Taxi! And an ill-coordinated linkfart

Jacques Chirac worked as a taxi driver in New Orleans as a student back in 1953. Who knew?

The frantically prolific David MacDuff has an interesting article about the White Guard in Chechnya, 1919. It seems they did far better than today's Russian army in dealing with a Chechen guerrilla insurgency, through a combination of (to be brutally frank) exemplary terror with an offer of quasi-independence within Russia. Peace broke out after months 2.

This would be a good moment to take note of the blogodebate about this Foreign Affairs article on strategy in Iraq. Irregular Anthony says it's basically what he said all along. So do I. The cracking Bobby of Bobby's World says the problem is a lack of cultural sensitivity and a failure to recognise Iraq, and the War On Trrr, as a "Small War"/Brushfire War/Counterinsurgency problem. I couldn't agree more, but he says it with the authority of a tour of Afghanistan with the US Special Forces and on General Garno's staff.

The Washington Post reports on John Roberts, latest appointee to the US Supreme Court - you've heard of the Americans opposing the International Criminal Court for fear of US servicemen being put on trial there, Jesse Helms, Hague Invasion Act and all that stuff, now check out the guy who was against ratification of the Convention on the Crime of Genocide for the same reason.