Infantry, cavalry, armor, and air power come and go in importance as technology and tactics change, but sea power is the perennial king of interstate warfare. So how much did ship-of-the-lines cost compared to modern aircraft carriers?
Whether you’re interested in joining the US Foreign Service or want to gain a better idea of what life is really like for American diplomats, reading blogs written by FSOs and their families provides a great, personal perspective on the American foreign policy machine from Foggy Bottom to the world over.
In part three of my Designing an Insurgency Wargame series, I discuss the political mechanics that are used to translate a player’s military means to political ends and power.
In the second part of my Designing an Insurgency Wargame series, I discuss the environment of the wargame and the mechanics surrounding it.
Ever since completing my first wargame, Fardh al-Qanoon, I’ve been eager to tackle the topic of insurgency once again with a more complex manual simulation. In this post, I outline my thoughts on designing a universal insurgency wargame.
In the first green-on-blue attack in December, an Afghan policewoman named Nargis shot and killed an American contractor named Joseph Griffin in Kabul. The Christmas Eve attack marks the 46th incident in 2012.
Fellow War Studies alum Julie M. Super recently published an article on India’s relations with the United States and Iran in Asia Policy.
The past weekend saw two incidents of “green-on-green” violence between Afghan security forces, a different but closely related phenomenon to the green-on-blue attacks that have plagued ISAF forces this summer. The nature of each attack highlights the danger that insider attacks still pose.
A recent RUSI report claims the Taliban would be willing to accept US military bases in Afghanistan as part of a political settlement. Does the claim indicate fault lines within the Taliban, or just faulty information?
Insurgency is a complex phenomenon that has often defied attempts to understand and effectively quell it. Using models to analyze insurgency in Afghanistan may provide policymakers and academics with insights that can be debated and discussed in precise terms.
I’m excited to report that my Baghdad counterinsurgency simulation, Fardh al-Qanoon was displayed at the Connections Wargaming Conference held at the National Defense University last week. While I was not an attendee, others had the chance to see the latest version of the game thanks to Dr. Peter Perla.
The Latest
The cost of sea power, then and now
08 October 2013
Afghan policewoman involved in the latest green-on-blue attack
24 December 2012
Battling the beast: models of insurgency in Afghanistan
28 August 2012
Fardh al-Qanoon simulation, version 1.1
21 July 2012
Designing an insurgency wargame – Part 2: The Environment
19 February 2013
Designing an insurgency wargame – Part 1: The Basics
11 January 2013
