PBS Frontline Presents: BAD VOODOO'S WAR

FRONTLINE presents BAD VOODOO'S WAR

Tuesday, April 1, 2008, at 8 P.M. CT on PBS

In June 2007, as the American military surge reached its peak, a band of National Guard infantrymen who call themselves the "Bad Voodoo Platoon" was deployed to Iraq. To capture a vivid, first-person account of the new realities of war in Iraq for FRONTLINE and ITVS director Deborah Scranton (The War Tapes) created a "virtual embed" with the platoon, supplying cameras to the soldiers so they could record and tell the story of their war. The film intimately tracks the veteran soldiers of "Bad Voodoo" through the daily grind of their perilous mission, dodging deadly IEDs, grappling with the political complexities of dealing with Iraqi security forces, and battling their fatigue and their fears.

Learn more... visit PBS

New at CARL: The Commission : the uncensored history of the 9/11 investigation

Check our holdings: The Commission : the uncensored history of the 9/11 investigation

Summary from the Book Jacket: "In 2002, the most important federal commission in decades was established to examine the events surrounding the worst attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. In 2004, the 9/11 Commission issued its unanimous report to broad acclaim." "Now, in this groundbreaking investigation of the 9/11 investigators, veteran New York Times journalist Philip Shenon reveals stunning shortcomings in the Commission's work - a series of oversights, omissions, and distortions that raise fundamental questions about 9/11 and the government's failure to prevent it." "The Commission is an eye-opening account of how Washington really works: the manipulations of politicians, the secrets of intelligence officers, the battles over information, the pursuit of truth."

Related podcast: Listen to this C-Span After Words interview of the author Philip Shenon

New at CARL - Beyond the green zone

Check our holdings of this title: Beyond the green zone : dispatches from an unembedded journalist in occupied Iraq

Dahr Jamail has spent more time reporting from Iraq than almost any other US journalist. In these collected dispatches, Jamail presents never-before-published details of the siege of Fallujah and examines the origins of the Iraqi insurgency.

Book Review: the Nation magazine

Watch this Book TV C-Span Interview with the author

The World This Week: Taiwan - Iraq - Iran - more

March 21, 2008 View this newsletter as a web page on CFR.org In this Issue: • Politics in the Strait • The Iraq War: Five Years On • Conservative Conundrum in Iran • Talking to Hamas? Politics in the Strait A new president in Taiwan may herald an era of better relations with China, though events in Tibet have energized Taiwan's campaigning. Read more Backgrounder: China-Taiwan Relations CFR.org Interview with John D. Negroponte, Deputy Secretary of State: China Mostly "In Sync" With U.S. on Iran Task Force Report: U.S.-China Relations—An Affirmative Agenda, A Responsible Course CFR Experts on China and Taiwan The Iraq War: Five Years On On the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war, CFR.org offers a selection of recent analysis and other resources to provide context to the conflict. Read more Council Special Report: After the Surge—The Case for U.S. Military Disengagement from Iraq Interactive Slideshow: Five Years of War in Iraq Campaign 2008 Issue Tracker: The Candidates on Iraq CFR Experts on Iraq Conservative Conundrum in Iran Western powers criticize Iran's election, but the vote could weaken Iran’s president and advance an explicit if unstated goal of Washington and its allies. Read more CFR.org Interview with Farideh Farhi: New Iranian Majlis Will Be Critical of Ahmadinejad on Domestic Issues Op-ed: "Iran's Orchestrated Elections" by Ray Takeyh (International Herald Tribune) CFR Meeting Video: Intelligence Analysis—Continuity and Change with Thomas Fingar, Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Analysis CFR Experts on Iran Talking to Hamas? In an interview with CFR.org, Steven Cook says he sees no chance the United States would deal directly with Hamas in the Israeli-Palestinian dialogue. Read more Foreign Affairs: "The New Middle East" by Richard N. Haass Interactive Timeline: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict CFR Experts on Israel and the Palestinian Authority New Council Book on Sharia and the Islamic State In The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State, Noah Feldman tells the story behind the increasingly popular call for the establishment of sharia—the law of the traditional Islamic state—in the modern Muslim world. Click here to read the transcript of a recent Council meeting with Noah in which he discusses his new book and the issues it addresses. CFR Experts in the News Iraq War (3/20): Amity Shlaes breaks down the cost of the Iraq war, in the Chicago Tribune. U.S. Economy (3/19): Amity Shlaes argues that the Democrats, not the Republicans, are repeating Herbert Hoover's mistakes, on Bloomberg.com. Campaign 2008 (3/19): Michael Gerson writes that Obama's speech on race in America did not explain "his strange tolerance for the anti-Americanism of his spiritual mentor," in the Washington Post. Sharia (3/17): Noah Feldman looks at the role of sharia in modern Islamic politics, in the New York Times Magazine. France (3/11): Michelle Smith and Charles Ferguson evaluate Sarkozy's nuclear deals in the Middle East, in the International Herald Tribune. Daily Opinion Roundup Added to CFR.org E-Newsletter Offerings The Council's signature morning e-newsletter, the Daily News Brief, now includes a summary of opinion pieces from the new Daily Opinion Roundup, CFR.org's selection of op-eds and editorials from the U.S. and abroad. You can sign up to receive both here.

