August 2011 - P2P-Foundation - lists.ourproject.org

Fwd: Call for participation: in/compatible.research (submission date extended)
by Michel Bauwens 15 Aug '11

15 Aug '11

not clear what the 'topic' of this CFP is ... ? ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Tatiana Bazzichelli <tati(a)trick.ca> Date: Mon, Aug 15, 2011 at 4:36 PM Subject: Call for participation: in/compatible.research (submission date extended) To: tati(a)trick.ca CALL FOR PARTICIPATION: in/compatible.research International PhD workshop and conference, organised by Digital Aesthetics Research Centre/Centre for Digital Urban Living, Aarhus University, in partnership with the transmediale festival for art and digital culture, and Universität der Künste, Berlin. November 16-18, 2011 Vilém Flusser Archive, Universität der Künste, Berlin. SUBMISSION DATE EXTENDED TO 31 AUGUST http://www.transmediale.de/**content/incompatibleresearch-** call-participation<http://www.transmediale.de/content/incompatibleresearch-call-participation> We are looking for proposals from PhD researchers to take part in this international workshop and conference to explore the forthcoming theme of transmediale: in/compatible. A total of 15 PhD international researchers will be selected and asked to participate: firstly initiating a discussion process in a blog, and then in the PhD workshop held at the Universität der Künste, Vilém Flusser Archive in Berlin, Nov. 16-18. The outcome of the process will be published in a transmediale thematic publication and presented as part of the programme of the festival in 2012. We are seeking proposals consisting of a biography (500 characters), a statement on current research/description of PhD project (1000 characters), and an abstract for a paper presentation (1500 characters). Proposals should be sent using the online form: http://www.transmediale.de/**content/registration-form-** incompatibleresearch<http://www.transmediale.de/content/registration-form-incompatibleresearch> Extended Deadline: Aug. 22 Acceptance: Sept. 15 More details will be posted soon, but the conference/workshop includes contributions from Cornelia Sollfrank, Tiziana Terranova, and Siegfried Zielinski. For more details, go to http://www.transmediale.de/**content/incompatibleresearch-** call-participation<http://www.transmediale.de/content/incompatibleresearch-call-participation> or http://darc.imv.au.dk/?page_**id=2401<http://darc.imv.au.dk/?page_id=2401> Organised by: Digital Aesthetics Research Centre, Aarhus University, DK ( http://darc.imv.au.dk) Centre for Digital Urban Living, Aarhus University, DK (http://www.** digitalurbanliving.dk/ <http://www.digitalurbanliving.dk/>) transmediale festival for art and digital culture, Berlin, DE ( http://www.transmediale.de) Promoted by: transmediale resource and Vilém Flusser Archive, Berlin. Hosted by: Universität der Künste, Berlin (http://www.udk-berlin.de) -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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17 rules for community
by Michel Bauwens 15 Aug '11

15 Aug '11

hi chris, can you republish postdated (21 or after) in our blog, thanks! see http://helloetsy.com/2011/06/on-community-and-wendell-berry/ -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Critical Labour Studies 8th Symposium.
by Phoebe Moore 14 Aug '11

