Joshua Tree Report: June 18th, 2017

This is the Joshua Tree Report for May 28th, 2017.

General Data

The temperature in Cody is 60° Fahrenheit and the weather is fair. The temperature in Kirkwall is 11° centigrade and the weather is rainy. The temperature in Muscat is 39° centigrade and the weather is clear. A barrel of crude oil is selling at $44.74, and $1.27 currently exchanges for £1. This week's geospatial image is the the monastary on Skellig Michael, off the Irish coast.

In the News

Here are a few of this week's top stories.

Qassem Soleimani allegedly spotted in Syria near the Iraqi border (Long War Journal)

New US Russia sanctions bill riles Germany and Austria (BBC News)

Juncker says Europe can no longer 'outsource' protection (AFP)

Yemen rebels fire on UAE ship: coalition (AFP)

Yemen rebels fire on UAE ship: Saudi coalition (Khaleej Times)

Photos show US joint patrols with rebels in southern Syria (Long War Journal)

United Nations Shines Light on Shadowy Libyan Air War (War is Boring)

The UAE's 'destabilising' role in Libya (al Jazeera)

UAE boosts Libyan faction's air power: UN report (AFP)

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi freed from prison in Zintan (al Jazeera)

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi case: ICC calls for arrest of ex-Libya leader's son (BBC News)

Philippine OV-10s Bomb ISIS (War is Boring)

Dollar diplomacy?: The island's allies are being picked off by China in what Taiwan calls a "diplomatic money game (BBC News)

What China's space ambitions have to do with politics (Sputnik)

Ukraine touts defense industry to potential customers (UPI)

Modern Wars Are a Nightmare for the Army's Official Historians (The Atlantic)

Russia's Election Hacking Playbook (Wired)

Russia struck at election systems and data of 39 US states (Ars Technica)

NSA Document Outlining Russian Attempts to Hack Voter Rolls (Schneier on Security)

Latest WikiLeaks Release Shows How the CIA Hacks Your Router (Wired)

Advanced CIA firmware has been infecting Wi-Fi routers for years (Ars Technica)

U.S. Cyberweapons, Used Against Iran and North Korea, Are a Disappointment Against ISIS (New York Times)

Facing limits of remote hacking, Army cybers up the battlefield (Ars Technica)

Mass surveillance: BBC Arabic found the sales included decryption software that could be used against the West (BBC News)

How BAE sold cyber-surveillance tools to Arab states (BBC News)

US arrests nearly 200 Iraqis in deportation sweep (al Jazeera)

Iraqi detainees launch case to halt deportation from US (al Jazeera)

How a crippling shortage of analysts let the London Bridge attackers through (The Guardian)

Fasting Muslims save lives in London fire, hailed as heroes (Khaleej Times)

Suspected N.Korea drone filmed missile defence site: Seoul (AFP)

NSA links Wannacry worm to North Korea (BBC News)

Global cyber-attack 'came from N Korea' (BBC News)

US Blames North Korea for Series of DDoS Attacks (Gizmodo)

North Korea's Cyberattacks Are Chaotic, But Also Make Perfect Sense (Wired)

There's Proof That North Korea Launched the WannaCry Attack? Not So Fast! - A Warning Against Premature, Inconclusive, and Distracting Attribution (Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology)

'Mary, Jesus' Mother' is new name for UAE mosque (Gulf News)

UAE Christians hail renaming of Abu Dhabi mosque (Khaleej Times)

'Historic' islands bill published (BBC News)

Archaeologists Uncover Secret Message On Bible-Era Pottery (Gizmodo)

No wasta with God (Kuwait Times)

Vintage 1950s Bedford coach to return to Shetland (BBC News)

Battlestar Galactica's Ronald D. Moore Admits the Cylons Never Had a Plan at All (Gizmodo)

A 15-Piece Orchestra Played Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger Than Daft Punk Themselves (Gizmodo)

Top Podcasts

Most of this week's listening hours were spent on either music or baseball, so I'm going to hang on to the handful of podcasts until the next edition.

Course Report

ENG 199: I got some work done on a super secret squirrel writing project.
PAC 130: Nada.
BA 480/CS 406: I spent a lot of time studying for my CISSP exam. This actually consumed a lot of my week.
PI5502: Nothing to report.
HST 406 (OGHAP): Nothing to report.

Quote of the Week

“Plant yourself not in Europe but in Iraq; it will become evident that half of the roads of the Old World lead to Aleppo, and half to Bagram.”
- Arnold Toynbee

More Sources and Headlines on Recent Gulf Tensions

Here's a follow-up to last week's post.

