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September 15, 2008
The risk of terrorists using contagious psychosomatic illnesses
Fascinating post on Wired: courtesy of wikileaks, a government document [PDF] has emerged which discusses how
Americans' fear of a terrorism could create a mass outbreak of a psychosomatic illness -- even in absence of any real attack -- -- creating a fake epidemic that could overwhelm hospitals attempting to treat any real victims.Adding to the confusion, the symptoms of a mass pyschogenic illness look much like symptoms of an anthrax attack, avian flu outbreak or chemical attack.
This type of attack (there have been previous examples of such illness spreading) would be an interesting use of the virtual dimension: this is used operationally, and much of the impact of an attack is also in the realm of the virtual. Of course, the effects of a mass outbreak of psychosomatic illness wouldn't stay there: this would also have very 'real' effects.
Posted by jon_mendel at 11:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 09, 2008
NYT article: Dexter Filkins on Pakistan, the Taliban and the US
Quick follow-up to this post: there's an excellent NYT article by Dexter Filkins online now. Very much recommended.
(thanks to Abu Muqawama for a link that would otherwise have slipped past me...)
Posted by jon_mendel at 02:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 07, 2008
Dexter Filkins on Pakistan, the Taliban and the US
There's a fascinating interview with Dexter Filkins on BBC Radio 4's The World this Weekend today - listen again here, from about 23:30 into the broadcast. Filkins reports that Pakistani forces in the border regions (with Afghanistan) have failed to take effective action against the Taliban, and there have even been clashes between US forces and forces in Pakistan.
Pakistan denies this. However - if accurate - it does give an interesting perspective on the links between Pakistan and the Taliban, and the implications of this for Afghanistan.
Posted by jon_mendel at 06:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 02, 2008
Abu Muqawama on insurgencies in the Southern Philippines and Southern Thailand
I was interested to see the excellent Abu Muqawama blog posting about these insurgencies. Well worth reading the post in full but - maybe because I have just eaten - I was especially taken with the discussion of the utility of food vendors in HumInt:
The food vendors in SE Asia are the creators of some of the greatest cuisine known to humanity, and one should always partake whenever possible. They are also some of the best HUMINT in the region. When they are not in an area that they usually populate, be wary; when they arrive in even greater numbers than one usually sees, this is either: (1) a Festival (which you can confirm with a calendar and newspaper) or (2) a massive protest is coming.