14 Aug '11

Hi Michel Would it be possible to send this to the group? Many thanks, Phoebe * * *Critical Labour Studies* 8th Symposium 2012 Venue: The University of Salford, Greater Manchester, UK or the Mechanic's Institute http://www.mechanicsinstitute.co.uk/<https://staffwebmail.salford.ac.uk/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.mec…> Saturday 18th Sunday 19th February 2012 Call for papers and sessions It is clear to researchers and activists, both in the trade union movement and universities, that global capitalism is increasingly shaping the worlds of work and employment. The imposition of this neo-liberal orthodoxy has many profound implications, not least that states seek to both de-legitimise workers' opposition and marginalise their organisations. However, just as capitalism has embraced neo-liberal strategies, there has emerged a new politics of resistance that is varied and diverse, embracing: trade union and socialist organisations, green and ecological protest movements, anti-war activists, feminists, human rights campaigners and NGOs. It is against this background that the Critical Labour Studies (CLS) symposium has aimed to bring together researchers and activists to discuss key features of work and employment from a radical and labour-focused perspective. We recognise that while left academic researchers participate in the usual round of mainstream conferences, the scope for focused radical debate around these themes is actually quite limited. Through CLS we have developed an open working group and discussion forum that engages with many of the challenges facing researchers and trade unionists within the current environment of work and employment. By 'labour', we anticipate, in the traditions of radical researchers over the ages, a broad understanding of social, economic and political agendas. To date, themes have included: race, identity and organising migrant workers, global unionism and organising internationally, the new politics of production, privatisation, outsourcing and offshoring, restructuring and alternative/inclusive research methodologies. The list of themes and questions that concern us continues to develop over time, and the intention will be to reflect this evolving agenda at this year's symposium. An ancillary objective is to engage in genuinely critical debate, rescuing this term from its co-option by mainstream agendas. Building on the successes of the past six years, the forthcoming symposium will be structured as a series of plenary sessions. Each will be organised around a particular theme with speakers and discussants, followed by a broad discussion. It has been an important principle of CLS that the conference is not based on the convention of academic conferences with specific papers being presented in separate streams. Rather our intention has been to deepen discussion and debate, and to bring together researchers and labour/ union movement activists (where possible) in joint sessions. All sessions are genuinely open and inclusive and involve a broad range of participants, from established academics to early-career researchers, and from established trade union officials to shop-floor representatives and grass-roots activists. The distinctive organising principles of CLS are, therefore, to assist unions and workers in dealing with the challenges faced in the neo-liberal world of work and employment. Ultimately, discussion of strategies and tactics are related to the broader aim of creating a socialist society. Send proposals for presentations/sessions/papers to Dr Phoebe V Moore-Carter p.moore(a)salford.ac.uk <mailto:[email protected] <p.moore(a)salford.ac.uk>> Deadline 16th September 2011. Join the Critical Labour Studies Email List: If you would like to be added to the CLS email list, please contact Jane Holgate at j.holgate(a)londonmet.ac.uk <mailto:[email protected]<j.holgate(a)londonmet.ac.uk> > Check out our website: http://criticallabourstudies.org.uk/site/<https://staffwebmail.salford.ac.uk/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://critica…>< http://criticallabourstudies.org.uk/site/<https://staffwebmail.salford.ac.uk/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://critica…> > This event is supported by Historical Materialism, Capital and Class, and the BUIRA Marxist Study Group. Dr. Phoebe Moore-Carter Lecturer in International Relations & International Political Economy Programme Leader, MA in International Relations and Globalisation MA coursefinder: http://www.salford.ac.uk/course-finder/course/1779<https://staffwebmail.salford.ac.uk/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.sal…> IPEG Convener http://www.bisa-ipeg.org/<https://staffwebmail.salford.ac.uk/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.bis…> Profile: http://www.espach.salford.ac.uk/page/Phoebe_Moore<https://staffwebmail.salford.ac.uk/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.esp…> http://www.seek.salford.ac.uk/profiles/PMOORE.jsp<https://staffwebmail.salford.ac.uk/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.see…>

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bk of the week: full spectrum economics
by Michel Bauwens 14 Aug '11

14 Aug '11

Dear Christian, would you be interested in having your book on full-spectrum economics featured as book of the week on the p2p foundation blog? if you are, it requires a general introduction followed by 2 significant excerpts, see http://p2pfoundation.net/Full-Spectrum_Economics for our holding page on your book, Michel -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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anonymity campaign
by Michel Bauwens 14 Aug '11

14 Aug '11

hi chris, could you re-publish this on our blog, aug 17 or after, see http://www.movements.org/blog/entry/campaign-to-protect-anonymity-online/ -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Re: [P2P-F] wikihouse
by Michel Bauwens 14 Aug '11

