on a misconception of what a no fly zone is, how it’s achieved, and what it can accomplish.  A myriad of articles have been written about the mission set, but most are overly long or overly complex, [...]

By |2022-03-14T12:06:00-04:00March 13th, 2022|Blog, Featured|2 Comments
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A Simple Primer on Counter-Leadership Targeting

Amar Mehta, 2022 Lindsey Graham & Vladimir Putin, [https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-invasion-us-republican-senator-lindsey-graham-calls-on-russians-to-assassinate-vladimir-putin-12557148], Sky News. The world is a-twitter (pun intended) after Senator Lindsey Graham’s tweet stating that the only way to end the conflict in Ukraine is by removing Putin – in effect, calling for his assassination. He was immediately rebuked by members of both parties, with Senator Ted Cruz saying it was an “exceptionally bad idea”, Rep. Ilhan Omar simply quote tweeted with “Seriously, Wtf?”, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stated we don’t need, “…bloodthirsty warmongering politicians trying to tweet [...]

By |2023-12-13T15:07:08-05:00March 6th, 2022|Blog, Featured|3 Comments
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This is a NEO. It’s Time to Execute it.

The rapid fall of Kabul tore a hole in my heart. It’s taken me days to get my mind around what we’re witnessing and garner some focus to write this. First and foremost, I’m not surprised at the speed with which this happened.  Why everyone in our defense establishment is surprised, is what baffles me. I’ve been asked many times over the last few days, “What went wrong?” or “How could we have miscalculated so badly?” and my answer is, we didn’t.  Look at the assessments before this [...]

By |2021-08-23T14:17:55-04:00August 22nd, 2021|Blog, Featured, Uncategorized|34 Comments
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No, Soleimani Wasn’t Assassinated.

As is typically true following any military strike, the armchair quarterbacks are out in force on television, and as is also typical, I get aggravated watching them.  I’ve received a lot of questions about the potential repercussions of the act, but have also seen most of the discussion on the news revolve around the legality of the strike —specifically as it relates to Executive Order 12333—which prohibits “assassinations”.  I wrote a blog about this in 2010 and thought it instructive to revisit it and post an updated version. [...]

By |2020-01-05T22:19:13-05:00January 4th, 2020|Blog, Featured, Uncategorized|9 Comments
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Let’s Play Iran’s Game, Not our Own.

Royalty-free stock illustration ID: 455268238 The world woke up yesterday to a bunch of maniacs chanting “Death to America” outside the US Embassy in Iraq, and given what I’ve seen on TV, with references to Benghazi and the seizure of the US embassy in Iran in 1979, I’m pretty sure that the average American has no hope of knowing what’s actually happening.  Watching the news, you’d think that Iraq is either hell bent on kicking us out or killing us, but that’s not the case.  Unfortunately, [...]

By |2023-12-13T13:46:44-05:00January 2nd, 2020|Blog, Featured, Uncategorized|4 Comments
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War with Iran…Three Differences and One Similarity

Royalty-free stock vector ID: 671941873 Iran has come to the forefront of political and military discourse in the last few weeks, and lost in the shuffle of hyperbolic political statements is exactly what a war with Iran would mean and what would be required from the American public and the military. Too often – as I have learned from personal experience – elected officials promise a quick and easy war when it most decidedly will not be either quick or easy. Make no mistake, Iran is [...]

By |2023-12-13T13:51:31-05:00June 27th, 2019|Blog|12 Comments
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Designating the IRGC a terrorist organization? Not a good idea.

Royalty-free stock photo ID: 656642494 Last week, the Trump administration designated the entire Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist group, which finally took effect yesterday.  I’d hoped that saner heads would prevail in the meantime.  While on the surface that seems like the right move, it’s replete with negative ancillary effects that far outweigh any positive ones. Right up front, I’ll say that this idea didn’t arise from just the Trump administration.  I remember writing The Widow’s Strike in 2013, where Pike goes against a [...]

By |2023-12-13T13:53:30-05:00April 17th, 2019|Blog, Uncategorized|9 Comments
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A Realpolitik Look at a Moral Conundrum

Royalty-free stock photo ID: 55843507 The savage murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in a Saudi consulate located in Turkey, followed by his dismemberment by bone saw, has generated worldwide horror and headlines, mostly centered on whether the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman (known as MBS for short), had directly ordered his killing. The argument in the United States has split along moralistic and realistic lines, with the moral side stating that a state-sanctioned murder must be confronted, no matter how powerful the man who [...]

By |2023-12-13T13:54:59-05:00November 26th, 2018|Blog|6 Comments
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Into the Gray Zone

Pike Logan uncovers a geopolitical scheme that has spiraled out of control in India

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