Friday’s Reading List

By Taylor Marvin

Yusef Zuleykha, 1488. Via Wikimedia.

A broader look at the Sahel — it’s not just al Qaeda. Plus, France’s tactical challenges in “Operation Serval”.

Foreign fighters gain popular acceptance in Syria. If pundits can agree about Syria, why won’t the US act?

Khamenei shuts down calls for “free elections” in Iran.

Thinking the unthinkable: The Gulf States and the prospect of a nuclear Iran (via Dan Byman).

Noah Millman on realism, non-interventionism and Obama.Larison pushes back on the idea that “realism” is a useful identifier among policymakers.

Mark Thompson interviews Peter J. Munson on his new book War, Welfare & Democracy, which I look forward to reading.

Thanassis Cambanis reviews Fred Kaplan’s The Insurgents, which I also plan to pick up.

Forecasting is complicated!, and cherry picking data doesn’t help.

Having just finished Iain M. Banks’ The Hydrogen Sonata, I finally got to the highly-recommended Duck of Minerva forum on the novel. If you’ve read the book, check it out.

James Vincent McMorrow – From the Woods