What the Qatar Blockade is Really About (Michael J. Totten/World Affairs Journal)

Qatar accused: Tom Keatinge looks at why the tiny Gulf emirate of Qatar is alleged to supported terrorist groups (BBC News)

Qatar and the myth of humanitarian work (Gulf News)

Qatar's case (Kuwait Times)

GCC citizens launch petition to end Gulf crisis (al Jazeera)

Will Hamas survive the Gulf crisis? (al Jazeera)

Qatar allows residents from boycotting states to stay (al Jazeera)

Akbar al-Baker on the Gulf Crisis and Qatar Airways (al Jazeera)

No limitations on foreign carriers: Gulf nations clarify (Khaleej Times)

Qatar's migrant workers on Gulf crisis frontline (Kuwait Times)

Africa and the Gulf crisis: the peril of picking sides (al Jazeera)

Pakistan urged to quit Saudi-led alliance (Khaleej Times)

Turkey: Gulf rift damages Muslim world (Kuwait Times)

Turkish FM holds talks in Kuwait over Gulf crisis (Kuwait Times)

Cavusoglu meets Gulf envoys to discuss diplomatic rift (al Jazeera)

Mevlut Cavusoglu pushes efforts to end Qatar dispute (al Jazeera)

Turkey's Erdogan decries Qatar's 'inhumane' isolation (BBC News)

Turkey: Qatar military base for the security of Gulf (al Jazeera)

Why is Turkey standing up for Qatar? (BBC News)

UAE: 'No military component' in actions against Qatar (al Jazeera)

No Arab plans to push for Qatar-linked UN sanctions (Khaleej Times)

Qatar's history of agitating its neighbours (Gulf News)

Qatar ships cargo via Oman to bypass Gulf restrictions (BBC News)

Oman values Saudi, UAE, Bahrain move on Qatar joint families (Times of Oman)

Twitter mocks Saudi editor over #Qataristomach remarks (al Jazeera)

Qatar crisis: All eyes on Riyadh (Khaleej Times)

Saudi: Gulf rift bigger political issue than airspace rights (Khaleej Times)

In Qatar and Saudi Arabia’s Fight, Iran Is the Real Winner (War is Boring)

Qatar-Iran ties: Sharing the world's largest gas field (al Jazeera)

Iran sends warships to Oman amid Gulf dispute (al Jazeera)

Qatar blockade: Iran sends five planeloads of food (BBC News)

Gulf dispute tops agenda of France-Morocco talks (al Jazeera)

Morocco offers to mediate Qatar-GCC crisis (al Jazeera)

Morocco supports Kuwait mediation in Gulf crisis (al Jazeera)

Britain's Theresa May urges easing of Gulf tensions (al Jazeera)

US' Mattis: Qatar blockade 'very complex situation' (al Jazeera)

US and Qatar seal $12bn deal for F-15 fighter jets (al Jazeera)

Qatar buys F-15 fighter planes in billion-dollar US deal (BBC News)

US naval warships arrive in Qatar for military exercise (al Jazeera)

Qatar moving quickly towards isolation—Gargash (Gulf News)

Gulf gamble: The longer the isolation of Qatar persists, the deeper the wounds to the entire region (BBC News)

Joshua Tree Report: June 11th, 2017

This is the Joshua Tree Report for June 11th, 2017.

General Data

The temperature in Cody is 62° Fahrenheit and the weather is cloudy. The temperature in Kirkwall is 10° centigrade and the weather is partly cloudy. The temperature in Muscat is 40° centigrade and the weather is clear. A barrel of crude oil is selling at $45.83, and $1.27 currently exchanges for £1. This week's geospatial image is the Pakistani port city of Qwadar, which used to belong to the Sultanate of Muscat.

In the News

Here are a few of this week's top stories.

Gunmen attack Iran's parliament, Khomeini shrine (al Jazeera)

Iran attacks leave 12 dead at parliament and Khomeini mausoleum (BBC News)

Tehran attackers 'were IS recruits from Iran' (BBC News)

Iran accuses Saudi Arabia of Tehran attacks (al Jazeera)

Iranian officials offer disjointed response to Islamic State terrorist attacks in Tehran (Long War Journal)

Deadly explosion strikes Afghanistan's Herat (al Jazeera)

Why are Sahel countries deploying an anti-jihad force? (AFP)

The Sunni-Shia Divide (Council on Foreign Relations)

Raqqa: Syrian Kurdish-led forces launch offensive on IS 'capital' (BBC News)

Iraqi Kurds to hold independence referendum in September (BBC News)

Iraqi Kurds set date for independence referendum (al Jazeera)

Iraqi government rejects Kurdish move for independence (al Jazeera)

Why Aren't There More Terrorist Attacks Like the One in London? (RAND Corporation)

Blaming the Internet For Terrorism Misses The Point (Wired)

Germany sees rise in fake father scams with immigrants (BBC News)

Egypt Has Joined the Air War in Libya (War is Boring)

Ecowas agrees to admit Morocco to West African body (BBC News)

Japan's Mistaken South Sudan Withdrawal (RAND Corporation)

Vietnamese coast guard receives former U.S. vessel (UPI)

Lithuania warns Russian drill may mask troop buildup (AFP)

