Why Poor Countries Are Poor

http://www.reason.com/news/show/33258.html

Appropedia

http://www.appropedia.org/Welcome_to_Appropedia

Luttwak on Poverty & Foreign Aid in Africa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ex4aC5z_XA

Key to COIN

Be polite;
be professional;
be prepared to kill.

- LtCol Nagl

http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=92011

Centre for a New American Security

http://www.cnas.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_for_a_New_American_Security

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/29729804#29729804

Col Iron & the Charge of the Knights

Iron...is an unusual officer. He joined the army in 1975 and graduated from staff college near the top of his year. Two episodes in his career were decisive to his conduct in Basra. As a young captain in the 1980s, he served for two years in Oman. He describes this as the “key experience” since he learned how to speak Arabic and to “respect Arabic culture and the Arab way.” Then in the early years of this decade he was sent to Sierra Leone as an expert military witness for the country’s special court. He spent months in the jungle with the Revolutionary United Front and other ex-guerrillas, learning how insurgency movements think and operate.

http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=10635

Slightly flawed story - why was Col. Iron, fascinating as he is, pivotal to the success of Operation Charge of the Knights? But a very interesting article nonetheless.

Financial Crisis

THE global financial crisis is the biggest threat to Kevin Rudd's grand ambition for the new defence white paper, due in late April.

The white paper is in its final drafting stage and is due to go before cabinet's national security committee next month for an endorsement by the Prime Minister and senior ministers.

While Mr Rudd is sticking to his election pledge to lift defence spending by 3 per cent a year in real terms to 2019, the rapidly deteriorating global economy could force the Government to pull back on firm commitments to future multi-billion-dollar defence purchases including warships, submarines and fighter aircraft.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25070989-31477,00.html