14 Aug '11

Thanks Eric! On Sun, Aug 14, 2011 at 2:12 AM, Eric Hunting <erichunting(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Thanks for passing this along. Looks like a very interesting project. I'll > tag on a short write up on it with this note. Sorry I have been out of the > loop lately, but after my interview on Dr. Livingston's Space Show a while > ago things picked up a lot with the LUF, demanding much more attention. > Hopefully enough momentum is being built up that I can finally get that TMP2 > book I've long been working on illustrated and published. > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > WikiHouse - An Open Hardware Building System > > http://www.wikihouse.cc/ > > WikiHouse is a project developed by London design group 00:/ ( > http://www.architecture00.net/) intended to explore the prospect of Open > Hardware development in architectural design and housing. It's objective is > to establish a series of Creative Commons licensed housing designs that are > engineered for production from plywood using CNC and assembly with simple > puzzle-fit construction, bolts, and screws. These designs are intended for > on-line distribution as Google SketchUp data allowing free access and > customization. The designs draw heavily on the previous work of MIT in > CNC-based housing construction, using much the same kind of puzzle-fit > structural system. MIT's own work on this concept turned to > commercialization of on-demand production services through proprietary > software doing procedural CAD/CAM generation rather than truly hackable Open > Hardware development. So here is an opportunity to really put this > technology into the public's and the open tech community's hands. > > Six simple structures are shown on the site, based on a stressed skin > structural system using clear span bay sections linked by slot-fit cross > members and rigidized by skin panels. Most are single floor cottage or shed > scale. This form of construction has been demonstrated sound in a great many > other projects to date and well suits the use of flat bed CNC and simple CAD > drawing. It has become increasingly popular with a lot of student > architecture projects because of its versatility, though it has some > limitations with window and door installation. However, 00:/ 's designs > appear rudimentary and experimental. None are shown in a finished state and > only one small portion of a structure seems to have been prototyped so far. > > Though strong and very flexible in the range of modest scale forms > possible, this kind of structural system tends to favor 'throw away' > architecture because the finished products are very limited in adaptation > and post-construction customization -even more so than conventional stick > frame construction. Plywood itself varies greatly from country to country > and manufacturer to manufacturer in long-term resilience and in the use of > potential toxic binder materials and wood preservatives. These structures > are potentially somewhat demountable in core structure but not very > reconfigurable because the design is locked by the absolute form of the unit > profile sections and they ultimately rely on 'destructive' assembly using > self-embedding screws, nails, glues and conventional non-removable interior > finishing. Repair and renovation are surgically destructive processes. This > is generally overlooked as a 'problem' with these structures as they rarely > get used permanently and because conventional housing construction is > generally the same. But it does limit the potential economy of this housing > to little better than conventional because most of the costs of housing > construction is in finishing, not primary structure. So as long as one > outfits the interior in a conventional way, the economy of these kinds of > structures comes only from the relatively small net reduced time and > possible sweat equity in the primary construction. This, however, is much > improved where buildings are modest in scale and the interior design > exploits the virtues of the clear-span volumes through open plan design. > This is particularly well suited to quick-build relief housing where > finishing is kept minimalist or mostly eliminated by utilitarian > pre-finished/non-finished materials. In that context, this approach is a > real boon with a potential to exploit truly low cost materials like > laminated cardboard or recycled materials. > > Despite the limitations, the very easy 'hackability', simple materials, > ready suitability for flat-bed CNC, and freedom of experimentation with > minimum CGI skills at the pre-construction level makes such structures an > appropriate choice in an Open Hardware context and this project's idea of > establishing freely accessed/customized plans on-line has great potential. > Unfortunately, this design team doesn't seem as yet to be doing very much to > realize that potential. There are no CAD or model files for any of their > structures available on the above web site. No detailed descriptions or > renderings of any designs. No step-by-step instructions. No attempt to > characterize the structural system as with a standard design methodology. > Either we have caught this project in a very early stage of development, or > they have among them a very nebulous notion of what Open Hardware is about, > how you communicate with the larger community, and what designers' roles are > in this context. They note that they will be showcasing their first full > house at a design conference in Korea in September, which is nice, but that > sort of traditional venue is irrelevant to Open Hardware. For that, the > Internet is your showcase venue and the 'source files' -the CAD files and > instructions- what you showcase and share. The whole point to Open Hardware > is open participation and the 'source files' are the essential medium of > that participation. If they're ready to go for september, shouldn't there be > a complete design to show on their web site now? They must have the CAD and > modeling done for that much. > > Frankly, this kind of thing just isn't that hard. The average maker on > Instructibles would have more work to show by now. If the idea is to keep > things under wraps until the 'coming out' presentation, one has to ask what > one might hope to get at the Gwangju Biennale that you can't get on > Thingiverse? The point is how many of the sort of people who will _use_ an > Open Hardware design one can reach, not those who will just gawk at it and > do a magazine write-up. Are we looking at another Riversimple Urban Car > hyping itself as 'open source' yet, years later, there are still no CAD > files and production details released to the public? Hopefully 00:/ will > soon avail themselves of some real makers who can set them straight on what > Open Hardware is all about. There is a great opportunity here, and it would > be a tragedy to miss it. > > Eric Hunting > erichunting(a)gmail.com > > > > On Aug 11, 2011, at 3:14 AM, Michel Bauwens wrote: > > > Dear Eric, > > > > I wonder if you could present this project on our blog? see: > http://www.wikihouse.cc/about.php > > > > hope you are doing well! > > > > Michel > > -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Fwd: genetic diversity or genetic engineering
by Michel Bauwens 14 Aug '11

