COA Analysis: Dissension and Reaction

This one could apply to a lot of circumstances...

Here are 4 courses of action to how dissent toward a government might be pushed, and how the government might react to it.




So pick a current situation - Egypt, Yemen, Quebec, Miami - and let us know how you think it might play out.


By: Brant

COA Analysis: Budgets Spiraling Out Of Control

As fiscal crises deepen - just because an economy recovers doesn't mean future budgetary commitments evaporate - what do you expect to see come of the budgets?
Here are 4 potential courses of action to discuss...

What do you think might happen?


By: Brant

COA Analysis: Uprisings and Reform

(republishing this one in light of recent events in Egypt / Syria; it originally ran in February of 2011)

As uprisings sweep the across the Muslim/Arab world, what comes next?

There are 4 courses of action there to consider. Which do you think is most likely, and why? How might it play out per the next 6-8 months?


By: Brant

COA Analysis: NATO-Russia Cyber-Faceoff

So which way might it go if there's another Russian attack on Estonia? NATO involvement? Article 5? Or willful avoidance of the "attack" so as not to provoke Russia?

By: Brant

COA Analysis: Iran-Israel

Iran's nuke plant coming online? Not if Israel has anything to say about it. What do you see happening? Man, someone should design a game around this one. Oh yeah, they did. Stay tuned for more.


By: Brant

COA Analysis: Iran's Nukes (Reader Participation Required!)

When will someone finally take a shot at Iran?

By: Brant

COA Analysis: The Next Nork Attack (Reader Participation Required!)

So now that South Korea has vowed retaliation, what happens with the next provocation?

Since y'all don't seem to big on writing any comments on the courses of action, we'll just let you vote on your most likely...

poll by twiigs.com

By: Brant

COA Analysis: Future of WikiLeaks? (Reader Participation Required!)

Will Assange ever pop his head up? Is he truly a crusader for transparency? Or an anti-US political nutjob who's out to take down the Americans?

By: Brant

COA Analysis: Sudanese Civil War (Reader Participation Required!)

So if the proxy war in the Sudan goes hot, and the media gets ahold of it, what happens? Is Sudan too close to Somalia for interventionist comfort? Discuss!

By: Brant

COA Analysis: AfPak-Taliban Treaties? (Reader Participation Required!)

The ISI claims they own the Taliban. Karzai's government is trying to talk to them. What's going to happen? Who the hell knows? But hey - here are a few options for you to discuss!


By: Brant

COA Analysis: Zimbabwe Implodes (Reader Participation Required!)

We all know that Robert Mugabe is bat-shit crazy. But what happens if he loses control of his followers as the power sharing arrangements fall apart?

By: Brant

COA Analysis: Nork Nukes and Military Coups (Reader Participation Required!)

OK folks - what happens if North Korea's transition to the "Young General" doesn't go as envisioned by his father? Is there a military coup in the works? And what happens if nukes are on the table? DISCUSS!


By: Brant

COA Analysis: Colombia Meets FARC Meets Venezuela (Reader Participation Required!)

So as Colombia has put a stranglehold on the FARC, they've sought outside help, from Ecuador, and (especially) Venezuela. There are several options for how Chavez could involve himself, and the Colombian government might react to it. Of course, don't forget, the FARC gets a vote, too...



What are your thoughts? Pick a course of action and describe it to us!

By: Brant

COA Analysis: Mexico (Reader Participation Required!)

Might Mexico take the plunge and try to take the power out of the cartels' hands by legalizing drugs and taxing them? Will the US finally get serious about securing the border to contain the drug violence? How do you see any of these courses of action playing out?




By: Brant

COA Analysis: China Gets Frisky (Reader Participation Required!)

So what would happen if China decided to get a little frisky about the islands in the South China Sea? What do you think happens if China is the aggressor? How does the US reaction change, and how does the world react to the US reaction?
There's already been tensions over several of the islands out there in the Pacific, and the US has made 'generic' remarks about aggressive moves in the South China Sea. And the Chinese are clearly flexing their muscle when they get the chance.



So what sayeth the readers? Pick a course of action and tell us how you see things playing out...

By: Brant

Poll: Favorite New GN Feature?

So we want to know - now that we've shuffled a few features around, what's your favorite of the new ones? Yeah, yeah, we know that the maps have been running for a while, but not since our last poll on what you like / don't like. So give us some feedback, please!

poll by twiigs.com

By: Brant

COA Analysis: Deployments and Budgets (Reader Participation Required!)

Put on your strategy and policy caps everyone! This week we want your feedback on where the future of the US military is going (though let's face it, this could apply to the Brits, Aussies, Canadians, Germans, French, and probably the Botswanas...) with regard to the budget and the proliferation of missions that are out there.



So what sayeth the readers? Pick a course of action and tell us how you see things playing out...

(sorry, no map this week)

By: Brant

COA Analysis: AfPak Border Wars (Reader Participation Required!)

Continuing our ongoing COA Analysis series, we want your thoughts on any of the four following courses of action along the AfPak border regions. What happens if the US forces cross the border? How does that change if Taliban attacks increase or decrease?

Given the current tensions there, and the fact that some US forces are "not" across the border (wink-wink, nudge-nudge), would we see a US airmobile raid into Pakistan? Are we going to get a battalion patrolling across the border? And how will the Pak's react to it?



So what sayeth the readers? Pick a course of action and tell us how you see things playing out...


View Larger Map

By: Brant

COA Analysis: Somalia (Reader Participation Required!)

Starting our new series on Course of Action Analysis, we examine possible courses of action in Somalia. There's a raging Islamic insurgency that's modeling themselves after the Taliban, an AU peacekeeping force that's marginally competent and under-supported, a lack of cajones on the part of the Americans to relive Blackhawk Down, and an international piracy problem. Just your average minor conflict...



So what sayeth the readers? Pick a course of action and tell us how you see things playing out...


View Larger Map

By: Brant

New Series: COA Analysis

Our new Course of Action Analysis series is going to look at world events through a comparison of two different factors, leading to 4 possible courses of action. These courses of action are thumbnailed out by us, but we want your thoughts, input, and discussion.

In presenting these options, we want you to grab one and run with it. Write us a comment (or four) about one of the COAs and expand on it - give us some likely events along that line, a narrative of what might happen, and what the second-order effects might be.

Note that these might not be remotely plausible. They might be outright ridiculous. But then again, no one expected a bunch of well-dressed religious nutjobs to fly airplanes into skyscrapers, either.

So give us your insights, ideas, thoughts... your tired huddled analyses yearning to breathe free! Look for a new one of these every Wednesday, and if I can scrounge up a prize every here and there, perhaps you'll even score a freebie for giving us the best analysis that week as judged by the staff here.

By: Brant