Open Source Intelligence and SNA
Harvard professor David Lazer on the current open source intelligence effort (regarding declassified documents on Iraq) –
…I suspect what will happen, in contrast to open source software projects (which have a certain degree of central management to guarantee continued coherence), is that multiple truths will emerge, where what is ideologically meritorious will float to the top in different communities.
Interesting.
Good News
Ranting Prof – Bill Crawford gives hope to those that ignore the security situation in Iraq. All I see are attempts at reconstruction with ridiculous price tags (what are we doing building a $3.4 billion subway in Baghdad?), a list of targets, and a complete lack of understanding of the sectarian conflict occurring at this very moment.
Blood is on Crawford and his ilk’s hands.
AQ Leaving Iraq
Al Qaeda is leaving Iraq –
Officials said no more than several hundred Al Qaida operatives were believed to be in Iraq. They said more than 2,000 Al Qaida fighters had been operating in the country until 2005.
This is not a glass half full situation. The civil war is in place.
New Links
Just added Coming Anarchy, Phatic Communion, Mapping Strategy, Opposed System Design, tdaxp and ZenPundit to the blog roll on the right side. These are all smart guys who understand Barnett, Robb and the security dynamics on the horizon. Bottom up thinking at its best.
My next administrative task is to modify the category structure all the posts are filed under to something that actually makes sense.
Iraqi Drug Trafficking
Reuters –
Officials at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs are concerned about a noticeable increase in drug trafficking and drug addiction, especially following the seizure of large quantities of “class A” narcotics by police.
…Based on investigations in Kerbala and Baghdad, drugs are coming in from Afghanistan through Iran, creating what local officials are calling a major new drug route to neighbouring countries and Europe. Afghanistan is said to supply almost 90 percent of the world’s opium, from which heroine is derived.
Drugs offer a great return on investment due exorborant markup, a steady demand, and little hope for decline of said demand when “…the lack of specialised centres for the treatment of drug addiction…” is taken into account.
We are witnessing more mainstream black globalization creep into Iraq. This globalization originally only involved flows of insurgents and materials to make them more efficient at their tasksets. That market is saturated. Now we are seeing these guerrillas increase their connectivity with the illicit economy to garner more power than their peers.