Iraq & Sub-continent Wars – my articles

There are three reference pages with information about the Iraq War.  This page is an archive of my articles about Afghanistan and Iraq.  There are two other “reference pages” about our wars in the Middle East.

1. The iraq war — other valuable articles and reports
2. Our Goals and Benchmarks for the Expedition to Iraq. 

Also valuable is the The Counterinsurgency Library — a vast listing of online articles about COIN.

Contents

1. About our wars in the Middle East and sub-continent
2. About the War in Afghanistan
3. About the War in Pakistan
4. About the War in India
5. About the War in Iraq

1.  About our wars in the Middle East and sub-continent

• A guide to our Middle East Wars – change you cannot see, 31 March 2009
• Is America a destabilizing force in the world?, 23 January 2009
• “Going for Broke – 6 ways the Af-Pak War is Expanding” – Engelhardt, 26 May 2009
• Can we answer SecDef Gates’ question about NATO and the Af-Pak War?, 19 May 2009
• Advice about our long war – “It’s the tribes, stupid”, 10 June 2009
• “War without end”, a great article by George Wilson, 27 June 2009
• Another attempt to justify our Af-Pak war, and show the path to victory, 31 August 2009
• The advocates for the Af-pak war demonstrate their bankruptcy. Will the American public notice?, 1 September 2009
• A new reason to kill thousands of people? Stay tuned for the answer!, 24 September 2009
• Juan Cole describes A Century of Frenzy over the North-West Frontier, 27 September 2009

2.  About the War in Afghanistan

1. Scorecard #2: How well are we doing in Iraq? Afghanistan?, 31 October 2003
2. Quote of the day: this is America’s geopolitical strategy in action, 26 February 2008 — George Friedman of Statfor on the Afghanistan War.
3. Another perspective on Afghanistan, a reply to George Friedman, 27 February 2008
4. How long will all American Presidents be War Presidents?, 21 March 2008
5. Why are we are fighting in Afghanistan?, 9 April 2008 — A debate with Joshua Foust.
6. We are withdrawing from Afghanistan, too (eventually), 21 April 2008
7. Roads in Afghanistan, a new weapon to win 4GW’s?, 26 April 2008
8. A powerful weapon, at the sight of which we should tremble and our enemies rejoice, 2 June 2008
9. Brilliant, insightful articles about the Afghanistan War, 8 June 2008
10. The good news about COIN in Afghanistan is really bad news, 20 August 2008
11. Stratfor says that our war in Pakistan grows hotter; Palin seems OK with that, 12 September 2008
12. Pakistan warns America about their borders, and their sovereignty, 14 September 2008
13. Weekend reading about … foreign affairs, 19 October 2008
14. “Strategic Divergence: The War Against the Taliban and the War Against Al Qaeda” by George Friedman, 31 January 2009
15. America sends forth its privateers to pillage, bold corsairs stealing from you and I, 9 February 2009
16. “The Great Afghan Bailout” by Tom Engelhardt, 14 April 2009
17. Stratfor: “The Strategic Debate Over Afghanistan”, 13 May 2009
18. A joust between two schools of American military theory, 19 May 2009
19. Can we answer SecDef Gates’ question about NATO and the Af-Pak War?, 19 May 2009
20. Troops without proper equipment in 2004, troops without proper equipment in 2009 – where’s the outrage?, 20 May 2009
21. New bases in Afghanistan – more outposts of America’s Empire, 21 May 2009
22. The simple, fool-proof plan for victory in Afghanistan , 1 June 2009
23. Advice about our long war – “It’s the tribes, stupid”, 9 June 2009
24. An expert explains why we must fight in Afghanistan, 11 June 2009
25. Real experts review a presentation about the War (look here, if you’re looking for well-written analysis!), 21 June 2009
26. The Big Lie at work in Afghanistan – an open discussion, 23 June 2009
27. The trinity of modern warfare at work in Afghanistan, 13 July 2009
28. “Strategic Calculus and the Afghan War” by George Friedman of Stratfor, 17 July 2009
29. Powerful insights about our war in Afghanistan, part 1, 18 July 2009
30. We are warned about Afghanistan, but choose not to listen (part 2), 19 July 2009
31. Powerful insights about our war in Afghanistan, part 3, 20 July 2009
32. An important contribution to the debate about the Afghanistan War, 12 August 2009
33. The beginning of the end to our war in Afghanistan, 13 August 2009
34. You can end our war in Afghanistan, 20 August 2009
35. We must stay in Afghanistan to prevent atomic war!, 24 August 2009
36. Quote of the day: Our Afghanistan War explained in 22 words, 26 August 2009
37. Foust describes the case for our war in Afghanistan, 28 August 2009
38. Today’s volleys in the domestic battle about Afghanistan, 2 September 2009
39. Fact Sheet about US militiary operations in Afghanistan, 3 September 2009
40. Here’s a politician with guts (too bad he’s Scottish, we could use more like him), 4 September 2009
41. Every day the war’s advocates find new reasons we should fight in Afghanistan!, 7 September 2009
42. “Afghanistan by the Numbers – Measuring a War Gone to Hell”, by Tom Engelhardt, 9 September 2009
43. How many troops would it take to win in Afghanistan?, 15 September 2009
44. Let’s blow the fog away and see what General McChrystal really said, 23 September 2009
45. A new reason to kill thousands of people? Stay tuned for the answer!, 24 September 2009
46. About those large and growing Afghanistan security forces…, 26 September 2009
47. A General explains how the Green Lantern Theory of Geopolitics will bring us victory in Afganistan, 27 September 2009
48. DoD did not consider troop levels when devising our latest Af-Pak war plans, more evidence that their OODA loop is broken, 8 October 2009
49. Powerful and insightful new articles by Macgregor, 10 October 2009
50. Stop and reflect on this key moment in US history, 12 October 2009
51. The three kinds of advocacy for the Af-Pak War, 15 October 2009
52. Stratfor: The U.S. Challenge in Afghanistan, 21 October 2009
53. Why All the President’s Afghan Options Are Bad Ones, 5 November 2009
54. Bernard Finel shows how to end the Af-Pak in days. Now. Guaranteed., 6 November 2009

