Links for 8 May 2008
Right, that’s exams out of the way, so posting can resume on a more or less regular basis. Although I’m mindful of my recent link-heavy posts, I need to clear the decks, so here’s a round-up of the last few days:
Marc Lynch at Abu Aardvark links to three new reports on the ‘War of Ideas’:
- Sharifa Zuhur, US Army War College’s Strategic Studies Institute, Precision in the Global War on Terror: Inciting Muslims Through the War of Ideas. Argues that US attempts to combat radical Islamism fail in part because of imprecise messaging and conceptualization of the problem – specifically, that Muslims “are unable to identify with the proposed transformative countermeasures because they discern some of their core beliefs and institutions as targets in this endeavor.”
- Matthew Levitt and Michael Jacobson, WINEP, Highlighting Al-Qaeda’s Bankrupt Ideology. Argues that success against al-Qaeda lies in going negative and exposing its true radicalism: “one of al-Qaeda’s goals is to “create a perception of a worldwide movement more powerful than it actually is.” Consequently, the United States seems to be making a concerted effort to avoid contributing to this phenomenon.” [see also CT Blog on this report]
- Hisham Hellyer, Brookings, Engagement with the Muslim Community and Counterterrorism: British Lessons for the West. “This paper looks to provide policy recommendations for Western governments with significant Muslim populations. To provide useful counsel, these recommendations are based on a narrative of events in the UK surrounding the 7/7 bombing and its aftermath (with some reference to the wider European context).”
As Dr. iRack at Abu Muqawama says: “you can’t make this sh*t up”, Green Zone Disney! Seriously!. Disney & Friends are planning to transform areas of a future peaceful Baghdad into simulacra of what every war-ravaged country needs – amusement parks, shopping malls, etc. The comments to this post are well worth reading. As is the late Jean Baudrillard on the first Gulf War, Disneyfication and Smurfland here.
The American way of bioterror – an A-Z of ricin crackpots, George Smith in The Register [via Armchair Generalist] – media hyperbole, dose administration and failed Darwinism.
Found article: Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2007). The benefits of Facebook “friends:” Social capital and college students’ use of online social network sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(4), article 1 [available here]:
This study examines the relationship between use of Facebook and the formation and maintenance of social capital. In addition to assessing bonding and bridging social capital, we explore a dimension of social capital that assesses one’s ability to stay connected with members of a previously inhabited community, which we call maintained social capital. Regression analyses suggest a strong association between use of Facebook and the three types of social capital, with the strongest relationship being to bridging social capital. In addition, Facebook usage was found to interact with measures of psychological well-being, suggesting that it might provide greater benefits for users experiencing low self-esteem and low life satisfaction.
Chatham House conference, 30-31 October 2008, Technology: a platform for development?
Technology is widely perceived as being one of the key enablers for facilitating development throughout the world, with technologies such as broadband and mobile access already transforming the lives of many. However, the introduction of technology poses considerable challenges on a wide range of levels, including the political environment, the regulatory framework, the available infrastructure and public acceptance.
This conference will seek to identify best practice for achieving the successful implementation of the optimum technology throughout the developing world. What are the most suitable technologies? Which particular sectors could benefit the most from the introduction of technology? How can investment be encouraged? How can it be ensured that implementation is successful?
Al Qaeda 2.0, Menassat -’takes another look at Ayman Al-Zawahiri’s recent online Q&A and what it says about the evolution of Al Qaeda’s media strategy’ [via Civilian Irregular Information Defense Group].
Strategic Collapse in the War on Terror, American Thinker interprets the recent linguistic juggling in the US government’s Guide for Counterterrorism Communication [.pdf, DHS report .pdf] as a strategic collapse:
It does nothing to improve our strategic comprehension of the threat or improve our foreign strategic communications; in fact it reinforces existing conceptual problems and risks confusing our messaging with our own actual knowledge of the jihadist threat. It is a failure of commission, a collapse of competency and reason. It is a collapse of precision and possibly the most profound setback in the war on terror since 9-11, when the global jihad brought itself to our attention.
Jeffery Imm at Counterterrorism Blog addresses this issue in more depth.
In a similar vein, ComingAnarchy asks: ‘Can the GWOT really even be called a war or is it simply America’s adapting to a new reality?’ Not a new question admittedly but aren’t both true?
As I was pondering whether GWOT is war or not in a sweaty exam hall yesterday afternoon, I was missing the DoD bloggers’ roundtable with Thomas Mahnken, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy Planning on SecDef Gates’ ideas for the academic outreach Minerva Consortium. Reactions to it from COMOPS, Danger Room, Kings of War and Insurgency Research Group.
Virtual Worlds require Virtual-HUMINT (VHUMINT), Roderick Jones at Counterterrorism Blog – ‘The excellent Dark Web project at Arizona Universities Artificial Intelligence Lab has recently completed research into the use of Web 2.0 media by International jihadi groups. While fascinating in some respects it also clearly demonstrates how traditional text-mining attempts to collect data can be applied to some Web 2.0 applications, but miss the mark with virtual worlds.’ More on this at a later date, I feel, but read ThreatsWatch for now.
As a counterpoint to this: Terrorists operating in Second Life? Unlikely, IntelFusion – ‘That’s the finding of a thoroughly researched report issued by the Institute for Intelligence Studies at Mercyhurst College.’ [also at Reuters and Virtually Blind]
Army’s prototype system uses RFID tags to track weapons use, Government Computer News.
America’s Chemically Modified 21st Century Soldiers, AlterNet – ‘psychological kevlar’ is alive and well.
Photos of Hiroshima from the Robert L. Capp Collection – previously unpublished photos of post-nuclear horror. Sobering stuff.
Cyberwarfare: Darpa’s New ‘Space Race’, Danger Room – ‘nearly every arm of the government’s security apparatus is starting work on a massive national cybersecurity initiative, designed to protect the United States from electronic attack (and strike at adversaries online, as well). Darpa’s role: create a cyberwarfare range where all these new forms of electronic combat can be tried out.’ See Sam Liles’ take on this here, and his collection of useful links here.
Cartographic Paranoia, Ghosts of Alexander – great post about the psychological implications of redrawing boundaries in the Middle East and Afghanistan.
Scotland’s new counter-terrorism chief: neo-Nazis as much of a threat as al-Qaeda, Sunday Herald – ‘Scotland’s new terror tsar has warned that the threat from right-wing extremism is as damaging to community relations as the menace posed by al-Qaeda.’
Anti-terror expert argues how to ‘Crush the Cell’, MSNBC.com – Michael A. Sheehan takes aim at “terror punditry” and misdirected government priorities. Sheehan, a veteran of special ops, international diplomacy and clashes with federal agencies, lays out simple, logical arguments. An excerpt from “Crush the Cell: How to Defeat Terrorism Without Terrorizing Ourselves.”
An interview with ubicomp-guru Adam Greenfield from French magazine Chronic’art annotated by Adam on his own blog Speedbird.
Social Network for Hackers Launched by Gnucitizen, Thoughts of a Technocrat – ‘House of Hackers is intended to be a social network where hackers can make contacts, form groups, and exchange views. In addition, organizations and companies in the “hacker recruitment market” can post calls for project tenders, creating a kind of jobs board for members of the network.’
And finally, Zenpundit’s been busy, and has replied to a recent challenge, On Historians and Futurists. Excellent post, and I really must respond.
Phew. That’s better. Hope there’s something of interest for everyone in there. Now I have to do the housework – damn meatspace …
