News and Commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and Published by Riley Murray.
1. How The Epoch Times Created a Giant Influence Machine
2. Iran, China and North Korea have the most to gain from a Biden presidency
3. FDD | Yes, Virginia, the Trump Administration Does Have a China Strategy
4. How Big Tech factors into the US-China geopolitical competition
5. The China challenge: 'To get a sense of how bad relations might get, look back to Menzies'
6. Xi invokes Chinese military might with US in mind
7. Far-Right Groups Are Behind Most U.S. Terrorist Attacks, Report Finds
8. How China Threatens American Democracy
9. Are troops really leaving Germany? It's not totally clear.
10. Australia's other special forces war: killing Islamic State
11. From the bottom up, Army focusing on trust, relationships
12. Indonesia Deports 4 Uyghur Terrorism Convicts to China, Experts Say
13. Senate urged to defund anti-communist task force (Philippines)
14. The U.S. Just Set a New Daily Record for COVID-19 Cases
15. Who Really Owes $1.6 Trillion Of Student Loans?
16. Human Centered Design Is Revolutionizing How We Respond To Emergencies
17. JBLM has become an illegal dumping ground, endangering soldiers and the environment
18. Reflections on Becoming a (Amateur) Military Writer
19. The end of democracy? To many Americans, the future looks dark if the other side wins.
1. How The Epoch Times Created a Giant Influence Machine
The New York Times · by Kevin Roose · October 24, 2020
Worthy of study. I agree with Steve Bannon, the growth of the Epoch Times and its influence operation is quite impressive.
2. Iran, China and North Korea have the most to gain from a Biden presidency
washingtontimes.com · by Jeb Babbin – 24 October 2020
Interesting analysis. Very strange subtitle: "U.S. allies must not be allowed to control U.S. foreign policy with hostile countries."
I do not mean to highlight this excerpt as a partisan position (though the author expresses his view in the article) but it illustrates the two competing world views we have in the US. Do alliances enhance US national security or not. The answer to that question is critical to the way ahead for US foreign policy and national security. And the focus of the Administration on the Quad and Quad Plus would seem to be counter to Mr. Babbin's analysis. I hope that whether Trump is re-elected or Biden is elected the US will continue to pursue an Asian security structure that is built on strong relationships with friends, partners, and allies.
3. FDD | Yes, Virginia, the Trump Administration Does Have a China Strategy
fdd.org · by Cleo Paskal · October 23, 2020
Conclusion: The administration, and its partners, want to institutionalize as many elements of Comprehensive Multinational Defense as possible so that it can weather any changes in government in any of the partners. This is because they know it is the only strategy that can counter the Chinese Communist Party's relentless, brutal, "scientific approach" to resurrecting and expanding the reach of the Middle Kingdom's Comprehensive National Power. The strategy is clear, and focused, and likely the only thing that will work. Beijing knows it, which is why it is doing all is can to drive wedges in core elements like the Quad. Indo-Pacific allies and partners know it as well, and many are doing what they can to join and lead. It is starting to work. The only question is, will it continue?
4. How Big Tech factors into the US-China geopolitical competition
The Hill · by Emily de La Bruyère and Nathan Picarsic, opinion contributors · October 22, 2020
Conclusion: "There is a great power contest under way to define international architecture, though the U.S. may not have recognized it. This contest will decide global ideology, economics and security. The contest will be decided by scale. We might not like Big Tech, but we need it. This is a contest for the whole pie."
5. The China challenge: 'To get a sense of how bad relations might get, look back to Menzies'
The Guardian · by Richard McGregor · October 24, 2020
I still recommend Richard MacGregeor's book, "The Party," even though it is a decade old. I think it still provides important insights into the CCP.
This is an Australian view of Chinese relations.
6. Xi invokes Chinese military might with US in mind
asiatimes.com · by Jing Xuan Teng · October 24, 2020
We have been warned.
Excerpts:
By commemorating the anniversary "China is declaring to the US that it was not afraid of the US in the past, and is still not afraid of the US now", said Shi Yinhong, professor of international politics at Renmin University.
"It's to prepare for a possible limited military conflict with the US", Shi said.
7. Far-Right Groups Are Behind Most U.S. Terrorist Attacks, Report Finds
The New York Times · by Jenny Gross · October 24, 2020
Just the facts please.