Search for old, historic military publications and more: GoogleMini

The CARL is testing out the use of the GoogleMini Search Appliance for providing researchers and the general public easy, online access to obsolete and historic military field manuals, pocket guides, handbooks and much more dating back to the late 19th century. The online collection includes many unique materials from WWI and WWII.

This search is still in beta and we've made it temporarily available from this url below:

http://comarms.googlepages.com/obsoletemilitarymanuals

Suggested sample searches: 1) "army talks" 2) "pocket guide"

As soon as it's ready for general release we'll offer this search from our regular library web pages. In the meantime please feel free to take the GoogleMini for a test spin and let us know what you think.

Google GoogleMini Military Manuals Library 2.0

Iraq: Five Years of War

Watch this presentation hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations: Iraq: Five Years of War (Video)

Barry R. McCaffrey, General, U.S. Army (Ret.); Adjunct Professor of International Affairs, United States Military Academy March 13, 2008

Barry McCaffrey, a retired U.S. army general and adjunct professor of international affairs at West Point, discusses past failings and future options for success in Iraq five years after the war began. McCaffrey, an early critic of the war’s initial planning, says “if you look at the totality of our experience in Iraq, it’s been a major disaster.” He says increasing costs, diminishing assets, and a rising death toll continue to jeopardize long-term stability. And yet progress has been made, the general says....

Related article from Newsweek: Cover Story Iraq

Latest Articles - Military Affairs

EBSCOhost Alert Subject: Latest Articles - Military affairs and Terrorism Results Mercenary Impulse. By: Walzer, Michael. New Republic, 3/12/2008, Vol. 238 Issue 4, p20-21, 2p; (AN 30067653) Re-Liberators. (cover story) By: LOWRY, RICHARD. National Review, 3/10/2008, Vol. 60 Issue 4, p32-40, 8p, 4bw; (AN 30056034) Mission Unfinished. By: Kukis, Mark. Time, 3/10/2008, Vol. 171 Issue 10, p42-44, 3p, 1 map, 1c; (AN 31144164) Baghdad's New Normal. U.S. News & World Report, 3/10/2008, Vol. 144 Issue 7, p26-27, 2p; (AN 31172955) Marines Deny Mishandling Request For Armored Vehicles. By: Kreisher, Otto; Scully, Megan. CongressDaily AM, 2/28/2008, p9-9, 1p; (AN 31121010) Probe To Decide If MRAP Delays Increased Casualties. CongressDaily AM, 2/26/2008, p24-24, 1p; (AN 30104931) The Burden of Duty. By: Mulrine, Anna. U.S. News & World Report, 2/25/2008, Vol. 144 Issue 6, p32-37, 6p, 4c; (AN 29999202)

