Future 177 Notes 1

(The Way of the World)

Future 177 Class Page

An abundance of political literature pertains to the premise that our future is based largely on technology and economics. The Way of the World by Ron Suskind is a must read for anyone who wishes to understand the parameters of the global political climate in which we live. Suskind was at one time senior national affairs writer for the Wall Street Journal.  The Way of the World shines a light on the methods that modern states use while playing the intelligence game.

ISBN: 978-0-385-66492-9

In order to understand Suskind's argument, one needs to suss who the real players are along with the nature of their goals and strategies keeping in mind their successes or failures, which given the nature of the beast, intelligence scores are often suspect.

I have provided a brief outline of many of the main players in the intelligence sphere.

A. Q. Khan

In the late 1980's he began to sell blueprints for uranium-enriching centrifuges. CIA agents infiltrated Khan's trading partners' enterprises.  Over the course of several years, the CIA operatives tightened the net and eventually exposed Khan's attempts to be a major player in the WMD game.*

*Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Stephen Abraham

A lawyer who served as an intelligence officer in active and reserve capacities as well as in Desert Storm.  Later he was assigned to Pearl Harbor as lead terrorsm analyst.

Sayd al-Adl

one of Osama bin Laden's senior deputies

Rafid Ahmed

an Iraqi defector to Germany better known by his codename - Curveball.

Traian Basescu

Perevez Musharraf

Selcook Bilgen

Tony Blair

King Abdullah

King of Jordan

Vladimir Putin

Stephen Cambone

The first ever undersecretary of defense for intelligence

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  essay@shaw.ca