14 Aug '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: David Braden <d-braden(a)comcast.net> Date: Sun, Aug 14, 2011 at 5:20 AM Subject: genetic diversity or genetic engineering If you want to make money in agriculture, then, you must discover something patentable and convince the rest of us that buying from you is better than just doing it the old way. The feed back loop is that, since that is were the money is, that is the option that gets advertised, and the rest of us come to believe that is the best alternative. The only problem is that it reduces genetic diversity in the system . . . making the system vulnerable to things like new plant diseases and pesticide resistance. Our society as a whole is better off if we understand the value of genetic diversity. Sustainability will require it. The money in not buying into the chemical agricultural paradigm is the money you can save by letting nature perform those functions. But more importantly, genetic diversity means that each element of the system has multiple ways to respond to any given change. Hopefully, some of those responses will be successful . . . or that element goes extinct . . . and that is what makes the system resilient. One step that we can all take toward sustainability is to *STOP SPREADING POISONS* If you have any influence with people who still believe the marketing on pesticides, use it to explain that point. The creature eating your plants is not a pest. It is food for the creature who wants to protect your plants. You cannot have lady beetles unless you grow aphids for them to eat and, if you have lady beetles, the aphids will not be a problem for your plants. That is just the way it works. Poisons are never a good idea because they reduce the genetic diversity of a place. Please join the discussion http://transitioninaction.com/**group/whole_person_paradigm/** forum/topics/start-the-**collaboration<http://transitioninaction.com/group/whole_person_paradigm/forum/topics/star…> http://transitioncolorado.**ning.com/group/**frontrangegardeners/forum/** topics/start-the-collaboration<http://transitioncolorado.ning.com/group/frontrangegardeners/forum/topics/s…> In Community David Braden -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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In_Peer_Production, _the_Interests_of_Capitalists_and_Entrepreneurs_Are_No_Longer_Aligned
by Michel Bauwens 13 Aug '11

13 Aug '11

hi chris, can you republish in the blog, on any post-date appropriate day? see http://p2pfoundation.net/In_Peer_Production,_the_Interests_of_Capitalists_a… -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Fwd: [fcforum] plaese help to spread at the CCC Camp :-)
by Michel Bauwens 12 Aug '11

12 Aug '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Simona Levi <info(a)conservas.tk> Date: Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 6:35 PM Subject: [fcforum] plaese help to spread at the CCC Camp :-) To: Jeremie ZIMMERMANN <jz(a)laquadrature.net>, stef < stefan.marsiske(a)gmail.com>, fcforum(a)list.fcforum.net, fcforum_discussion(a)list.fcforum.net ** Hi all, this is not the final text and the transaltion is terrible since I did it myself, but, please, I would like to ask the one of you that are at the CCC Camp to read this presentation of the contents of the next FCForum and to spead the information over there. I think that fcforum 2011 can be a great moment of empowerment. Spain is hot and very strong at the moment. It is a good place to coordinate new action and strategies. Also we need the help of all of you to show other ways of doing things to people that have approched the "power" of the Net just recently, in the r-evolution. Ok, here the text, just for the CCC Camp. Soon a better translation for al the rest of you. Besos! Oxcars and FreeCultureForum 2011 (27.30 october 2011) Networks for a R-evolution What the Internet has made for us and what we can do for him ;-). 2011 is the year of the emergence of consciousness of global network. The widespread use of social and digital networks has led to a leap in quality to citizen empowerment and has rised virally civil society in many parts of the world. The struggles in defense of the Internet have been a great breeding ground for these uprisings. The movement of the #15M #spanishrevolution is organized on the Internet. At the same time one of its greatest strengths is the feedback between the network and the street, between the Internet and the squares and neighborhoods. We have to continue feeding, promoting and improving the efficient use of the Internet to mobilize and direct participation. Already in the previous edition of FCForum we have discussed how the intensity of the struggle of civil society in the Spain for the protection of internet and against law Sinde (law against the discharges) was a starting point for Europe. During 3 years FCForum and OXCARS, that are taking place in Barcelona, are an international gathering to build and coordinate common tools for free culture and the Internet. The FCForum brings together the main organizations and active voices on this subjects but also is an open space for everyone who wants to understand, deepen and share in the responses to the pressing problems of networked societies. FCForum this year focus as is inevitable will be on the experience of movement 15M as a case study to extrapolate to a global level. The intent of FCForum 2011 is to analyze and construct among all those participating to the gathering the best tools we need right now to continue the stuggles. On a global and local level. This year some of the questions we will discuss: 0. What forms and organizational tools and networking have enabled the emergence of # 15M? How to improve these practices? How have they changed the ways of individual and collective in this context? How the culture of social networks has facilitated a change in the respect among the group? What dangers threaten internet globally? How the Internet has facilitated the creation of new forms of production and dissemination of culture? How some of these forms can be an outlet for artists to stop being used as an excuse to privatize the Internet? What we do with the SGAE (the main management entity Spain) now that their leaders have been prosecuted ;-)? These 2-day meeting will be preceded as usual OXCARS of the largest free/libre culture show of all time. A great celebration of free culture, to heat engines. We believe it will be very useful for the empowerment #globalrevolution and the defense of Internet. This year, among many others, will help us to think John Perry Barlow that in 1996 ignited his 'Declaration of Independence of Cyberspace'; Alex de la Iglesia as a director of the Academy of Film who resigned against the law Sinde and many hackers and people who have created tools to assist in the mobilization of 15M, as the network N-1.cc. Three days to think about what the Internet did for us and what we can do for him ;-). Place Thursday October 27, 2030 Sala Apolo Barcelona Oxcars Friday 28 and Saturday 29 11h-21h on the Rambla in front of Santa Monica and Santa Monica, metro Drassanes http://oxcars11.whois--x.net/en/ http://whois--x.net/english/the-oxcars http://whois--x.net http://whois--x.net/english http://2011.fcforum.net http://fcforum.net http://www.facebook.com/LaEXnet Twitter at @ fcforum_net (English) @ Identi.ca at FCForum (English) Twitter at @ X_net_ (Castilian) ----- + info http://list.fcforum.net/wws/info/fcforum ------- -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Re: [P2P-F] A Secret War in 120 Countries
by Michel Bauwens 12 Aug '11