Jane's Alert: Counterinsurgency

Alert

AIR FORCE (Colombia) SAMS - 2008/03/11 The Colombian Air Force, (Fuerza Aerea Colombiana - FAC), is an efficient organisation, reasonably well equipped for its main tactical and logistic support functions, albeit... SECURITY AND FOREIGN FORCES (Colombia) SAMS - 2008/03/11 The Colombian police force has been strengthened significantly and now officially has a presence in all of the country's municipalities - a marked difference from... AIR FORCE (Honduras) CACS - 2008/03/14 The Honduran Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Hondurena - FAH) is greatly respected and a source of national pride, as it provides a power base which... ARMED FORCES (Honduras) CACS - 2008/03/14 The Honduran armed forces are comprised of the army, air force and navy, with the air force being the strongest of the three. While the... EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (Colombia) SAMS - 2008/03/11 Colombia's land and maritime frontiers will be a crucial factor in the long-term campaign against the FARC. Guerrillas have long used neighbouring countries for rest... PROCUREMENT (Colombia) SAMS - 2008/03/11 The majority of material actually in service with the army is of US origin and almost all the equipment is either aged or obsolete. Modernisation... PROCUREMENT (Russian Federation) CISS - 2008/03/11 President Putin's personal commitment to the revival of military power, as well as the lessons Moscow has drawn from the Chechen conflict and the worsening...

The World This Week

March 7, 2008 View this newsletter as a web page on CFR.org In this Issue: • Trouble in the Andes • Anticipating the Next Green President • U.S. Military Ties With Pakistan Uncertain • McCain Wins, Dems Fight On Trouble in the Andes A Colombian incursion into Ecuador sparks a regional diplomatic crisis at a time of increased arms spending across South America. Read more Interactive Timeline: Venezuela's Chavez Era Gwertzman Interview with Francisco R. Rodriguez: Chavez Using Attack on FARC to Bolster Diminishing Popularity Backgrounder: Colombia's Right-Wing Paramilitaries and Splinter Groups Council Report: Andes 2020 - A New Strategy for the Challenges of Colombia and the Region CFR Experts on the Andean Region Anticipating the Next Green President Expectations are high that the next U.S. president will take stronger steps to mitigate climate change but pessimism abounds over sustainable energy policy. Read more Council Special Report: Climate Change and National Security - An Agenda for Action Campaign 2008 Issue Tracker: The Candidates on Energy Policy Podcast with Michael A. Levi: The Next President's Role on Climate Change CFR Experts on Energy and Climate Change U.S. Military Ties With Pakistan Uncertain Washington worries the new civilian government in Islamabad may put a halt to its plans for increased U.S. military action within Pakistan. Read more Backgrounder: Pakistan's Constitution Podcast with Husain Haqqani, Director, Center for International Relations on Pakistan's New Army Chief Interactive Timeline: U.S.-Pakistan Relations CFR Meeting Transcript: A Conversation with Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. CFR Experts on Pakistan McCain Wins, Dems Fight On Hillary Clinton takes Ohio and Texas, extending her fight for the Democratic presidential nomination against Barack Obama. Read more Op-ed: "Obama's Free-Trade Credentials Top Clinton's" by Jagdish Bhagwati (Financial Times) Campaign 2008 Issue Tracker: The Candidates on Trade Backgrounder: Foreign Policy and the 2008 Presidential Nominating Campaigns CFR Experts on U.S. Politics and Strategy CFR Meeting with Campaign Foreign Policy Advisers Click here to listen to Clinton, McCain, and Obama foreign policy advisers discuss the foreign policy platforms of their respective candidates. CFR Experts in the News U.S. Popularity (3/7): Michael Gerson writes that "a successful president should strive for America to be liked—and expect, on occasion, for America to be resented in a good cause," in the Washington Post. Sovereign Wealth Funds (3/7): Benn Steil discusses sovereign wealth funds and California's retirement system, in the Wall Street Journal. Iraq (3/6): Stephen Biddle argues that Iraq's prognosis is better today than it has been for a long time, in the National Interest. U.S. Presidential Election (3/5): Michael Gerson writes that Hillary Clinton is the GOP's dream candidate, in the Washington Post. Iraq War (3/5): Amity Shlaes argues that most estimates on the cost of the Iraq war are far too low, on Bloomberg.com. Energy (3/4): David Victor explains why the U.S. is doomed to be an energy outlaw, in Newsweek. Iran (3/4): Charles Kupchan and Ray Takeyh argue that U.S. policy toward Iran should pursue patient diplomacy and regional integration, in the Los Angeles Times. Nuclear Strategy (3/4): Michael Levi urges the U.S. to allow scientists to play a role in the development of nuclear policy, in SEED. Russia (3/4): Jeffrey Mankoff argues that Medvedev's victory provides an opportunity for the U.S. to mend relations with Russia, in the Boston Globe. Trade (3/3): Sebastian Mallaby looks at the Democrats' trade agenda, in the Washington Post. Conservatism (3/3): Michael Gerson writes that William F. Buckley's death is a loss to conservatism and America, in Newsweek.

