Strategy Shelf

Dispatches & Publications on Defense, Freedom, & Security

Argument: Iran’s Theocratic Regime is No Longer a Legitimate Nation State Government

Argument: The theocratic dictatorship of Iran is so deeply involved in terror sponsorship, principal-agent terror relationships, terrorist proxy supply, and destabilization activities adversely affecting other legitimate nation states that it can no longer be considered a legitimate nation state government itself. Iran rather fits the description of a terrorist organization…

Strategic Patterns: China & Russia Seek Control Over Food & Migration

Setup There is a common strategic pattern in China’s pursuit of global food supply control at-Sea, international agricultural ownership, and support for Russia as it guns for Ukraine as Europe’s breadbasket. China also supports Russia as Moscow asserts its “plus” influence on OPEC, towards inflating fuel and therefore food prices…

The United States Between War and Peace

The Situation We Find Ourselves In The term “War-Peace Duality” implies a middle spectrum of risks and options for U.S. defense, security, and freedom between open kinetic war and peace abroad. Russia and China have been busy in this space while the U.S. focused on its global war on terror…

Russia and China Running Classic Divide and Conquer PSYOPs

It is a classic war aim to divide and conquer. Putin’s war criminal regime and Xi Jinping’s communist elite continue to wage social media psychological warfare against police, military, race and religious groups in the USA to spark fear, mutual violence, and if possible, insurrection or coup. The autocratic East…

Unity Series Part III: There is a Season

Is a teenager conservative in growth? An octogenarian liberal in speech? A mother conservative in love? Or a father liberal with his family’s safety? Is a government that taxes heavily without having achieved conservatively efficient government operations liberal in returns for the taxpayer? Is a government that conservatively taxes too…

Algorithmic, Fully Autonomous Killing is a Trap for the Power Using It

Setup A recent report says the Pentagon is closer to approving autonomous drones killing human targets, a decision that would likely backfire in ways that do more damage than good to the United States. (This article does not address close range fully autonomous weapons systems on battlefields set apart from…

Unity Series Pt. II: Meanings of Liberal and Conservative

Premise Being liberal or conservative for reasonable people who are generally well cannot and does not mean constant agitation, enmity, and disputation over gridlocked issues until we lose all reason and collapse as a homeland, culture of excellence, and as a people with a future. What does it mean then?…

Unity Series Pt. I: Gray Warfare

Working Definition of Gray Warfare for Purposes of this Essay Gray warfare is activity that damages human relationships and material assets civilizations rely on to be well, thrive, defend, and excel. Depending on the warring party’s intentions, gray war’s aims may range from checking the power of a target nation…

Observations: Chinese Gray War Spike in SCS Correlated with Hamas Surprise Attack

Observation: Two weeks before October 7, 2023 and ever since Hamas waged its lethal combined arms and terrorist attack on U.S. ally Israel, China ratcheted up the continuity and intensity of its gray warfare against U.S. allies in and surrounding the South China Sea to test the resolve and unity…

Under Putin, Russia’s Vassalage to China

China’s and Russia’s “multipolar world” brand has obscured China’s global unipolar objectives and Russia’s subjection to China. As Putin gambles Russia’s future on death dealing expansion during an economic contraction, China’s power over Putin hardens. Multipolar-speak helps hide that from Russians. Susan Haynes née Turner warned of this deception risk…