MENDSTATE

Thanks for sharing this. It's possible that wa...

2011-01-25T01:27:41.766-05:00

Thanks for sharing this. It's possible that war can coonect into the health issue of people because through war many diseases are created.

Thanks for the recommendation! And as you guessed,...

2011-01-23T06:23:55.817-05:00

Thanks for the recommendation! And as you guessed, I've been reading Mendstate for quite some time.

Alanna

Health has been through security and foreign polic...

2011-01-22T06:39:14.048-05:00

Health has been through security and foreign policy to be included in the decade. To what extent, between countries that pass, but the general trend is to integrate foreign and security in the task of health problems. These two key issues is global HIV / AIDS and bioterrorism.

Swine flu is a disease of pigs. It is a highly con...

2011-01-22T06:35:32.764-05:00

Swine flu is a disease of pigs. It is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by one of many Influenza A viruses. Symptoms of swine flu are like regular flu symptoms and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue.

Haha. Thanks Gail!

2011-01-18T15:27:01.979-05:00

Haha. Thanks Gail!

I would love the link, thanks! I think, off hand, ...

2010-12-29T08:05:20.715-05:00

I would love the link, thanks! I think, off hand, that Palestine is a humanitarian AND battlespace. Afghanistan, however, might be primarily a battlespace from the perspective of the U.S. Government. This is arguable, and to some degree I think it's the wrong question as any geography afflicted with conflict will be both. I think I'll write a quick blog today about this....thanks!

Daniel: I'm beginning to think it might not be...

2010-12-29T08:01:30.675-05:00

Daniel: I'm beginning to think it might not be a realistic strategy, on my more pessimistic days! On my optimistic days, I think that there is no other way.

What a tough question. I served as an LTC CIMIC in...

2010-12-29T03:16:36.133-05:00

What a tough question. I served as an LTC CIMIC in the Palestinian territories, and the issue of humanitarian space I have found is first and foremost a question of negotiation. If you are interested I can send you a link on a Harvard sponsored debate on the issue.

The battle over the hearts and minds of the local ...

2010-12-29T02:45:47.105-05:00

The battle over the hearts and minds of the local population is one of the major strategies of the Israel Defense Forces in the occupied Palestinian territories. Similarly to Afghanistan, development projects and cimic operations are the main implementation tools to achieve this. The challenge, I believe, is to implement in the "soft power" approach that Joseph Nye write about. How to win hearts and minds without seeming patronizing...very difficult indeed.

Your back! Great article Gail!

2010-10-30T08:19:30.299-04:00

Your back! Great article Gail!

Ms. Fisher, First, I want to thank you for your b...

2010-01-30T23:58:53.714-05:00

Ms. Fisher,

First, I want to thank you for your blog about LTG Tackaberry’s article on counterinsurgency. LTG Tackaberry is my grandfather, and you inspired me to find his article. I too am disturbed by the similarities of questions he posed 40-50 years ago and the conflicts of the past 8 years.

As a student at the Command and General Staff College, I can say that efforts are being made to train and educate people within the U.S. Government to understand and execute the “whole of government” approach to counterinsurgency…the military symptoms of insurgency as well as the underlying causes of the insurgency. Not only is the curriculum adjusting to include these aspects of counterinsurgency, but also the student population is now including individuals from agencies across the U.S. Government. Intelligence agencies, Department of Treasury, and Department of State are just a few. Although these interagency students are not in large numbers, they do provide both a different perspective and expose every student to the challenges and benefits of interagency operations.

As you know, since you posted your comment in March 2009, the U.S. government has adjusted its operations in Afghanistan. It will be interesting to see the progress made in the next few months with the additional troops as well as the new efforts aimed at both the symptoms and causes of insurgency. Unfortunately, despite many people’s hope, progress will not be quick or cheap, and only time will reveal the answers to questions asked today as well as my grandfather’s questions of 50 years ago.

The views express in this blog are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

MAJ Andrew Tackaberry
Student
Command and General Staff College
U.S. Army Combined Arms Center
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

Alanna: Thanks. It's not just the NGOs! We are ALL...

2009-03-17T15:59:00.000-04:00

Alanna: Thanks. It's not just the NGOs! We are ALL guilty. I think it's a relatively natural reflex to be frustrated, and then to wish away "the other" guy. So, then we commission polite study on "roles and responsibilities" because that seems like a reasonable discourse. But it's actually not...we need to press ahead and seek processes that will support all of our work, which will sometimes conflict.

GF

Gail, this is such a great point. We can't go back...

2009-03-17T13:24:00.000-04:00

Gail, this is such a great point. We can't go backward now, and the military is part of relief and development efforts. The NGOs that try to take a hard stand at this point are just making things worse.

Great read, thanks!

So many efforts at gett...

2009-03-17T09:01:00.000-04:00

Great read, thanks!

So many efforts at getting right the "cooperate out of necessity" piece try to map out all the moving pieces before even getting out of the starting blocks, it would seem.

It's a Heisenberg-type problem though, and a snap shot (of policy, of process) in any situation can't be expected to match the dynamic "humanitarian space" to which you refer.

I concur that there are far more people bandying t...

2009-02-03T20:18:00.000-05:00

I concur that there are far more people bandying the term 'health diplomacy' about than there are solid definitions and case studies. There are some on-going attempts to remedy this though, notably at the Graduate Institute in Geneva and a collaboration between the University of California and CDC. If you haven't seen them, you might find their sites of interest: http://www.globalhealthsciences.ucsf.edu/programs/diplomacy.aspx
http://graduateinstitute.ch/executive/global-health-diplomacy_en.html

Interesting blog. My first visit.

I think ...

2009-01-12T10:49:00.000-05:00

Interesting blog. My first visit.

I think I agree with pretty much all your observations, except the notion that there is such a thing as a "military imperative to end the counter insurgency."

First I presume there's a semantic error, and you meant to speak of a military imperative to end the ~insurgency~ itself. But, more to the point, there is no military solution to insurgencies. This is both generally acknowledged in the journals of both the military and civilian elites, and routinely ignored in the execution of international security policies. We still turn to the military for leadership on matters of counter insurgency.

You’ll know we’re serious about countering insurgencies in fragile states when the leadership is given, not to a General Officer from the military, and not to the Chief of Mission from an embassy; but rather to a relatively young, relatively un-bureaucratic wonk, who uses expressions like “addressing the Maslowian Hierarchy of Needs via legitimate organs of the Westphalian State, rather than create opportunities for the emergence of illegitimate power structures.”

Cool blog and archives. Thanks for the effort you put into them!

MENDSTATE

Thanks for sharing this. It's possible that wa...

Thanks for the recommendation! And as you guessed,...

Health has been through security and foreign polic...

Swine flu is a disease of pigs. It is a highly con...

Haha. Thanks Gail!

I would love the link, thanks! I think, off hand, ...

Daniel: I'm beginning to think it might not be...

What a tough question. I served as an LTC CIMIC in...

The battle over the hearts and minds of the local ...

Your back! Great article Gail!

Ms. Fisher, First, I want to thank you for your b...

Alanna: Thanks. It's not just the NGOs! We are ALL...

Gail, this is such a great point. We can't go back...

Great read, thanks!So many efforts at gett...

I concur that there are far more people bandying t...

Interesting blog. My first visit.I think ...

Great read, thanks!

So many efforts at gett...

Interesting blog. My first visit.

I think ...