12 Aug '11

thanks Mike, forwarding to the list, On Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 10:37 AM, mike stagman <artemesium(a)yahoo.co.uk>wrote: > Hi Michel, > > This is an extremely important article regarding the New Fascist World > Order. This info really ought to get around!!! > > Mike > > > Published on Thursday, August 4, 2011 by TomDispatch.com<http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175426/tomgram%3A_nick_turse%2C_uncovering_…> > A Secret War in 120 Countries: The Pentagon’s New Power Elite > by Nick Turse <http://www.commondreams.org/nick-turse> > > Somewhere on this planet an American commando is carrying out a mission. > Now, say that 70 times and you’re done... for the day. Without the > knowledge of the American public, a secret force within the U.S. military is > undertaking operations in a majority of the world’s countries. This new > Pentagon power elite is waging a global war whose size and scope has never > been revealed, until now.In 120 countries across the globe, troops from > Special Operations Command carry out their secret war of high-profile > assassinations, low-level targeted killings, capture/kidnap operations, > kick-down-the-door night raids, joint operations with foreign forces, and > training missions with indigenous partners as part of a shadowy conflict > unknown to most Americans. Once “special” for being small, lean, outsider > outfits, today they are special for their power, access, influence, and > aura. > > After a U.S. Navy SEAL put a bullet in Osama bin Laden’s chest and another > in his head<http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/08/08/110808fa_fact_schmidle?curren…>, > one of the most secretive black-ops units in the American military suddenly > found* *its mission in the public spotlight. It was atypical. While it’s > well known that U.S. Special Operations forces are deployed in the war zones > of Afghanistan and Iraq<http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/03/world/middleeast/03iraq.html>, > and it’s increasingly apparent that such units operate in murkier conflict > zones like Yemen<http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/08/08/110808fa_fact_schmidle?curren…>and > Somalia<http://www.nationinstitute.org/featuredwork/fellows/2283/the_cia%27s_secret…>, > the full extent of their worldwide war has remained deeply in the shadows. > > Last year, Karen DeYoung and Greg Jaffe of the *Washington Post* reported<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/03/AR201006030…>that U.S. Special Operations forces were deployed in 75 countries, up from > 60 at the end of the Bush presidency. By the end of this year, U.S. Special > Operations Command spokesman Colonel Tim Nye told me, that number will > likely reach 120. “We do a lot of traveling -- a lot more than Afghanistan > or Iraq,” he said recently. This global presence -- in about 60% of the > world’s nations <http://www.state.gov/s/inr/rls/4250.htm> and far larger > than previously acknowledged -- provides striking new evidence of a rising > clandestine Pentagon power elite waging a secret war in all corners of the > world. > > *The Rise of the Military’s Secret Military* > > Born of a failed 1980 raid to rescue American hostages in Iran, in which > eight U.S. service members died, U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) was > established in 1987. Having spent the post-Vietnam years distrusted and > starved for money by the regular military, special operations forces > suddenly had a single home, a stable budget, and a four-star commander as > their advocate. Since then, SOCOM has grown into a combined force of > startling proportions. Made up of units from all the service branches, > including the Army’s “Green Berets” and Rangers, Navy SEALs, Air Force Air > Commandos, and Marine Corps Special Operations teams, in addition to > specialized helicopter crews, boat teams, civil affairs personnel, > para-rescuemen, and even battlefield air-traffic controllers and special > operations weathermen, SOCOM carries out the United States’ most specialized > and secret missions. These include assassinations, counterterrorist raids, > long-range reconnaissance, intelligence analysis, foreign troop training, > and weapons of mass destruction counter-proliferation operations. > > One of its key components is the Joint Special Operations Command, or JSOC, > a clandestine sub-command whose primary mission is tracking and killing<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/26/AR201001260…>suspected terrorists. Reporting to the president and acting under his > authority, JSOC maintains a global hit list that includes American > citizens<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/26/AR201001260…>. > It has been operating an extra-legal “kill/capture” campaign that John Nagl, > a past counterinsurgency adviser to four-star general and soon-to-be CIA > Director David Petraeus, calls<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kill-capture/what-is-kill-capture/>"an almost industrial-scale counterterrorism killing machine." > > This assassination program has been carried out by commando units like the > Navy SEALs and the Army’s Delta Force as well