Echo Sierra

During his trip to Near East in March, Barack Obama said: “Once we establish the facts, I have made clear that the use of chemical weapons [by the Syrian regime] is a game changer”. Our turn to play the game thus. However, despite recent news, I am not certain the game has changed. Of course, there are important variables that evolve (such as the growing influence of djihadists on Syrian battlefields), but there are no surprises in the Syrian crisis. Indeed, by using chemical weapons, Bashar al-Assad is simply applying one rule of the game: all but one of the  [ Read More ]

I had written about Arma 3 going Alpha, with the hope of quickly getting my hands on a lite version of the Alpha. I eventually bought the game, which gives me access to the full version of the Alpha and to the beta and final version of the game, once they are released. As I recently upgraded my computer, I was able to test this alpha in decent conditions (35 to 70 frames per second on average, wich is not bad for a game by Bohemia Interactive). Visually, the game is good. Of course, there are some problems with the  [ Read More ]

I am resuming posting, after the start of a new job, a move and the lack of an internet access. The beginning of each month is the opportunity for In Focus to publish its regular update on Afghanistan. I encourage you to browse these shots taken last month in this country, by clicking the picture at the end of this post. US operations in Afghanistan are overviewed by the CENTCOM, who recently published its quarterly report about contractor support of US operations (you can access this document thanks to this link). Over the last three months, the Department of Defense  [ Read More ]

I must admit, when it comes to reading books for my own pleasure and that I have no particular deadlines, I may be an actual slowpoke. Proof today as I publish this review of a 2009 book (shame on me…). I read Peter W. Singer’s Wired For War, that was released in early 2009.  I had already read some papers by Peter Singer after I first saw him in Shadow Company, and reviews I had read about his book confirmed my feeling I could buy his book on trust.  Nearly four years after the release of this book, a review  [ Read More ]

A flaunted closer bond between Barack Obama and Binyamin Netanyahu, Israeli-Turkish relations cooling down and a lightly mitigated – but not that much – Israeli position regarding Iran’s nuclear program (at least in speeches). Here is the balance of Barack Obama’s trip in the Near East. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict will have to wait, given Barack Obama’s – expected – lack of proposals. To the optimists, a solution to the conflict might be near. Indeed The United States, who is losing influence in the Middle East, might be tempted to put pressure on Israel, in order to regain some influence in Arab States.  [ Read More ]

Yesterday, a French TV channel was screening The Gatekeepers, the famous Israeli documentary featuring former heads of the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service. It was thus an opportunity to watch this controversial report (while speaking about the film, the Israeli Minister of Culture & Sport, Limor Livnat, denounced “movies that soil Israel’s image” and called for movie directors to censor their own work…). The documentary was bound to trigger praises and anger amongst actors and observers of the ongoing conflict. Indeed, Thomas Friedman noticed: “when it comes to discussing the Middle East, people go temporarily insane“. It is thus  [ Read More ]

As you may have understood reading the latest post I wrote about it or following my twitter account, I enjoy Bohemia Interactive’s Arma serie. Whilst Bohemia Interactive’s latest simulation, Arma 3, is still being developed, the studio is releasing today (at 13:00 GMT) an Alpha version of the game. Releasing the Alpha version of the game will allow Bohemia Interactive to benefit from some revenue before the official release of the game and will enable players to get hands on the game earlier than expected and participate in the testing process of the game. To access the Alpha version, you  [ Read More ]

NewScientist published an interesting article by Michael Marshall regarding the impact of climate change on security, that Sustainable Development and Much More forwarded me this week end. According to Michael Marshall: For the first time, we have proof that climate change has led to a humanitarian disaster. The East African drought of 2011, which resulted in a famine that killed at least 50,000 people, was partly caused by human emissions of greenhouse gases. The drought resulted from the failure of consecutive short rains and long rains seasons in 2010 and 2011. Whilst ocean-atmosphere phenomenon La Niña is responsible for the failure  [ Read More ]

The United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan released last week its annual report on the protection of civilian in armed conflicts. The United Nations estimates that the number of civilian deaths has dropped by 12% in 2012 (2,754 civilians killed), compared to 2011 (3,131 civilians killed). The drop confirms the decrease in civilian casualties the UN had noticed in May 2012. 81% of these casualties in 2012 were attributed to the armed opposition (72% in 2011), whilst 8% to the pro-government forces (14% in 2011). According to the Washington Post: The report linked the 12 percent drop in civilian deaths  [ Read More ]

I did not enjoyed Kathryn Bigelow’s Hurt Locker. The critics had praised the movie but I walked out the theater disappointed. It was unrealistic (does a US servicemen had ever contemplated the idea of being AWOL to visit downtown Baghdad at night, or lead a team of only three men to hunt insurgents by night in the Iraqi capital? The list of inconsistencies goes on and on…), which is problematic in a movie trying to depict war the opposite way of Michael Bay’s. Furthermore, the so praised “psychological” dimension of the movie was light. I will not offend you or  [ Read More ]