PERSONNEL
HISTORY
ESSENTIAL READING | The Outrageous and Innovative General Orde Wingate
Fire in the Night, by British journalists John Bierman and Colin Smith, examines the huge impact of a unique British officer, Major General Orde Wingate, who died in Burma in 1944 during World War II.
STRATEGY & INTELLIGENCE
The Limits of Long-Range Planning
Plans of attack rarely survive the first shot. Flexibility, guided by strategic principles, is key.
STRATEGIC PHILOSOPHY
Civilization and Culture: The Strategic Foundation of Everything
We have become obsessed with the belief that technology, not people, wins wars and dominates economies. But destroying cultures and civilizations is what weakens societies.
SECURITY, UNREST & WAR
STRATEGIC TRAJECTORIES | Nepal Emerges as a Pivotal Point in PRC Insurrection Process
Opposition inside the PRC noted not only the Nepal example, but also the protests which recently toppled the governments of Syria and Bangladesh. Beijing will note the Nepali example as a threat to the PRC’s internal security situation in occupied Tibet, which Beijing has been at pains to contain.
STRATEGIC PHILOSOPHY
EARLY WARNING | Pursuing the Wisdom of Endless Questioning
Cynicism and apathy — often products of older age — can be as dangerous as the smugness and ignorance of youth in shaping national policy.
DIPLOMACY, ALLIANCES & TREATIES
Still Not a Priority? The End of the Antarctic Treaty
STRATEGY & INTELLIGENCE
Global Strategic Transition: Can it be Managed?
Is the two-faced Janus the god of the world’s present transition from one era to the next?
DIPLOMACY, ALLIANCES & TREATIES
EN CLAIR | How Much Does BRICS Really Impact the World?
CULTURE, PSYCHOLOGY & MEDIA
Élites as an Informal Influence on Society
Élites of all types exert influence on society, and therefore on government and policy. In a period of disruption, such as now, can we expect — and do we need — the stabilizing resurrection of traditionally-respected figures of influence to calm the transition?
DIPLOMACY, ALLIANCES & TREATIES
The Art of the Deal?
Short-term, transactional deals now emerging may ensure that the global transformation could be less decisive, less dramatic, and less effective than anticipated. But they may also be less disruptive, carrying many of the bad habits and ills of the past into the future.
STRATEGY & INTELLIGENCE
STRATEGIC TRAJECTORIES | Clearing the Paths to and from Central Asia
Resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan dispute could effectively end the OSCE’s Cold War and post-Cold War era of “freezing conflicts” rather than resolving them decisively through the efforts of the opposing parties. This is part of the post-post-Cold War world of substantive change.