Reliable Sources: DECLASSIFIED!
Reliable Sources: DECLASSIFIED!
Some stuff I read, watch, and listen to
Sometimes I name and link to sources here, but for various reasons, I choose to obscure most citations. If I mention a historical volume, for example, that means I did read it, and applied my understanding throughout the newsletter. I just don’t bother citing page references. I may feel differently behind a paywall.
Reliability is important. Do your own research I say, and so here are some sources I find reliable. Feel free to research them as much as you want. Or blast me for using sources you don’t like. Whatever. I have a broad range of inputs. Here are just a few.
First is William Buckner. Fair warning, some of the anthropology he cites can be disturbing, particularly when violence is involved. When, like most Amazon Prime viewers, I watched the first two episodes of Rings of Power series and then stopped watching, I thought he might write about the elements of hunter-gatherer living portrayed by the Hobbits Harfoots. He did not disappoint me.
Of course, deep sociology is not necessarily good television, just like hyper-accurate, epic films about the Battle of Gettysburg are overlong and objectively boring. But critics should stop accusing the Harfoots of being “evil” because their values are all too human. People need to stop talking about their ancestors that way.
Second is Perun. Australian defense economist by day and video game streamer by night, he started posting explanatory videos after Vladimir Putin relaunched the invasion of Ukraine in February, becoming one of the best strategic analysts of the war. In this episode, he explains the material realities of cold weather warfare and provides a glimpse into what will matter most over the next three months.
Little electronic tribes with electronic tools, having electronic reputational wars. Humans made it to cyberspace but brought the worst of themselves. Mandy Stadtmiller writes the first draft of history on internet cultures, large and small.
Russia will not beat the oil price cap. Yes, I do read sources casting doubt on its viability. But Moscow has not secured enough shipping to export the oil and gas that are no longer going through pipelines into Europe. This implies that production will decline, a nasty problem for drillers, who lose roughly half their wells in shutdown. How do I know all this? Because I watch Joe Posnanksi, aka Joe Blogs.
Dr. John Schindler is a genuine military history and intelligence scholar. His book Double Eagle on the Battle of Galicia remains the best English language text on the Austro-Hungarian army during the disasters of 1914. He has a good eye for random news that interests me.
One reason I like Schindler is his emphasis on SIGINT (signals intelligence), a key part of electromagnetic warfare history, something I try to cover here. I am a member of the Association of Old Crows, an industry organization that publishes the Journal of Electromagnetic Dominance. Whereas the rest of these links are recent, I am reaching a few months back to recommend this podcast episode about three women who revolutionized electromagnetic warfare.
Finally, lethal violence is a skill that requires regular training. The economics of the gun are complex, for they are an ancient market with hard numbers to study, so I let other people do that work for me as much as possible. It’s just more efficient.