as via drone strikes as part > of covert wars in which the CIA is also involved in countries like Somalia<http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/national-security/us-drones-target-t…>, > Pakistan, and Yemen<http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/06/cias-drones-join-shadow-war-over-ye…>. > In addition, the command operates a network of secret prisons<http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/04/commandos-hold-afghan-detainees-in-…>, > perhaps as many as 20 black sites in Afghanistan alone, used for interrogating > high-value targets<http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2011/04/ap-secret-detention-040811/> > . > > *Growth Industry* > > From a force of about 37,000 in the early 1990s, Special Operations Command > personnel have grown to almost 60,000, about a third of whom are career > members of SOCOM; the rest have other military occupational specialties, but > periodically cycle through the command. Growth has been exponential since > September 11, 2001, as SOCOM’s baseline budget almost tripled from $2.3 > billion to $6.3 billion. If you add in funding for the wars in Iraq and > Afghanistan, it has actually* *more than* *quadrupled<http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-07/special-operations-spending-quadru…>to $9.8 billion in these years. Not surprisingly, the number of its > personnel deployed abroad has also jumped<http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-03/navy-seal-raid-on-bin-laden-reflec…>four-fold. Further increases, and expanded operations, are on the horizon. > > Lieutenant General Dennis Hejlik, the former head of the Marine Corps > Forces Special Operations Command -- the last of the service branches to be > incorporated into SOCOM in 2006 -- indicated<http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2011/07/marine-marsoc-hejlik-grow-get-…>, > for instance, that he foresees a doubling of his former unit of 2,600. “I > see them as a force someday of about 5,000, like equivalent to the number of > SEALs that we have on the battlefield. Between [5,000] and 6,000,” he said<http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2011/07/marine-marsoc-hejlik-grow-get-…>at a June breakfast with defense reporters in Washington. Long-term plans > already call for the force to increase by 1,000. > > <http://www.amazon.com/dp/1844674517/ref=nosim/?tag=commondreams-20>During > his recent Senate confirmation hearings, Navy Vice Admiral William McRaven<http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/tag/william-mcraven/>, > the incoming SOCOM chief and outgoing head of JSOC (which he commanded > during the bin Laden raid) endorsed a steady manpower growth rate of 3% to > 5% a year, while also making a pitch for even more resources, including > additional drones and the construction of new special operations facilities. > > A former SEAL who still sometimes accompanies troops into the field, > McRaven expressed a belief that, as conventional forces are drawn down in > Afghanistan, special ops troops will take on an ever greater role. Iraq, he > added, would benefit if elite U.S forces continued to conduct missions there > past the December 2011 deadline for a total American troop withdrawal. He > also assured the Senate Armed Services Committee that “as a former JSOC > commander, I can tell you we were looking very hard at Yemen and at > Somalia.” > > During a speech at the National Defense Industrial Association's annual > Special Operations and Low-intensity Conflict Symposium earlier this year, > Navy Admiral Eric Olson, the outgoing chief of Special Operations Command, > pointed to a composite satellite image of the world at night. Before > September 11, 2001, the lit portions of the planet -- mostly the > industrialized nations of the global north -- were considered the key areas. > "But the world changed over the last decade," he said<http://www.socom.mil/News/Pages/Specialoperationsunlitspaces.aspx>. > "Our strategic focus has shifted largely to the south... certainly within > the special operations community, as we deal with the emerging threats from > the places where the lights aren't." > > To that end, Olson launched "Project Lawrence,"<http://www.soc.mil/UNS/Releases/2011/February/110211-02.html>an effort to increase cultural proficiencies -- like advanced language > training and better knowledge of local history and customs -- for overseas > operations. The program is, of course, named after the British officer, > Thomas Edward Lawrence (better known as "Lawrence of Arabia"), who teamed up > with Arab fighters to wage a guerrilla war in the Middle East during World > War I. Mentioning Afghanistan, Pakistan, Mali, and Indonesia, Olson added > that SOCOM now needed "Lawrences of Wherever." > > While Olson made reference to only 51 countries of top concern to SOCOM, > Col. Nye told me that on any given day, Special Operations forces are > deployed in approximately 70 nations around the world. All of them, he > hastened to add, at the request of the host government. According to > testimony by Olson before the House Armed Services Committee earlier this > year, approximately 85% of special operations troops deployed