A lesson from the business strategists: an organization’s strategy is a reflection of its culture, not grand plans made by its leaders. An example from Ancient China shows how this truth applies to crafting strategies of war and peace.I firmly believe that theorists of war and diplomacy have much to gain from studying the business […]
A few links: 1. The foreign affairs bloggers of the Takshashila Institution (formerly “the Indian National Interest”) decided “grade” President Obama’s recent trip to India. This was the result: 2. This seems to reflect the general opinion of the broader Indian public. I infer this from the shifting statements of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), […]
Over the last few weeks there has been quite a bit of hand-wringing over China’s rare earth elements monopoly. For those unfamiliar with the subject, rare earths are a group of 17 elements that can be found together in bastnasite and monazite deposits. Rare earths are necessary to create a wide range of products: cell […]
I consider it a great blessing to live in an age where it is possible to read within minutes of their publication the words of men and women who live thousands of miles away. The internet allows the unparalleled opportunity to understand the narratives of peoples world over – and in real time. I pity […]
This week the Nobel Prize Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xinbao, Charter ’08 author and Chinese dissident. The Chinese Communist Party did not take this news well. Blog-friend Zenpundit offers the following reflections: China is Vulnerable to 4GW and 5GW Mark Safranski (“Zenpundit”). Zenpundit.com. 11 October 2010. The Chinese government’s hamfisted and […]
Two months ago I called attention to Selig Harrison’s claim in a New York Times op-ed that 7,000 Chinese soldiers had been stationed in Gilgit-Balochistan, the Pakistani-controlled section of Kashmir. This week the Pakistani branch of the International Herald Tribune, the Express Tribune, published a forceful riposte to Mr. Harrison’s claims: The Great Media Game […]
A collection of articles, essays, and blog post of merit. THE REPUBLIC Taxes and Presidential Math Veronique de Rugy. The American. 5 October 2010. Mr. de Rugy presents the best graphic of the month: Tip of the Hat to John Kranz of ThreeSources. Social Cohesion and the Bohemian Grove: the Power Elite at Summer Camp […]
In the course of my internet wanderings I came across two very interesting syllabuses. The first was for a Harvard research seminar titled “Chinese Strategic Thought.” The second was for a MIT class named “Chinese Foreign Policy: International Relations and Strategy.” In essence, both classes serve as introduction to the Chinese strategic tradition. As I […]
Earlier this weekend The New York Times reported that Pakistan has allowed some 11,000 Chinese troops into Gilgit-Baltistan, a strategically significant part of the contested Kashmir region. Steve Hynd (of NewsHoggers) beat me to posting on the news. As his thoughts on the situation mirror my own, I direct my readers to his post: China […]
THE REPUBLIC An Uncomfortable Intimacy Joseph Fouche. Committee of Public Safety. 4 August 2010. This is an important piece that addresses many of the themes found on this site. In good time I hope to write a response to it. Though the author does not claim as much, it lays bare one of the fundamental […]