New Rand Pubs - Defense policy

March 2008

Read thousands of books and other publications online FREE!

Topic: Defense Policy

Combat Pair: The Evolution of Air Force-Navy Integration in Strike Warfare By Benjamin S. Lambeth et al. Paperback • 128 pages • ISBN: 978-0-8330-4209-5 List Price: $22.00 Discounted Web Price: $19.80 The U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy have developed exceptional cross-service harmony during their conduct of integrated strike operations since the first Persian Gulf War in 1991. This assessment of air and naval cooperation makes clear that each service should consider the other a natural ally in the roles and resources arena and in providing mutual support in the achievement of joint strike-warfare goals. Preparing the Army for Stability Operations: Doctrinal and Interagency Issues By Thomas S. Szayna et al. Paperback • 276 pages • ISBN: 978-0-8330-4190-6 List Price: $31.50 Discounted Web Price: $28.35 A great deal of effort has been aimed at revising the Army’s approach to the planning and conduct of stabilization, security, transition, and reconstruction (SSTR) operations. The primary emphasis of the changes has been on ensuring a common U.S. strategy, as opposed to fostering a collection of individual departmental and agency efforts or mobilizing and involving all available U.S. government assets in an effort. Using a template to assess the extent of progress in building collaborative, interagency capacity for SSTR operations, the authors find that some elements essential to the success of the process are not yet in place and provide a series of recommendations on which the Army can act to advance the interagency process.

Building Partner Capabilities for Coalition Operations By Jennifer D. P. Moroney et al. Ongoing operations and emerging mission requirements place a heavy burden on Army resources, resulting in capability gaps that the Army is unable to fill by itself. This monograph identifies ways to fill those gaps, including building appropriate capabilities in allies and partner armies through focused security cooperation, and provides recommendations for the Army to focus its efforts in support of joint requirements. Paperback • 122 pages ISBN: 978-0-8330-4211-8 List Price: $22.00 Discounted Web Price: $19.80 Advancing the U.S. Air Force's Force-Development Initiative By S. Craig Moore et al. A mismatch in the late 1990s between the qualifications needed for key general officer positions and the backgrounds of available candidates stimulated an extensive U.S. Air Force effort to improve the development of future senior leaders. This monograph summarizes the force development initiative’s history and efforts to improve its efficiency and effectiveness throughout the Air Force. Paperback • 56 pages ISBN: 978-0-8330-4012-1 List Price: $20.00 Discounted Web Price: $18.00

View More RAND Publications »

Janes Email Alert

Counterinsurgency, 23 February 2008 - 29 February 2008. EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (Kyrgyzstan) CISS - 2008/02/28 While it has established friendly relations with many Western countries, especially a strategic anti-terrorism alliance with the US