Our first check in of 2024 with Havok Journal owner Charles Faint. Charles is a retired Army Intelligence officer with seven tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We begin by discussing the latest on the Israel/Gaza conflict.  Charles expects Iran to continue supporting terrorist proxies but will avoid a direct confrontation with the US. His rationale is twofold; Iran knows they cannot win a direct fight with the US and are not going to risk doing so over an issue like Gaza. They also don’t feel an existential threat to their key interests.

Clearly Israel will be occupying Gaza for some time. As to what comes afterward, we both agree that a “two state” solution is impractical and absorbing millions of persons who have sworn to destroy their country is definitely not a wise move for Israel. Charles notes that in the earliest days of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, most of their leaders were secular.

“A Deck of Many Things” is an article co-authored by Charles and retired Army Major Mike Warnock. It provides a reflection on Colin Powell’s policies in Iraq twenty years later.  They compare Powell’s philosophy of “you break it you bought it” in the context of what we did in Japan & Germany following World War II. In those cases, we preserved the administrative infrastructures necessary for each of those cultures to rebuild. While “De-Baathification” was popular among the Iraqi populace, it eliminated those who knew how to keep the lights on and the sewers flowing.

We also discuss Ayman Kafel’s recent article in Havok Journal about the surge of terrorism in South Asia. The implications of jihadist “franchises” in these areas create a real threat to regional stability and security. Civilians are also at risk as these various factions compete for power and territory.

The value of higher education to military officers and the challenges of “going back to school” is the subject of an article Charles wrote about his experiences at Yale University. In general, Charles says his experience was very positive despite having to deal with numerous misconceptions about the military held by some of his fellow students.

Lastly, we have a fun discussion about Taylor Swift – NOT a topic I ever considered would come up on American Warrior Radio.