Center for a New American Security

A few of you inquired as to the title of that new anthology on counterinsurgency for which Dave Kilcullen contributed an excellent chapter on intelligence. It has not been published yet, but you can pre-order it here.

My colleague Kristin Lord has been asking around, trying to find out who is in charge of our communications efforts in Afghanistan. The answer, apparently, is you. Abu Muqawama readers are hereby invited to participate in the "Why Afghanistan Matters" video contest. The snarkiest entries will be posted here.

Londonstani is off doing his undercover journalism thing and can't blog at the moment but sent this story along, saying it was one of the more insightful articles he had read in some time on Pakistan.

For a long time the Taliban presented themselves as the lost link to a pure past, a conduit to a simple life and eternal salvation.

 

Only four weeks ago most Urdu television channels were acting as cheerleaders for the Taliban.

 

Those of you who do not live in the DC area or could not attend yesterday's event can listen to Thomas Rid and me discuss his important new book here. (Pardon the scratchy audio.)

I just finished moderating a great conversation with Thomas Rid about his new book, War 2.0: Irregular Warfare in the Information Age.

Check out the media embed information from CJTF 101. Download the "RC East Questionnaire." It's pretty standard stuff -- "Are you allergic to any medications?" -- until the end, where you fill out a "brief but detailed purpose of why you are requesting to embed, your story angle and the intent of your coverage ... THIS IS YOUR STORY PITCH TO THE REQUESTED UNIT."

The Sun is the most effective instrument of what passes for allied information operations. That's really sad. (Thanks, Mitch.)

I have often used this blog to whine about the left-of-center Guardian/Observer, but for my money, its coverage of the ongoing conflict in Gaza has been about as good as any English-language non-Israeli media outlet. (I'm endorsing only the hard reporting and analysis -- not the opinion pieces.) Beirut-based Mitch Prothero is a first-rate American journalist with more time in Iraq than most U.S. soldiers I know.