Referenced in this article with the facts:
CSIS, "The War Comes Home: The Evolution of Domestic Terrorism in the United States," https://www.csis.org/analysis/war-comes-home-evolution-domestic-terrorism-united-states
NY Times: "Delayed Homeland Security Report Warns of 'Lethal' White Supremacy," https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/06/us/politics/homeland-security-white-supremacists-russia.html
8. How China Threatens American Democracy
Foreign Affairs · by Robert C. O'Brien · October 23, 2020
No one should be able to argue with this conclusion (except the Chinese and their fellow authoritarian regimes): "Lasting peace comes through strength. The United States is the strongest country on earth, and it must speak out, fight back, and above all, stay true to its principles - especially freedom of speech - which stand in stark contrast to the Marxist-Leninist ideology embraced by the CCP."
9. Are troops really leaving Germany? It's not totally clear.
militarytimes.com · by Meghann Myers · October 23, 2020
10. Australia's other special forces war: killing Islamic State
The Age · by Ben Mckelvey · October 24, 2020
11. From the bottom up, Army focusing on trust, relationships
Stars and Stripes – by Rose L. Thayer – 23 October 2020
12. Indonesia Deports 4 Uyghur Terrorism Convicts to China, Experts Say
To certain incarceration in a gulag.
13. Senate urged to defund anti-communist task force (Philippines)
philstar.com · by Xave Gregorio
This "defund" thing has gained too much traction.
14. The U.S. Just Set a New Daily Record for COVID-19 Cases
TIME · by Chris Wilson
Graphic at the link: https://time.com/5903673/record-daily-coronavirus-cases/
15. Who Really Owes $1.6 Trillion Of Student Loans?
Forbes · by Zack Friedman · October 25, 2020
Interesting fact. Most student loan debt is for graduate school. I did not know that though I had often heard that master’s degree programs were the cash cows for universities.
16. Human Centered Design Is Revolutionizing How We Respond To Emergencies
Forbes · by Western Bonime · October 25, 2020
Conclusion: "Design has always held a unique place in our history. It is clear from early records that aesthetics have always been important to us and now doctors are discovering that it can also improve our health. Will it one day also create solutions that become legacies the way Olmsted's design for Central Park has inspired and supported generations? Bio inspired design through material innovation is creating solutions for reversing Global Warming so that Earth can become a legacy to our ability to change, to revere beauty over profit and human well being over greed. TM's work is an example of how, design together with government, can create solutions that impact the lives of people around the world in an instant, an instant that may well ripple forward for years to come."
17. JBLM has become an illegal dumping ground, endangering soldiers and the environment
thenewstribune.com – by Abbie Shull
I am saddened to read this. Fort Lewis was always one of the most beautiful installations. I guess now soldiers are going to have to defend their training areas from illegal dumpers.
18. Reflections on Becoming a (Amateur) Military Writer
groundedcuriosity.com · by Christopher Wooding · October 20, 2020
Good advice. I would add for young first-time writers, consider that you have an opportunity to publish at Small Wars Journal.
19. The end of democracy? To many Americans, the future looks dark if the other side wins.
The Washington Post · October 25, 2020
Regardless of what you think about the OpEd text or about the state of partisanship in the US I think the title alone succinctly describes the American divide. The question for those on both sides is whether they want to continue the great American experiment and will they continue to embrace the ideals embodied in our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution, and the Federalist Papers. If we can answer yes to those questions, then we should be able to bridge the divide and return some medium of civility to the discourse and respect for those who have different political views. Both slides should commit to the great American experiment and our Constitution. If we do that, we can overcome any partisan divide. The result of this election does not have to be "the end of the world as we know it" to borrow from REM.
"Unconventional warfare needs to remain the heart and soul of U.S. Special Operations Command and component commands."
- Brandon Webb
"Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future, but today is a gift. That's why it's called the present."
- Bill Keane
"Sixty years ago, at dawn on June 25, the Korean War broke out when Communist North Korea invaded the Republic of Korea. In response, 16 member countries of the United Nations, including the United States, joined with the Republic of Korea to defend freedom. Over the next three years of fighting, about 37,000 Americans lost their lives. They fought for the freedom of Koreans they did not even know, and thanks to their sacrifices, the peace and democracy of the republic were protected... On the 60th anniversary of the Korean War, I remain grateful to America for having participated in the war. At that time, the Republic of Korea was one of the most impoverished countries, with an annual per capita income of less than $40. In 2009, my country became a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Development Assistance Committee, the first aid recipient to become a donor and in only one generation." - Myung-bak Lee, "A Note of Thanks" in The Los Angeles Times (25 June 2010)