overseas are > in 20 countries in the CENTCOM area of operations in the Greater Middle > East: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, > Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, > Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Yemen. The others are > scattered across the globe from South America to Southeast Asia, some in > small numbers, others as larger contingents. > > Special Operations Command won’t disclose exactly which countries its > forces operate in. “We’re obviously going to have some places where it’s > not advantageous for us to list where we’re at,” says Nye. “Not all host > nations want it known, for whatever reasons they have -- it may be internal, > it may be regional.” > > But it’s no secret (or at least a poorly kept one) that so-called black > special operations troops, like the SEALs and Delta Force, are conducting > kill/capture missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen, while > “white” forces like the Green Berets and Rangers are training indigenous > partners as part of a worldwide secret war against al-Qaeda and other > militant groups. In the Philippines, for instance, the U.S. spends $50 > million a year<http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2011-03-30-secretwar30_ST_N.htm?sms_ss=f…>on a 600-person contingent of Army Special Operations forces, Navy Seals, > Air Force special operators, and others that carries out counterterrorist > operations with Filipino allies against insurgent groups like Jemaah > Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf. > > Last year, as an analysis of SOCOM documents, open-source Pentagon > information, and a database of Special Operations missions<http://nationalsecurityzone.org/specialops/maps/>compiled by investigative journalist Tara McKelvey (for the Medill School of > Journalism’s National Security Journalism Initiative) reveals, America’s > most elite troops carried out joint-training exercises in Belize, Brazil, > Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Germany, Indonesia, Mali, Norway, Panama, and > Poland. So far in 2011, similar training missions have been conducted in > the Dominican Republic, Jordan, Romania, Senegal, South Korea, and Thailand, > among other nations. In reality, Nye told me, training actually went on in > almost every nation where Special Operations forces are deployed. “Of the > 120 countries we visit by the end of the year, I would say the vast majority > are training exercises in one fashion or another. They would be classified > as training exercises.” > > *The Pentagon’s Power Elite* > > Once the neglected stepchildren of the military establishment, Special > Operations forces have been growing exponentially not just in size and > budget, but also in power and influence. Since 2002, SOCOM has been > authorized to create its own Joint Task Forces -- like Joint Special > Operations Task Force-Philippines -- a prerogative normally limited to > larger combatant commands like CENTCOM. This year, without much fanfare, > SOCOM also established its own Joint Acquisition Task Force, a cadre of > equipment designers and acquisition specialists. > > With control over budgeting, training, and equipping its force, powers > usually reserved for departments (like the Department of the Army or the > Department of the Navy), dedicated dollars in every Defense Department > budget, and influential advocates in Congress<http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/05/in-wake-of-bin-laden-kill-congress-…>, > SOCOM is by now an exceptionally powerful player at the Pentagon. With real > clout, it can win bureaucratic battles, purchase cutting-edge technology, > and pursue fringe research like electronically beaming messages<http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-07/special-operations-spending-quadru…>into people’s heads or developing stealth-like cloaking > technologies<http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/04/socom-wants-invisible-commandos/>for ground troops. Since 2001, SOCOM’s prime contracts awarded to small > businesses -- those that generally produce specialty equipment and weapons > -- have jumped six-fold. > > Headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, but operating out of > theater* *commands spread out around the globe, including Hawaii, Germany, > and South Korea, and active in the majority of countries on the planet, > Special Operations Command is now a force unto itself. As outgoing SOCOM > chief Olson put it<http://armed-services.senate.gov/statemnt/2011/03%20March/Olson%2003-01-11.