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About this site

When I created this site, my intention was to focus on fun stuff—the amazing peoples and cultures encountered on my travels in the Islamic World: Iranians, Arabs, Turks, Pakistanis, Afghans, Tajiks, Amazigh (“Berbers”); Muslims, Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians. I wanted to bring to readers the scintillating cultures, cuisines, archaeology, architecture, and art that I have enjoyed.

Alas, events in West Asia (“Middle East”) since 2023 have forced to spend time on political-military affairs, primarily, the two areas below:

Asymmetric Warfare: “warfare that is between opposing forces that differ greatly in military power and that typically involves the use of unconventional weapons and tactics (e.g., guerrilla warfare).” I have published on al-Qaiʾda; Pakistani Taliban and Afghan Taliban; and al-Hashd al-Shaʿbi (Iraq), Hizballah (Lebanon), and Ansarallah (“Houthis” of Yemen).

Iran’s Sipah (IRGC) emphasizes asymmetric warfare. Iran’s defensive Triad comprises: ballistic and cruise missile, UAV/UCAV (“drones”), and “Electronic Warfare” (EW). I write about the Triad’s strategies, tactics, and technologies.

Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR): “Integrated ISR” is the seamless fusion of ISR across multiple sensors (miscellaneous types of electronic and human “eyes and ears”); platforms (satellites, UAV, manned aircraft and ships equipped to harvest electronic intelligence—“spy planes” and “spy ships”—and ground stations that collect/broadcast signals); and domains (space, air, sea, ground, and cyber) to develop a real-time picture for decision-making.

I write about ISR, principally with respect to China’s space-based systems that provide Iran with ISR; and on intelligence history (Cold War and Global War on Terror).

I hope you enjoy the content.

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