Welcome back from Jamaica. I noticed the same crumbling when I was done there.
Thank you for the book reading lists you occasionally put up. They make me pay attention to books I would not have otherwise, and force me to expand my knowledge.
You're welcome Dan, the mutual learning is the best part of being in the blogosphere.
While I was there I read Coll's Ghost Wars and Ferguson's Colossus. Ferguson really has a deep knowledge of geoeconomics - he had his breakthrough as a historian with his two volume House of Rothschild. I can appreciate the effort Ferguson puts in here because I was trained in diplomatic history by a historian from the " Open Door" school who emphasized econ analysis from primary source records. Ferguson has waded through reams of data in his time that would test anybody's patience.
Good work on your blog, tdaxp looks great - some nice PNM posts lately too.
Does anyone have any links to a paper/book/article that differentiates between 4GW and DoD Transformation? DoD Transformation is technology driven focusing on "net-centricity" and jointness however it has some 4GW elements in that it seeks rapid movement and getting inside of enemy OODA loops.
The two do not seem to be on the same page when it comes to the debate though. Alot of 4GW guys are against current transformation plans because it is technology driven even while it seems as if technology can greatly aid 4GW.
In the first issue of the Rule-Set Reset, Tom Barnett discussed the policy conflict between the 4GW faction and the Netcentric warfare advocates ( Tom's mentor was from the 2nd group)in the Pentagon.
You can download RSR # 1 from Tom's site or the New Rule Set Project site. Both are on the blogroll.