The Independent Assessment of the US Army’s Human Terrain System requested by the House Armed Services Committee is scheduled to be completed on 19 July 2010. The Center for Naval Analyses—CNA–was contracted by the Undersecretary of Defense, Intelligence, to conduct the Independent Assessment. According to Tim Sullivan of the CNA, “The International Affairs Group (IAG)… [Read more…]
July 8, 2010 by M. Jamil Hanifi
In Western discourse, the neo-fundamentalist Taleban movement and the noun from which it is derived are awkwardly, often incorrectly, represented. In Paxtu (Pakhtu, Pashto, Pushtu, etc.) the movement is rendered da talebano ghorzang, and in Dari (Afghan Farsi), jonbesh-e taleban. In Paxtu and Dari usage, the noun taleb (student, seeker of knowledge) is gendered, and… [Read more…]
July 6, 2010 by M. Jamil Hanifi
Updated with an addendum (see below) The HTS (Human Terrain System) and the U. S. Marine operations in Marja had nothing to do with the presence of the Taleban resistance forces, “winning the hearts and minds of Afghans”, “winning the cooperation of Afghan civilians”, or “uprising against the insurgency”. The representation of Marja as a… [Read more…]
July 6, 2010 by Maximilian Forte
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Notes from: Big strategy founders on corruption and tribalism Hearts, minds and the same old warlords Go up close to what’s happening in Afghanistan – for example, in the city of Kandahar – and you find crime, corruption, tribal conflict and ordinary people powerless to resist the armed might of the militias. No happy ending… [Read more…]
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July 8, 2010 by John Stanton
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