Fascinating news story about the use of social scientists in Afghanistan from Wired magazine, first class, following the magazine’s feature on war and social networks. Reminds me of some work I’ve done on understanding insurgency strategy after 9/11. And brings to mind one quote I used for a chaos psychology conference in 2002:
“Because we the modernists place a vastly higher priority on education, science and technology, we have managed, in addition to being infidels, to become very powerful infidels, while they are left with being very weal impoverished believers – enraged, impoverished believers…but which (in the shape of Al Qaeda) has managed to find exceptional financing and to adapt itself surprisingly well to a shrewd if minimalist application of borrowed or stolen modern technology.” David Halberstam, ‘War In a Time of Peace’, 2001.
I’d sign up myself except I’m not a US citizen; though I do now possess a US Army lapel badge, from RSNA 2007:
