Haft of the Spear: Publications

A Foundation of Defense of Democracies pub: The Resiliency of the Anbar Salvation Front

A Foundation of Defense of Democracies pub: Further Signs of Reconciliation in Iraq

Whither the brick-and-mortar think tank in an age of free information and readily accessible intellectual discourse? Very well, thank you. While virtual intellectual efforts are taking place on-line, the "virtual think tank" that is able to compete with its physical-world brethren is still in beta release. This is not, however, a situation that will remain static. Early efforts that assembled people virtually for intellectual pursuits have produced promising results, and as people become more comfortable working in virtual environments such successes are likely to grow. Virtual think tanks have distinct advantages and disadvantages over traditional think tanks that extend beyond the technical and into the political and social, and it will take more than a generational shift to bring about meaningful change. The immediate future is likely to produce a synergy between traditional houses of public policy production and the emerging "think tank 2.0" approach.

Continue reading "The Think Tank is Dead; Long Live the Think Tank" »

A Foundation for Defense of Democracies pub: Returning Iraqi Refugeeshttp://www.defenddemocracy.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=636831&attrib_id=7595

Milking a metaphor or wave of the future?

For several days in May, the networks of both public and private institutions in one of the most wired nations in the world were attacked. The alleged perpetrators: Russia. The attacks were eventually put down and the country’s information infrastructure rebooted, but the victim – a member of the NATO alliance - called for retaliation. In the information age is a cyber attack akin to a physical one, and if so, are we prepared to fight and win in cyber space?

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Continue reading "whither cyber war" »

Difficult though it may be, we need to de-politicize intelligence.
02/16/2007 12:00:00 AM

SECRET INTELLIGENCE work is one of the most important tools a government can use to reduce--in Rumsfeldian parlance--"unknown unknowns." Intelligence is a national security decision-making tool, not a ball to be taken out and kicked about when cheap political points need to be scored. Yet now that the Department of Defense Inspector General's Office has released its report on the intelligence-related activities of the Pentagon's Office of Special Plans, that is exactly what is going on.

Continue reading "Abusing Intelligence" »

Searching for accountability on U.S. intelligence spending.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE Nancy Pelosi has reportedly said she will create a new panel to examine President Bush's intelligence budget to ensure that taxpayer funds are being spent wisely. This coincides with another intelligence-related item on her to-do list, which is to attempt to make intelligence decisions more transparent. In essence, Pelosi is angling to pork-bust the intelligence community.

Continue reading "Intellipork" »

Buccaneer.com (PDF), which is my take on how we might help resolve the growing problem of safety and security online. Originally published in the inaugural edition of the Journal of Cyber Conflict Studies, the journal of the Cyber Conflict Studies Association.