Center for Strategic Communication

New Book- The Envoy: From Kabul to the White House

[by Mark Safranski / a.k.a  “zen“] The Envoy: From Kabul to the White House […] by Zalmay Khalilzad Just received a courtesy review copy of The Envoy, the memoir of Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, from Christine at St. Martin’s Press. Khalilzad...

Small Wars and Big Thoughts

[by Mark Safranski / “zen“] U.S. Marines display captured flag of Nicaraguan rebels led by Augusto Cesar Sandino While pop-centric COIN may be dead, small wars and irregular warfare will always be with us. We might say they are in the fourth or fifth...

Reversals and blowbacks

[ by Charles Cameron — cf. boustrophedon, enantiodromia, ouroboros, paradox, unintended consequences ] . I have had this graphic around for a while: As you can see, I originally intended it to accompany a quote from Oliver Wendell Holmes: We should be eternally...

New Book: Relentless Strike by Sean Naylor

[by Mark Safranski, a.k.a. “zen“] Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command by Sean Naylor I just received a courtesy review copy of Relentless Strike from John at St. Martin’s Press.  Increasingly viewed as a...