Category Archives: Defense

Leadership Is Not for the Lazy

Posted on Thursday, August 25, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

In 2003 or 2004, recently retired Army Chief of Staff General Eric Shinseki held a breakfast for Harvard students who participated in MIT’s ROTC program and military veterans at the Kennedy School of Government. At the time, the situation in Iraq was at one of … Continue reading →

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Posted in Defense, Leadership, Policy, Politics, War | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Is the Libyan War Over? Not By a Long Shot

Posted on Sunday, August 21, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Al Jazeera reported today that Libyan opposition fighters just seized Tripoli’s Green Square and are celebrating a military victory over Qaddafi’s regime. Now that rebel forces appear to have defeated Qaddafi’s loyalists, the next hurdle will be avoiding further bloodshed amongst themselves.

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Posted in Defense, Energy Security, International Security, Middle East, Policy, Politics, Terrorism, War | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Are Conservatives More Patriotic Than Liberals?

Posted on Sunday, August 21, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

In May of 2011, Gallup published poll results on active duty military personnel / veteran, and non-veteran approval of President Obama’s job performance. Not surprisingly, the job approval rating for President Obama was lower across all age groups for active military / veterans … Continue reading →

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Posted in Defense, International Security, Policy, Politics, War | Tagged , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Strife in the Sinai: Is Egypt’s and Israel’s Peace at an End?

Posted on Saturday, August 20, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

“The Egyptians do not accept what has happened, and it means that Israel should take care. If they continue their behavior toward the Palestinians and the peace process, it means that the situation will escalate more.” — Mohamed Bassiouni, a … Continue reading →

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Posted in Defense, Energy Security, International Security, Media, Middle East, Peak Oil, Policy, Politics, War | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

Game Theory for Middle Eastern Dictators

Posted on Monday, August 15, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Towards a Dominant Strategy In “Saudis Shrug Off Day of Rage: Three Strategies to Suppress a Revolt Before It Starts“, I argued that there are two archetypal models for a dictator to deal with popular revolts in the Middle East: crush them or … Continue reading →

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Posted in Defense, Energy Security, International Security, Mathematics, Middle East, Policy, Politics, Predictions, War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

A Whiff of Grapeshot: What’s Good Enough for Londonderry, is Good Enough for London

Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

“This is criminality, pure and simple, and it has to be confronted and defeated” — British Prime Minister David Cameron As the mayhem in London continues for a fourth night, it is important to determine the trigger, the motivations of the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Crime, Defense, Finance and Economics, Food Security, International Security, Media, Policy, Politics, Social Security, Taxes, Terrorism, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Debt Deal: Pros and Cons

Posted on Monday, August 1, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Now that the House “approved a budget agreement intended to head off a potential government default” 269 to 161, and that the Senate will likely pass the bill tomorrow, the crisis has ended exactly how the bond market predicted it would: … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Defense, Finance and Economics, Healthcare, Media, Policy, Politics, Social Security, Taxes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Not Paying Military If There Is No Debt Deal Is a Bad Idea

Posted on Saturday, July 30, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

I’m getting a sense of deja vu reading Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen’s comments on whether or not military servicemembers will receive their paychecks in the event that Congress cannot reach a deal to raise the country’s debt … Continue reading →

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Posted in Defense, Finance and Economics, International Security, Media, Policy, Politics, Taxes | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Top Turkish Generals Resign En Masse

Posted on Friday, July 29, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

The New York Times just reported that Turkey’s top military commanders resigned en masse today. This development is a negative one for NATO, Turkey, and the broader Middle East. Historically, the Turkish military has been the sole guarantor of stability … Continue reading →

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Posted in Defense, Energy Security, International Security, Media, Middle East, Peak Oil, Policy, Politics, Terrorism, War | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Plague Year: Riveting Novel About Nanotechnology Gone Awry

Posted on Sunday, July 10, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Plague Year is Jeff Carlson’s riveting novel about a nanotech machine plague that breaks out in Northern California, and ultimately kills nearly five billion people. The hook: the machine plague has a hypobaric trigger that renders the plague inert at elevations over 10,000 feet. While I normally do … Continue reading →

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Posted in Book Reviews, California, Central Asia, China, Climate Change, Defense, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, Food Security, International Security, Mathematics, Media, Middle East, Policy, Politics, Science, Technology, War | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments