Iraq

A nice tweet: The two ways of doing a map of ISIS control. A: The Big Red Blob. B: The Thin Red Lines. pic.twitter.com/bElTBdzozv — Richard Hall (@_RichardHall) February 20, 2015 Let’s have a closer look at that right-hand map, because it’s a real beauty. There are people. Where the people are, that’s the important…

Read More A more sophisticated version of something I made earlier

Here’s a description of ISIS moving into new territory. “They are ready to die, willingly. They are not afraid of anything,” said Capt. Iyad Shamsi, who witnessed the Islamists’ walkover in June in Abu Kamal, Euphrates river town on Syria’s eastern border with Iraq. But it, as the McClatchy reporter says, was a walkover. “They…

Read More ISIS strengths and weaknesses in one article

OK, still reviewing this book. Can’t really bring myself to Buzzfeedise it. Anyway, we’re moving onto Afghanistan and to “lessons learned”. Who else stood out? Chris “not that one” Brown writes about the NATO HQ in Afghanistan; I looked that up in the index because I can’t think of a single interesting point from his…

Read More Blair’s Generals III: The Blairing

OK, a book. British Generals in Blair’s Wars (Military Strategy and Operational Art), available from the book company. Recommendation from Tom Ricks. I’ve not finished the book yet, but the big stand-out issue here is: Why is nobody responsible? Hardly anyone sees Iraq as anything other than a disaster. Meanwhile, the British armed forces have…

Read More It’s nobody’s fault and nobody is sorry.