D3 Weekly Link Roundup

The always informative Eeben Barlow on the difference between parastatal and privatized military companies.

Volunteering in Haiti for Spring Break might not be the great idea you think it is.

Peacebuilding versus Al-Qaeda.

There was a coup in Niger.  Even so, the Center for Global Development argues against withdrawing development assistance (the U.S. suspended all non-humanitarian aid programs).  

Kings of War have a useful rundown on the militarization of foreign policy while Dan Gerstle over at War and Peace covers a UN report criticizing the militarization of aid in Afghanistan.

Prism, the journal of the National Defense University’s Center for Complex Operations (read post-conflict stabilization and state-building), releases its second issue (you can download the first one here).

Reach 364 (a U.S. Air Force officer studying Arabic in Amman and with a smarter head on his shoulders than your average flyboy) writes a good post over at his Building Peace blog on cross-cultural learning and the dangers of overconfidence when working in foreign countries. 

U.S. troop presence dropped below 100K in Iraq this week and thoughts on the drama in Iraq’s upcoming parliamentary elections.

Tough times for the Millennium Challenge Corporation (unlike USAID, they focus on middle-income countries). 

The World Bank’s Conflict and Development blog has a set of online video interviews with leaders from conflict-affected countries about overcoming conflict, building institutions, confidence building, and the role of the international community can play in addressing these issues.  You view them here and here.

Why disaster response will always be insufficient.

A great piece by Joshua Foust on why the media can’t get it right in Afghanistan.

Saundra over at Good Intentions are Not Enough explains the importance of needs assessments before designing/initiating any assistance programs.

USAID and the U.S. military’s SOUTHCOM team up to help with Haiti’s long-term reconstruction.

Finally, some cool pictures of goats.  (Hat tip to Chris Blattman).

D3 Weekly Link Roundup

The other Super Bowl.

The ultimate development essay question:  “Is Africa to development was Mars is to NASA?” And is there a fifth poverty trap for Africa?  (Paul Collier in The Bottom Billion counts four).

Transparency International releases a practical guide for combating corruption in humanitarian relief and reconstruction.

Executive Outcomes founder Eeben Barlow challenges the prevailing wisdom on COIN and provides some useful info on the development of conflict in an African context. 

Meanwhile, Tom Ricks starts a series on COIN Metrics that he cribs from a paper by David Kilcullen.

BTW, the Russians had some kick-ass COIN All-stars too.

The State Department readies for a larger role in Iraq. 

Great non-profits need a better rating system, according to Full Contact Philanthropy.

Using General McChrystal’s own words, Harvard professor and Foreign Policy magazine blogger Stephen Walt suggests we shouldn't believe anything he says in regards to Afghanistan. 

In Mesopotamia, Musings on Iraq reports that a slim majority of Iraqis are optimistic about the future and that U.S. media coverage is way down and “almost out.”

Glenn Greenwald pens an excellent piece on the true scope of our wrongdoing when it comes to the Iraq War.

Want up to $250K for your individual community service project or favorite non-profit?  Via Pulling for the Underdog, we learn that Pepsi’s “Refresh Everything” initiative is giving out up to $1.3 million a month for US-based individuals and community groups interested in positive change.  It’s been called a “pathbreaking” corporate social responsibility initiative.  (Click here for an insider’s view on how it works).

Online courses on designing and funding sustainable development projects.

Owen Barder discusses aid, income and “Dutch Disease.”

Myth and realities regarding Chinese aid to Africa.

Haiti, anarchy, and the collapse of societies.

Daniel Gerstle over at Change.org’s War and Peace blog on how disaster preparedness and peace-building can save money and lives over the long-run.

A review by the Kings of War on John Mackinlay’s book The Insurgent Archipelago.

The mad scientists at DARPA move beyond planet hacking and into making the earth transparent.

The gents over at On Violence discuss what U.S. Army physical fitness training has to do with losing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Finally, Joseph Collins on civil-military relations (my comments here).

D3 Weekly Link Roundup

Baba Tim over at Free Range International properly eviscerates 60 Minutes and Lara Logan for a lame ass piece of reporting on Special Forces (who don’t come out looking too hot themselves) in Afghanistan.

DOD releases the Quadrennial Defense Review.  The Atlantic Council has an analysis.

Republicans take on the Military over “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen (who was nice enough to once give me a coin) is an American Hero.

Foreign Affairs has a nice compendium on what to read on foreign aid along with a breakdown of the three main competing approaches to foreign assistance.

State & USAID’s FY11 Budget Request is released, increasing the size of both organizations and expanding the foreign assistance budget.  The folks at the Center for Global Development see it as a strong signal for development.   Some in Congress fear that with 10% employment and other urgent issues here at home, it will face a “difficult political environment.”

The Economist reviews the Bill Gates’ 2010 Annual Letter on development.

The State Department’s dueling Twitterati.

Henry Kissinger pens an op-ed in the Washington Post advising the Obama Administration to focus his Iraq policy on more than just troop withdrawals.  

John Robb on a “Byzantine”  grand strategy for American foreign policy. (Hint:  Avoid COIN like the plague). 

Some Haitians want the U.S. to take over.  Also, who’s paying for Haiti?

Mountain Runner who is a must read for all things related to public diplomacy highlights an article by former U.S. Information Agency Associate Director Walter Yates entitled: “The Voice of America: Origin and Recollections.”

And finally, the proposed Pakistani Ambassador to Saudi Arabia is rejected because his name when translated into Arabic means “biggest dick.”