Center for Strategic Communication

Anne Smedinghoff Didn’t Have to Die Part 2

[ Last week, Zen hosted Pete Turner’s guest post, PRT and State Department Ignorance Fails Us All. Here is part 2 of that article — posted by Charles Cameron for Zen ] . ** Last week I wrote about the tragedy of Anne Smedinghoff, who died on a patrol in...

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...

Saudis Playing with Fire

By Patricia Lee SharpeIf the documents recently made public on Wikileaks are authentic, and they appear to be, then Saudi Arabia seems to be doing a more ambitious job of public diplomacy than the U.S., its originator and once thoroughly competent practitioner. ...

Islamic State, the thrill [ ?? !! ]

[ by Charles Cameron — the violence, the sheer cruelty, is stupefying, true, and frequently misunderstood ] . Example: ISIS crucifies 5 more men in the city of al-Mayadeen- it has now crucified 8 people there in a week. #TerrorFacts http://t.co/SzwJg1IJYa...