Quality Leadership Weblog :-)

N. Korea: U.S. Must Alter ‘Hostile’ Policy, (Houston Chronicle)…Jean H. Lee, Associated Press. North Korea said it refuses to give up its nuclear weapons until after the U.S. alters its “hostile policy” toward the North’s government and proves it does not pose an atomic threat to the wartime rival.
 
North Korea Maintains Its Tough Stance, (New [...]

Top British Diplomat Blasts ‘War On Terror’, (Washington Times)…UnattributedBritish Foreign Secretary David Miliband wants a rethink of the strategy against terrorism, calling the notion of a war on terrorism “misleading and mistaken.”
Britain To Attack Its Afghan War Allies, (Financial Times)…James Blitz, 14 Jan 09. John Hutton, Britain’s defence secretary, will on Thursday launch an attack [...]

 
Inside The Ring, By Bill Gertz, Washington Times, January 15, 2009
A military analyst in Afghanistan has identified 2009 as a critical year for U.S. and allied counterinsurgency efforts against the Taliban and al Qaeda. The analyst, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue, told Inside the Ring that [...]

Clinton Touts ‘Smart Power’ Use, (Washington Times)…Nicholas Kralev, Jan 14, 2009
Secretary of State-designate Hillary Rodham Clinton pledged Tuesday to use “smart power” to reduce the military’s role in U.S. foreign policy and put a “civilian face” on America’s role abroad after the Bush administration’s heavy reliance on the use of force.

In Interview, Obama Talks Of ‘New Approach’ To Iran, (New York Times)…Brian Knowlton, Jan 11, 2009
President-elect Barack Obama addressed some of the most delicate foreign policy issues over the weekend, confirming that he intended to pursue a clear policy of engagement with Iran and to press immediately for peace in the Middle East.

The Tony Soprano of North Korea, Time Magazine, By Bill Powell, Jul. 12, 2007
Illicit Activity and Proliferation, North Korean Smuggling Networks, by Sheena Chestnut, International Security
THE “SOPRANOS STATE”? NORTH KOREAN INVOLVEMENT IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITY AND IMPLICATIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL SECURITY, SHEENA E. CHESTNUT, 20 May 2005.

A timeline on missile development in North Korea: Staff and Wire ReportsTuesday, February 13, 2007;

U.S. Rejected Aid For Israeli Raid On Iranian Nuclear Site(New York Times)…David E. Sanger. Jan 10, 2009. President Bush deflected a secret request by Israel last year for specialized bunker-busting bombs it wanted for an attack on Iran’s main nuclear complex and told the Israelis that he had authorized new covert action intended to sabotage [...]

ARTICLE: Army’s New Manual: Peacekeeper Training, AP, December 17, 2008
The Army has released its first new training field manual in six years, highlighting the need for units to be ready to conduct stability operations after traditional combat has ended.
�
The manual, titled “Training for Full Spectrum Operations” and written at Fort Leavenworth, explains what soldiers can [...]

BOOK: Great Powers, by Thomas P.M. Barnett, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Pub Date: February 5, 2009�
Barnett–who has been described as “the most influential defense intellectual writing these days (The Washington Post)” and “one of the most important strategic thinkers of our time (U.S. News.com)”–presents a remarkable analysis of America and the world in the post-Bush era.  He [...]