General Offensive - General Uprising

Lynette Nusbacher
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Blunt discussions of war and national security from war historian and former intelligence officer Dr Lynette Nusbacher nusbacher.substack.com

  1. 3d ago

    Quagmire!

    Half-assed committment to big tasks is what causes this. Generals make it clear what level of commitment is required to achieve a strategic aim. Political leadership commits a fraction of that; then they’ve got aims that don’t match resources, they change their aims, they make up strategy as they go along. This isn’t because political leaders are mendacious or stupid: there can be perfectly acceptable reasons to under-commit. Not wanting to blow up the world, that’s one. So is realising that you’re fighting over something that isn’t a vital national interest … ore realising belatedly that you suddenly are! You don’t have permission to talk about wars as quagmires until you’ve read Daniel Ellsberg’s essay, The Quagmire Myth and the Stalemate Machine. Ellsberg debunks Arthur Schlesinger’s idea that Vietnam was a sort of slippery slope that was going to swallow America up no matter what (and therefore the Kennedy and Johnson White Houses were blameless). https://archive.org/details/TheQuagmireMythAndTheStalemateMachine/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nusbacher.substack.com/subscribe

    Quagmire!

  2. 5d ago

    Saudi nukes now?

    The Saudi Arabia civil nuclear deal is a long-term thing, and it’s not going to disappear. The Israelis are relaxed about it. It’s not a factor in any eventual Saudi weapons capability: they can have that with or without a civil nuclear programme. What matters is that one key precondition. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nusbacher.substack.com/subscribe

    Saudi nukes now?

  3. Jul 21

    Destroying Iranian coastal defences honours US service members killed in action?

    ‘Accountability’ isn't a mission verb. It’s not a verb at all, in point of fact. You don't win a war by conducting missions that hold the enemy to account. You win a war by setting and then achieving strategic objectives. If you can't do that, stop having the war. When people are asking about your exit strategy, it's because you don’t have an achievable strategy: you can't win. Stop having the war. Also, I talk a little bit about Verdun. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nusbacher.substack.com/subscribe

    Destroying Iranian coastal defences honours US service members killed in action?

  4. Jul 16

    It's the impunity…

    I’m not really sure whose reporting I’d accept on whether Israeli citizens’ attacks on West Bank Palestinians are increasing in tempo or intensity. Answers on a postcard please. The people who are protecting those who allegedly committed these crimes aren’t just arranging for people they like to stay out of prison even when accused of violent crimes they’re likely to repeat. It’s not just a matter of convenience. Knowing that few are being prosecuted, and if they are, they’re not inconvenienced; they’re free. This connects with Nietzsche’s idea of ressentiment (which is how you spell ‘resentment’ when you’re writing about Friedrich Nietzsche) which I’ve discussed with subscriber Alexandra in comments on previous posts. This in turn connects to my thoughts on passion and emotion in war. James Carville is credited with creating the catchphrase, ‘it’s the economy, stupid!’ in 1992. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nusbacher.substack.com/subscribe

    It's the impunity…

  5. Jul 15

    Why would you deep-six your own cease-fire?

    Yesterday this was all about the Trump Toll. By the time I trimmed and uploaded the video, the morning’s Trump Toll newsprint was afternoon fishwrap (or in the case of subscriber Colonel Paul, parrot cage lining). Am I trying too hard to be topical? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nusbacher.substack.com/subscribe

  6. Jul 12

    Mister Security

    I’m not mystified at the way so many Israelis have viewed Netanyahu as a necessary evil for so long: he and his people have carefully built the legend that he is the only person in all of Israel capable of functioning as Prime Minister, and that without him there would be a return to the days of frequent suicide bombings inside Israel. It’s not trivial: about a thousand Israelis were killed by suicide bombers in the noughties. Nonetheless it’s remarkable that if you mention any other senior public servant, including those who served with distinction at the head of big government ministries and who served as senior IDF officers, there is a characteristic scoff: They’re lightweights, or useless or stupid or whatever. There’s always an easy dismissal. I went back through my notes after recording this video, and I noticed that the Bulgarian bus bombing in Burgas in 2012 was conducted by Hizballah. I didn’t say that in the video (I didn’t say it was anyone else), but the rhythm of the podcast might suggest it was a Hamas operation. It wasn’t. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nusbacher.substack.com/subscribe

    Mister Security

  7. Jul 9

    I can't believe you trusted the Iranians!

    There is every likelihood that Iran is continuing to pursue its interests and its strategies relentlessly, and the American negotiators are growing frustrated at dealing with experienced national security professionals whose political leadership are fairly relaxed about being bombed by the Americans. Or it could be that the American side want an oil price spike so that they can sell spot Brent above a hundred bucks a barrel. Iran is a genuinely significant player in a genuinely significant theatre in World War 3.0, but I feel self-conscious about talking about it in the same terms. I want you to hold in your mind everything I’ve said to this point, particularly about Iran’s interests, its understanding of its interests and the way that plays into their policies, and what that means for their regional and global allies, partners and adversaries. Then I wonder whether there are people who have only been engaging with this podcast for a few weeks, who haven’t gone back and listened to everything. There are people who only hear this on YouTube as 1min shorts. I’ve got to get a little bit comfortable with repeating myself. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nusbacher.substack.com/subscribe

    I can't believe you trusted the Iranians!

  8. Jul 7

    Professionalism, Chaos, Teddy Roosevelt and his Nobel Prize

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nusbacher.substack.com It’s been a long day, it’s a steamy hot evening, and I wanted to answer this question sooner rather than later. I’m going to keep this for paid subscribers, and I think there are some questions worth answering quickly and privately, in the moment.

    Professionalism, Chaos, Teddy Roosevelt and his Nobel Prize
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Blunt discussions of war and national security from war historian and former intelligence officer Dr Lynette Nusbacher nusbacher.substack.com

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