Mescal Mexico

Since, I will be in Mexico for the Summer and since I have decided to write my thesis on US-Mexico border security. I will devote my next three-month's worth of posts solely to Mexico's security situation and related news events.

I don't have much to report now, but I'm thinking my thesis may cover ways in which the US and Mexico can collaborate to greater enhance security. Since, of course, security is a blanket term that covers many things, so will these posts.

This story from May 16th alleges that prison guards helped 53 dangerous inmates affiliated with the Gulf Cartel escape from a prison in Zacatecas (central Mexico). Eerily parallel was Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's -leader of the Tijuana Cartel - escape from another Mexican prison in January 2001.

Ongoing Pakistan

Some fear and respite

Interesting forum discussion about 2006 Hezbollah-Israel War

some cool parts from the forum's main article...

Regarding how Israel's advanced electronic warfare capabilities were countered by Iranian technology and how Iran may have been using Lebanon as a testing ground for these capabilities:

American and Israeli electronic warfare experts, who visited the combat zone, have concluded that Iran had probably decided to use the Lebanon conflict as the testing ground for its military, intelligence and electronic capabilities in preparation for a future clash with the United States and Israel in a potential anti-nuclear conflict. A major element, which declassified Israeli and allied intelligence sources indicate, was concern over the method that Iranian experts managed to render their Beirut embassy totally impregnable to western most advanced electronic or sophisticated hi-tech penetration. Unconfirmed reports even mentioned a war room in an underground bunker under the embassy, having been placed at Hassan Nasrallah and his staff's disposal, after Hezbollah's own bunker communications were destroyed by Israeli bombing of Hezbollah's Beirut Dahiyah district.

...and how detailed info in Israel didn't help the battleground operations because of lack of dissemination. It didn't even get to the Israel's Lebanon border commander of their 91st Division:

A perusal of thick and detailed secret dossiers might show how deeply Israeli intelligence was able to penetrate certain levels of Hezbollah's alignments, but also how limited in importance this was in the decisive test of utilizing the secrets. "Hezbollah's Combat Concept" dated January 2006 is a highly restricted 130-page booklet, crammed with data on bunkers and Katyusha rockets and other military installations. The problem was, as is unfortunately so often with top secret documents, in hierarchical organizations, that while all this wealth was readily available, its contents were regarded so restricted, that only a select few were allowed to feast their eyes on its contents. The inevitable result was, as ridiculously as it may sound, that even the commander of 91st Division, which was in charge of the Lebanese border, was not party to such life-saving information before the war started on July 12!

Similar to other reports, this forum talks about how effective Hezbollah anti-tank teams were against Israel's armor:

Hezbollah deployed their tank-killer teams in a thin but effective defensive scheme, protecting the villages where the organization's Shiite members reside [...] An estimated 500 to 600 members of their roughly 4,000-strong Hezbollah fighting strength in South Lebanon were divided into tank-killer teams of 5 or 6, each armed with 5-8 anti-tank missiles, with further supplies stored in small fortified well camouflaged bunkers and fortified basements, built to withstand Israeli air attacks.

All-in-all a good insight into some of the intel and tactics used during that war

Qaeda in Pakistan shy away from any credit for the recent Taliban advances

More-and-more the US is becoming aware that our greatest security threat is not in Afghanistan nor Iraq, but instead Pakistan. But, Pakistan's government is having problems focusing its citizenry on a common internal enemy, as there are many subversive groups within Pakistan that take on many members, sympathizers, or just individuals close to the organizations' members through kinship or tribal affiliation. It appears that these groups are coalescing under as a singular Taliban element which is claiming authority over vast parts of Pakistan.

Yet, public outcry in Pakistan is divided between criticisms of the civilian government, reluctant outrage against the Taliban, and America for its drone attacks.

From this story, we here about Zardari's moves against the Taliban in Swat and Buner.

But, what is interesting is the reluctance by al Qaeda in Pakistan to take any credit for the Taliban's moves. Meanwhile, they continue to suffer from drone attacks. The article eludes to Qaeda's strategic view that it best not be seen as fomenting domestic unrest because it fears a possible backlash by would-be local supporters in the event that their operations may turn ugly. In essence, al Qaeda doesn't want to shit where it sleeps.

Other things that I think should be highlighted include Zardari's efforts to get drone technology from the US (which are currently being refused) and al Qaeda's moves to foment domestic discontent with Zardari to the point where he calls of CIA led drone attacks. So, I'm not sure what Zardari's strategic calculus is in this case, i.e. it seems he feels that the drone attacks would receive less domestic criticism if they were conducted by the Pak government instead of the CIA. But this seems counter-intuitive to me.

Countdown...

...to when Pakistan implodes.

Lauren and Heidi, IR-Style

What if Hilary adopts the "Frenemy Doctrine" at State? You know, nations that we hate and we talk shit about all the time but we have to be friends with them for strategic purposes. Kind of like The Hills or Gossip Girl, but on an international level.

1. China: You really can't screw around with this Commie bad boy. Sure, we don't like their human rights violations and toxic baby toys, but they're a huge market and their defense spending is pretty mammoth.
2.?
3.?

Inaugural Post

The first of many posts about international affairs, business, culture, national defense, and politics.

Hopefully, I will be joined by Sam, Lesley, and others...