…>earlier this year, SOCOM “is a microcosm of the Department of Defense, with > ground, air, and maritime components, a global presence, and authorities and > responsibilities that mirror the Military Departments, Military Services, > and Defense Agencies.” > > Tasked to coordinate all Pentagon planning against global terrorism > networks and, as a result, closely connected to other government agencies, > foreign militaries, and intelligence services, and armed with a vast > inventory of stealthy helicopters, manned fixed-wing aircraft, heavily-armed > drones, high-tech guns-a-go-go speedboats, specialized Humvees and Mine > Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, or MRAPs, as well as other > state-of-the-art gear (with more on the way<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43859070/ns/technology_and_science-future_of_te…>), > SOCOM represents something new in the military. Whereas the late scholar of > militarism Chalmers Johnson used to refer to the CIA as "the president's > private army<http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/174824/%20chalmers_johnson_agency_of_rogue>," > today JSOC performs that role, acting as the chief executive’s private > assassination squad, and its parent, SOCOM, functions as a new Pentagon > power-elite, a secret military within the military possessing domestic power > and global reach. > > In 120 countries across the globe, troops from Special Operations Command > carry out their secret war of high-profile assassinations<http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/osama-bin-laden-killed/story?id=13505703>, > low-level targeted killings<http://www.nationinstitute.org/featuredwork/fellows/2283/the_cia%27s_secret…>, > capture/kidnap operations<http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/07/floating-gitmo/#more-50999>, > kick-down-the-door night raids<http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/24/us-afghanistan-raids-idUSTRE71N15…>, > joint operations with foreign forces<http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/06/28/world/middleeast/20110629-IRAQ-…>, > and training missions with indigenous partners as part of a shadowy conflict > unknown to most Americans. Once “special” for being small, lean, outsider > outfits, today they are special for their power, access, influence, and > aura. > > That aura now benefits from a well-honed public relations campaign which > helps them project a superhuman image<http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/seal-spotting-becomes-local-sport-in…>at home and abroad, even while many of their actual activities remain in the > ever-widening shadows. Typical of the vision they are pushing was this > statement from Admiral Olson: “I am convinced that the forces… are the most > culturally attuned partners, the most lethal hunter-killers, and most > responsive, agile, innovative, and efficiently effective advisors, trainers, > problem-solvers, and warriors that any nation has to offer.” > > Recently at the Aspen Institute’s Security Forum<http://aspensecurityforum.org/>, > Olson offered up similarly gilded comments and some misleading information, > too, claiming<http://www.aspeninstitute.org/video/admiral-eric-olson-aspen-security-forum>that U.S. Special Operations forces were operating in just 65 countries and > engaged in combat in only two of them. When asked about drone strikes in > Pakistan, he reportedly replied, “Are you talking about unattributed > explosions?” > > What he did let slip, however, was telling. He noted, for instance, that > black operations like the bin Laden mission, with commandos conducting > heliborne night raids, were now exceptionally common. A dozen or so are > conducted every night, he said. Perhaps most illuminating, however, was an > offhand remark about the size of SOCOM. Right now, he emphasized, U.S. > Special Operations forces were approximately as large as Canada’s entire > active duty military. In fact, the force is larger than the active duty > militaries of many of the nations where America’s elite troops now operate > each year, and it’s only set to grow larger. > > Americans have yet to grapple with what it means to have a “special” force > this large, this active, and this secret -- and they are unlikely to begin > to do so until more information is available. It just won’t be coming from > Olson or his troops. “Our access [to foreign countries] depends on our > ability to not talk about it,” he said in response to questions about > SOCOM’s secrecy. When missions are subject to scrutiny like the bin Laden > raid, he said, the elite troops object. The military’s secret military, > said Olson, wants "to get back into the shadows and do what they came in to > do.” > > *This article is a collaboration between Alternet.org and TomDispatch.com. > * > © 2011 Nick Turse > [image: Nick Turse] <http://www.commondreams.org/nick-turse> > > Nick Turse is the associate editor of TomDispatch.com. He is the author of The > Complex: How the Military Invades Our Everyday Lives<http://www.amazon.com/dp/0805078967/ref=nosim/?tag=commondreams-20>and The > Case for Withdrawal from Afghanistan<http://www.amazon.com/dp/1844674517/ref=nosim/?tag=commondreams-20>. > Turse is currently a fellow at Harvard University’s Radcliffe Institute. His > website is Nick Turse.com <http://www.nickturse.com/>. You can follow him > on Twitter @NickTurse <http://twitter.com/NickTurse>, on Tumblr<http://nickturse.tumblr.com/>, > and on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/nick.turse>. > > *To stay on top of important articles like these, sign up to receive the * > *latest updates from TomDispatch.com here.*<https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:Join/signupId:43308/acctId:25612> > -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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