Our goal is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused. If you find something here you want to blog about yourself (and we hope you do), all we ask is that you do as we do and offer a Hat Tip hyperlink to today's "Winds of War". Welcome!
Special feature: "Where They Get Young Men Like This." Some interesting additional thoughts, too.
TO IRAQ...
On the Battlefield
Firefights in Hillah. Analysis from Phil Carter.
We made the Iraqi leadership cry!!! You just can't make this stuff up.
Or these. War Photos continues to amaze with great, great pictures. Including today's photo of the day.
Did we get him? We certainly tried. Wonder if there will be anything left to identify? Phil Carter also notes that this strike is a prime example of Col. Boyd's "OODA Loop", oft-discussed on this site.
Chemical Ali: Obituary of a Madman.
Report from the front lines: a battle in Baghdad gets hot for 3rd Infantry. In the evening, more fighting. Same winners.
U.S. Marines: "thank god the Iraqi's can't aim." Who trained these guys, Mr. T and the A-Team? Mind you, an army with great marksmanship training might be hazardous to a dictator's health.
Yes, there is a moral difference. (Hat Tip: Command Post)
Laser guided concrete bombs: a useful urban weapon. "Gee, Sgt., why is this really big one called the Jimmy Hoffa Special anyway?"
Tales from the Free Iraqi forces, in-country with American troops. Inspiring and sad all at the same time; a definite must-read.
Letters from the Front Lines: "The War Within."
Good map of Basra (Hat Tip: Acepilots.com), but British positions are now in the city. Looks like it's just mopping up from here. Meanwhile, some Basra citizens are revenging themselves on Saddam Fedayeen. No hiding place down there!
Trent Telenko's "V Corps Lessons Learned" comes from front-line 3rd Infantry Division soldiers in Iraq - and contains an excellent set of tips for any soldiers heading into the theater. We've enhanced it with HTML that pops up key definitions and acronyms for you!
It has to be acknowledged that risk is always part of military operations, and that the invasion of Iraq has gone very well. Yet debate continues, as it should. Andrew Sullivan publishes a letter that provides some very thoughtful criticisms of the war plan, and highlights many of the key trade-offs made. Highly recommended no matter which side you take.
We've moved all of the basic military and Iraq reference materials into their own post. Presenting the Winds of Change.NET Essential War Briefing [Updated April 7, 2003].
Beyond the Battlefield
Iraqwar.RU isn't the GRU, and they're going off the air. No, they're not the public arm of Russian military intelligence (duhhh - can't believe people bought that), but an outfit much like Stratfor. (Hat Tip: The Agonist)
James Lileks has some useful things to say about the reality of war and how it should be conveyed.
Something the BBC will never understand. It's so bad that British sailors on the aircraft Carrier HMS Ark Royal refuse to watch the BBC any more. Rival broadcaster Sky News is now being used instead.
"His statues have fallen and the massive portraits burned, but for many in Basra and elsewhere those images will remain indelibly hammered into their memories until death." Diablogger, in a perceptive essay.
The U.S. State Department clings to the past. Doesn't bode well, especially if this forecast for Iraq's future is accurate. Even if it isn't, it's a very useful guide to the ethnic groups and factions jockeying to shape Iraq's future.
But there are a growing number of Arab intellectuals who believe that a meaningful and culturally appropriate Iraqi democracy is a real possibility. And this blog campaign believes it too (here's the code if you want to join).
Fixing the textbooks will help. The first thing that must stop is the systematic incubation of hatred.
This will help too: war crimes trials. No Belgians. No U.N. kangaroo courts.
The other thing that must stop is the corrupting effect of oil on government accountability. Why not give the public a direct share in oil revenues? It works in Alaska, and boy would that ever make a meaningful statement about American intentions in Iraq and beyond. Just implement it during the transition period, and no government will dare repeal it. (Hat Tip: Instapundit)
Caerdroia explains the full scope of what's at stake in this fight - it's major! To really drive it home, follow that up with this read about "the Toyota Taliban" and the mess they've made in Kosovo. The similarity between UNMIK and the Albanian anmik ("enemy") is eerily appropriate... but this is what the U.S. State Department and the U.N. want for Iraq, unless public pressure creates a different outcome. (Hat Tip: watch/)
A very good discussion of the limits to what we should do in Afghanistan - and Iraq, too.
The Winds of Change.NET consolidated directory of ways you can support the troops. Now international, with some links for Brits and Australians! Anyone out there with more information, incl. the Poles and Czechs? [updated April 1, 2003]
AND BEYOND...
Armed Liberal on Risk & Politics (#4/6)
I have no idea whether the verbal beating Colin Powell's laid on a German TV interviewer shocked the Euros, but by G-d, it certainly shocked me. In a good way. For a change.
Maybe this will help bring some of the Europeans out of their dream palaces, which even European observers are starting to notice bears little resemblance to objective reality.
In past reports, we've predicted the shock of the Arab world once they realized they'd been conned again by their media, and the USA had "suddenly" won. Right on schedule. "Even worse than the Arab Media of 1967," says one commentator... in an Arabic language newspaper, no less.
New Palestinian cabinet and reforms could be over even before they've begun. Why aren't we surprised? The only way to fix this situation is to kill Arafat. The problem may not solve itself in his absence, but it definitely will not solve itself as long as he lives.
Andre Glucksmann discusses "The Cult of Guaranteed Sovereignty". Great translation of the Le Monde article by Winds of Change.NET affiliate watch/
"Toxic Terror Tick-Tock" looks at the issue of terrorists with biochemical weapons: the past, our present, and possible futures.
More on the Agonist affair, which we covered last week. The comments are worth your time, and the link to yesterday's WIRED article is in there too.
I try to close on a more humourous note if possible. Looks like we've found a new Iraqi missile. Should have suspected all along.
Joe --
Do you realize the irony of mentioning Agonist and Stratfor in the same item?
(Check Instapundit, Yourish, and others regarding their 'connection'.)
Yes. It's listed lower down in Winds of War. Haven't seen that Iraqwar.RU scoop anywhere else; Sean-Paul does some good research, too.