Soob

I'm watching with interest a blogospheric exchange regarding John Robbs recent book, Brave New War. The catalyst seems to be MountainRunners skeptical review of Johns book and Amendment Nine's Phocion's taking exception to MR's want for a framework of motivation regarding the global guerrilla theory. MR's position isn't new as Dan of tdaxp plied a similar argument here. The consequential commentary includes not only John Robb but his friendly "rival" Dr. Thomas Barnett.

From what I've read the pro-Robbian Procion and the anti Robbian (an unfair label for both, but effective for a concise reflection) Dan, MountainRunner and even Curtis Weeks seem to be arguing past each other.

What I took from Robb's book was; A theory to explain the increasingly fragmented effect that any resistance entails and how an individual or small "cell" can exact a painful toll upon the most powerful collective. While the opponents demand a cause the proponent tosses aside goal as unimportant, or a Freudian (and this was a bit puzzling) weakness.

Both seem to ignore the fact that the GG taxonomy entails an effect rather than a goal. The GG theory could and does entail the narco-terrorism south of the US border, economic resistance to corporate Shell in Nigeria and the future IED attacks in south central Los Angeles in the name of tribal (gang) dominance.

In effect, the GG intellectual initiative concentrates on a strategy rather than a cogent or tangible element and so lacks the definition that both parties seem to disagree about.

Update: I think Shloky captures the meat and potatoes of what I'm trying to put forth:

"Since Brave New War is a framework, it does not need to fill out the global details. The complexity is a layer below the emergent datapoints. As a result, as previously stated, it probably would not have been able to do so in a real or satisfying way."

"That said, you can (and should) zoom in with the framework that Brave New War offers. The details will be filled out by those of us in the slipstream. That is exactly what I am hard at work doing in India."

(Emboldened text is mine)

Best of luck and be safe to Schlok in his Indian adventure.