Tuesday Round-Up

IT'S CAREER DAY AT BEACON AS DAVID FROST, SOLDIERS AND A SECRETARY ALL MAY BE JOB-HUNTING.


Just a quick wrap-up of events and publications of interest to myself and other policy heads. Today's theme is career development.

—I highly recommend Daniel Bergner's "The Other Army," a look at the "private security companies" in Iraq, whose 25,000 or so for-profit gunmen do the hard work of guarding and transporting coalition stuff around the country. Although they're attacked at least as frequently as U.S. forces, these private soldiers (usually army, marine and special forces vets lured by the pay and excitement) have an ability to return fire that is unchecked by military rules of engagement. They add immensely to the cost of the occupation—but that's a necessary cost for a nation that can't or won't commit more uniformed troops to the task.

—Al-Jazeera keeps building its rep as The Logical Next Step for BBC grads, and the latest catch may be Beeb legend David Frost. Read all about the Qatar-based network's courtship of Sir David for its new English-language service here. (My usual tip of the hat to John Brown's Public Diplomacy Review for the initial item.)

—Trial balloons float up from the Pentagon in rapid succession, mainly on a potential drawdown of U.S. troops in Iraq and replacing "global war on terrorism" with the weaker "sustained struggle against whomever." Both memes were swatted down by a seemingly startled President Bush. What happened to message discipline between the Pentagon and Penn. Ave.? Is Secretary Rumsfeld angling for an early exit?