3.  About the War in Pakistan

1. Is Pakistan’s Musharraf like the Shah of Iran? (if so, bad news for us), 8 November 2007
2. Stratfor says that our war in Pakistan grows hotter; Palin seems OK with that, 12 September 2008
3. NPR tells us more about America’s newest war, in Pakistan, 14 September 2008
4. Pakistan warns America about their borders, and their sovereignty, 14 September 2008
5. Weekend reading about … foreign affairs, 19 October 2008
6. To good a story to die: eliminate legitimate grievances to eliminate terrorism, 9 December 2008
7. About the 4GW between India and Pakistan, 6 January 2009
8. The US tells Pakistan to pick a side. Or else…, 4 May 2009
9. Why are we fighting in Pakistan, 14 May 2009
10. The love of an ally is sweet to behold, 21 August 2009
11. Are we defending the Pakistan of our dreams, or the real thing?, 7 October 2009

4.  About the War in India

1. Is Pakistan’s Musharraf like the Shah of Iran? (if so, bad news for us), 8 November 2007
2. Terrorism in India, a roster of incidents, 16 May 2008
3. Stratfor says that our war in Pakistan grows hotter; Palin seems OK with that, 12 September 2008
4. NPR tells us more about America’s newest war, in Pakistan, 14 September 2008
5. Pakistan warns America about their borders, and their sovereignty, 14 September 2008
6. To good a story to die: eliminate legitimate grievances to eliminate terrorism, 9 December 2008
7. About the 4GW between India and Pakistan, 6 January 2009
8. “Some people just want to see the world burn”, 17 January 2009
9. 4GW in India – more people who want to watch the world burn, 19 January 2009
10. India looks at the monster in the mirror, 21 January 2009

5.  About the War in Iraq

1. Scorecard #1: How well are we doing in Iraq? How well is our opposition doing?  (22 September 2003)
2. Scorecard #2: How well are we doing in Iraq? Afghanistan?  (31 October 2003)
3. Scorecard #3: the Coalition’s Progress in Iraq  (9 November 2003)
4. Scorecard #4: New developments in Iraq  (22 November 2003)
5. Forecasts for the American Expedition to Iraq   (30 November 2005)
6. Lessons Learned from the American Expedition to Iraq   (29 December 2005)
7. Forecasts for the American Expedition to Iraq – the Sequel  (7 March 2006)
8. Part I – Situation Report on the Expedition to Iraq ( 12 November 2006)
9. Part II – What Should We Do in Iraq?   (9 December 2006)
10. Part III – More Paths to Failure in Iraq  (19 December 2006)
11. Part IV – Why We Lose at 4GW  (4 January 2007)
12. Part V – The Iraq insurgency has ended, which opens a path to peace  (13 March 2007)
13. The Core Competence of America’s Military Leaders  (22 May 2007)
14. News from the Front: America’s military has mastered 4GW!   (2 September 2007)
15. Stories or statistics? Read and compare to find the truth!  (5 September 2007)
16. Beyond Insurgency: An End to Our War in Iraq (21 September 2007)
17. The Iraq War as a warning for America (1 October 2007)
18. Kilcullen explains all you need to know about the Iraq War  (6 October 2007)
19. How to accurately forecast trends of the Iraq War  (15 October 2007)
20. Why we are winning in Iraq…  (9 November 2007)
21. Matthew Yglesias asks a good question about Iraq  (4 January 2008)
22. Three blind men examine the Iraq Elephant  (6 February 2008)
23. How the Iraq and Vietnam wars are mirror images of each other  (7 February 2008)
24. Truly cracked advice to the State Department, receiving wide applause   (13 February 2008)
25. Surrender in Al Anbar province  (14 February 2008)
26. Good news about Iraq   (18 February 2008)
27. Today’s ABCD’s: About Blitzkrieg, COIN, and Diplomacy   (21 February 2008)
28. Another perspective on Cordesman’s “A briefing from the battlefield”  (29 February 2008)
29. A look at the next phase of the Iraq War: 2009-2012  (1 March 2008)
30. Stratfor’s analysis of US reasons for invading and occupying Iraq   (4 March 2008)
31. The oddity of reports about the Iraq War  (13 March 2008) — Some theories why after 5 years we still debate basic things about the Iraq War. 
32. General McCaffery reports about conditions in Iraq  (21 March 2008)
33. Imperial viceroys in Iraq  (22 March 2008)
34. Stratfor again attempts to explain why we invaded Iraq  (24 March 2008)
35. War porn   (25 March 2008) – Discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the war-bloggers’ reporting in Iraq.
36. Different voices discussing about the events in Basra  (27 March 2008)
37. More views of the events at Basra (1) - experts  (28 March 2008)
38. More views of the events at Basra (2) — bloggers and war-bloggers  (28 March 2008) – Contrast the war bloggers’ reports with those of some experts.
39. More views of the events at Basra (3) — background information   (28 March 2008)
40. A rebuttal to “War Porn” (it takes 2 sides to have a discussion)  (29 March 2008)  – A defense of the war bloggers, and the author’s reply.
41. Two comparisons of Vietnam and Iraq   (30 March 2008)
42. A look at the writings of “war blogger” Michael J. Totten  (31 March 2008) — excerpts of his posts from 2003 – 2005.
43. News you can trust about the fighting in Basra!  (31 March 2008) — Two perspectives on recent events.
44. An email discussion with Michael Totten  (31 March 2008) – How has his reporting changed? What does he wish he had done differently?
45. Evidence of the war bloggers’ growing influence  (2 April 2008)
46. Basra, a test case: war blogger’s vs. experts  (2 April 2008)
47. Experts’ views about the recent fighting in Basra  (2 April 2008)
48. Some comments by Bill Roggio  (3 April 2008)
49. Sources of the Instapundit’s knowledge about Iraq — analysis or cartoons?  (3 April 2008)
50. Bill Roggio comments on this series about “war bloggers”   (4 April 2008)
51. We are withdrawing again from Iraq, forever  (12 April 2008) — a survey of the Stratfor database from 2003 to now shows 21 articles about promises or hints of reducing US forces in Iraq.
52. “The Price of the Surge”  (17 April 2008)
53. Another volley in the battle of the anthropologists  (18 April 2008)
54. The media discover info ops, with outrage!  (22 April 2008)
55. Two views of Fallujah – which tells us more about the future?   (23 April 2008)
56. Only our amnesia makes reading the newspapers bearable  (30 April 2008)
57. Mocking the “culture clash” reporting about the Iraq War  (6 May 2008)
58. Is Iraq like “Groundhog Day” or “whack a mole”?   (11 May 2008)
59. Scoring Basra: War bloggers 2, area experts 0   (14 May 2008)
60. Important news about the Basra fighting  (14 May 2008)
61. The Iraq War will end in 2009   (19 May 2008)
62. Iraq, after the war    (20 May 2008)
63. Are the American people willing to accept the costs of war?  (21 May 2008)
64. Keeping score: how well did 4GW theory predict events in Iraq?  (21 May 2008)
65. Two stories about Basra and Sadr City – you decide who is winning  (22 May 2008)
66. “America’s Greatest Weapon”    (25 May 2008)
67. Winning hearts and mind with artillery fire  (26 May 2008)
68. Iraq Army success in Sadr City: true or false  (26 May 2008)
69. The cost of the Iraq War   (27 May 2008)
70. Update: Is al-Sistani about to call for US forces to leave Iraq?  (28 May 2008)
71. Another example of winning hearts & minds with artillery  (29 May 2008)
72. A NY Times reporter proves that we still do not understand Iraq  (31 May 2008)
73. A powerful weapon, at the sight of which we should tremble and our enemies rejoice  (2 June 2008)
74. Iraq wonders if America will respect them in the morning  (5 June 2008)
75. About those expert-sounding discussions of Iraq politics by Americans…  (9 June 2008)
76. The Real War in Iraq, seldom mentioned so as to not disturb the slumber of America  (16 June 2008)
77. Colonel Macgregor sums up the state of the Iraq War   (2 July 2008)
78. What we did we wrong in Iraq – the simple, short version  (9 July 2008)
79. Slowly the new Iraq becomes visible  (18 July 2008)
80. A moment of truth about Iraq; apologies quickly follow – please forget this ASAP!    (3 August 2008)
81. A larger lesson from the delayed elections in Iraq, 8 August 2008
82. Can anyone explain General Petraeus’ answer?, 8 August 2008
83. A lesson learned from the fighting in Basra: the war-bloggers were correct; the experts wrong, 17 September 2008
84. Visiting Iraq’s “Don’s” from the Inside of an Armored BMW, 5 March 2009
85. Brief update about events in Iraq, 8 April 2009
86. If we won in Iraq, what did we win? Was it worth the cost?, 15 July 2009
87. “Colonizing Iraq”, by Michael Schwartz, 25 July 2009
88. “Iraq Endgame” by George Friedman, 22 August 2009
89. “Biking Out of Iraq”, by Tom Engelhardt, 23 August 2009