PoliSci Nerd Freakout

An International Relations student's scrapbook. Over the course of reading and writing and researching, and just plain living I discover all kinds of interesting facts and figures and quotations that I'll never end up using in a report or a presentation. This is my place to share them. I hope you like it. I'll also probably share random shit I find interesting like kittens or game of thrones, potential followers have been warned.

Posted 1 week ago
Things I learn reading Thomas Ricks: Seal Team 6 (Yes, THE Seal Teem 6) conducted a raid on Ahmed Chalabi’s offices in May 2004.
- Thomas Ricks
- Iraq
- Iraq War
- seal team 6
- seal team six
- Ahmed Chalabi
- Chalabi
- Fiasco
Posted 1 week ago
In the spring of 2004 it also became common to see U.S. troops having their blood types inked into the cloth of their helmet covers.

Thomas Ricks - Fiasco (350)
- Thomas Ricks
- Middle East
- Fiasco
- quotes
- Iraq
- Iraq war
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Posted 1 week ago
One of the hard-earned lessons of 2003 and the spring of 2004 was that the most dangerous form of presence was being intermittent. Moving a unit in, spending a few weeks, and then moving it elsewhere tended to identify allies—town’s mayor, its police chief, local interpreters—and then leavve them vulnerable to attack. When those allies were left exposed and then killed, or intimidated into supporting the insurgency as they often were, the net of the entire U.S. military movement was a loss.

Thomas Ricks - Fiasco (348)
- Thomas Ricks
- Fiasco
- Iraq
- Iraq war
- Middle East
- quotes
Posted 1 week ago
the real ‘coalition of the willing’ that was in Iraq was the one of international jihadists flocking to Iraq to fight the Americans

Thomas Ricks - Fiasco (348)
- quotes
- Tom Ricks
- Fiasco
- Iraq
- Iraq war
- Middle East
Link reblogged from Its all just a ride!
Its all just a ride!: Modern spies!

http://azz169.tumblr.com/post/20401848871/modern-spies

azz169:

I watched this last night and i noticed a few things.

In it they tried to say that the iraq war “mistake” was solely down to one iraqi informant “curveball”, who appeared on the program and confessed everything he said was a lie. Can you really believe that the U.N and NATO made their decision on…

Neither NATO nor the U.N. invaded iraq, so maybe that actually shows that they’re more credulous than you take them for. As for Cuveball’s effects on the US, he hardly caused the war just enabled. It wasn’t that he was a good lier, it was that he was telling them what they wanted to hear. As far as a post cold war treaty on spies I’m not sure exactly what you’re talking about, please elaborate which treaty you’re talking about.
- espionage
- spying
- intelligence
- curvball
- iraq
- iraq war
- un
- united nations
- russia
- uk
- NATO
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