Michael Woodson
The Shape of Political Subversion: Executive to Legislative
The exodus of GOP conservatives from Congress continues into 2022 with Ohio Rep. Anthony Gonzalez withdrawing from a primary contest in submission to a Trump-controlled candidate. It is not often a young incumbent steps down, especially one who expands and diversifies the GOP tent in the spirit of former President George W. Bush’s once Latino-friendly…
“Quackaganda” & the Art of Information Defense
It helps to update information defense nomenclature in ways that precisely target attack vectors aimed at our national security. Recently, attacks on U.S. and allied health security seek to tie-up U.S. resources and mental bandwidth on complex iterations of alternative health narratives that take on ‘Big Pharma,’ the “medical establishment,” and corporate health as dramatic camouflage…
Is the Zambezi River Authority a Model for Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan?
Issues: The Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam, or GERD, is a massive Nile River dam project impacting tens of millions downstream and upstream. Ethiopia cites national sovereignty in its right to build and fill the dam to stabilize its own infrastructural, agricultural, and energy future. Egypt and Sudan cite risks to their water, agriculture, and energy…
Beirut’s Port Explosion: Analysis and Strategic Implications
Introduction Purpose: To analyze open source information about (1) the strategic context and (2) chain of events leading to the massive ammonium nitrate explosion in Beirut’s port on August 4th, 2020, killing some 200 people, injuring over 6,500, and displacing 250,000.¹ Pre-and-Post Explosion Context Lebanon Generally: Modern Lebanon with its East Mediterranean ports2 has been a…
Tesla Ups Bitcoin Game with China
Setup: In Q1 February, Tesla bought 1.5 billion USD in Bitcoin, sold 10% of that for a profit, announced Tesla would accept Bitcoin for cars, then announced on May 12th on Twitter that Tesla will suspend its acceptance of Bitcoin for the negative environmental impact of its mining operations. This, while asking Tesla followers whether…
Russia’s Ties to Blasts in Czech Republic, Ukraine and Recommendations
Recent History is Instructive: Massive explosions in two democracies in the past seven years suggest Russian sabotage, state terror, and military operations against sovereign neighboring and nearby states, including: (1) the Czech Republic at an ammunition depot outside Prague on Oct. 16, 2014; (2) and multiple explosions at Ukrainian ammunition depots between 2015 and 2018…
Putin’s impulsion trends in leadership error
Vladimir Putin’s military build-up on the Ukraine border and partial pull-back today, combined with visible anger in his red-line rhetoric threatening harsh punishment for those who disrespect Russia’s security interests showed signs of impulsiveness in one inexperienced at commanding military forces. It was interesting that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu signaled the pullback. A breakthrough…
Capitol Hill Pipe Bomb Analysis
Introduction As authorities charge suspects in the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot and insurrection, the pipe bomber suspect recorded the night before remains a menacing question mark. This source-linked analysis begins with observations, questions, and analysis of the actions of the suspected pipe bomber captured on select FBI-released video segments from the U.S. Capitol Hill neighborhood…
A Way of Thinking About China
Foreign Relations Thinking: Issue Set-Up We’ve heard the ineffective “or” questions: Is China an adversary, competitor, partner, or opponent to the United States? Is China a near-peer, or peer power? Which is the greater threat, China, Russia, or global terrorism? The honest answer is, “Yes, all of the above, with a regular doses of the unexpected.”…
Privacy-as-Security
Privacy and national security are in a form of quantum entanglement over the internet. Stratpass Corp defined the issue five years ago in terms of “Privacy-as-Security,” and centering on the need for greater legal power instituted in the individual right to consent, not consent, or withdraw consent to a number of things that happen to…