NATO: Prepared for Countering Disinformation Operations in the Baltic States? (RAND Corporation)

Canada to rely less on US defense in major policy shift (AFP)

Don't Count on Germany to Save the West (War on the Rocks)

Europe Reckons With Its Depleted Armies (Wall Street Journal)

Juncker: EU needs stronger defence arm (BBC News)

CIA names former bin Laden hunt chief to run Iran spying (AFP)

Need More Naval Missiles? Stick the Launchers in Shipping Containers (War is Boring)

James Rosen: New Evidence Obama Administration's NSA Spied On Americans (Real Clear Politics)

How a few yellow dots burned the Intercept’s NSA leaker (Ars Technica)

Leaked NSA report says Russians tried to hack state election officials (Ars Technica)

Russian Hackers Turn to Britney Spears for Help Concealing Espionage Malware (Ars Technica)

Does British Airways' explanation stack up? (BBC News)

Hackers are around, secure your surveillance cams (Khaleej Times)

'Oldest Homo sapiens' found (BBC News)

RSPB criticises slow action to tackle Orkney's stoat problem (BBC News)

Teacher sought for single-pupil school on Foula (BBC News)

Restored antique map returns home to Aberdeenshire (BBC News)

Peacock trashes liquor store in California to tune of $500 (BBC News)

Trump Boys Chasing Wounded Boar Around White House (The Onion)

Top Podcasts

These were my favorite podcasts from the last week.

Agent M: An Interview with Henry Hemming (SpyCast)

CIA Spy Girl: An Interview with Emily Brandwin (SpyCast)

Security by the Book: The Way Of The Strangers: Encounters With The Islamic State (The Hoover Institution)

'The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State' (Council on Foreign Relations)

A Conversation With Nikki Haley (Council on Foreign Relations)

Less than 10 Minutes Series: WebGoat Project (OWASP 24/7)

Risky Business #457 -- Shadow Brokers turn to ZCash, plus special guest John Safran (Risky Business)

Episode 2 - Forgotten Heroes, The Indian Army in the Great War (BBC)

Episode 3 - Forgotten Heroes, The Indian Army in the Great War (BBC)

Voices of the First World War: Battle of Loos (BBC)

Voices of the First World War: Cowardice (BBC)

Voices of the First World War: Gallipoli - Conditions and Evacuation (BBC)

Voices of the First World War: Gallipoli - Landings (BBC)

WW1 At Home 2 - Zeppelin Raids; Airship Patrols; Scouts on Standby (BBC)

WW1 At Home 3 - The Spy on the Forth; Lizzie the Elephant; a Gardener Goes to War (BBC)

How I Built This: Compaq Computers: Rod Canion (NPR

The Art of Manliness #307: Make Your Bed, Change the World (The Art of Manliness)

The Art of Manliness #308: Reconsidering the Trades With Mike Rowe (The Art of Manliness)

Course Report

ENG 199: I didn't have a chance to do any reading this week.
PAC 130: This one's still pretty well on hold.
BA 480/CS 406: I spent a bunch of time studying for my CISSP exam.
PI5502: This one was pretty much on hold this week.
HST 406 (OGHAP): I listened to a bunch of First World War podcasts and did some work on one of my chapter subsections.

Quote of the Week

"The gentle reader will never, never know what a consummate ass he can become until he goes abroad. I speak now, of course, in the supposition that the gentle reader has not been abroad, and therefore is not already a consummate ass. If the case be otherwise, I beg his pardon and extend to him the cordial hand of fellowship and call him brother."
- Samuel "Mark Twain" Clemens, Innocents Abroad

Sources and Headlines on Recent Gulf Tensions

I've had several friends ask me for my take on the current dispute in the Gulf. For those who are unfamiliar, despite its status as a founding member of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Qatar has pursued an increasingly independent foreign policy in recent years. earlier this week, six Arab states - Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Yemen, and Mauritania - severed diplomatic ties with Qatar. Several others reduced their diplomatic links. Kuwait and Oman have both opted to facilitate diplomatic initiatives to resolve the dispute, with the Kuwaiti Emir taking an active role. Below are stories I've followed over the course of the last week. I may try to post a follow-up next week if the dispute continues.

* * *
Initial Headlines

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Bahrain cut ties to Qatar (al Jazeera)

Qatar row: Six countries cut links with Doha (BBC News)

Hacking

Hacked Emails Show Top UAE Diplomat Coordinating With Pro-Israel Think Tank Against Iran (The Intercept)

UAE email leak: Yousef al-Otaiba criticises Trump (al Jazeera)

Qatar reveals preliminary results of QNA hacking probe (al Jazeera)

Al-Jazeera claims to be victim of cyber attack as Qatar crisis continues (Ars Technica)

al Jazeera Controversy

Media watchdog: Al Jazeera targeted in Gulf crisis (al Jazeera)

Qatar crisis: Can Al Jazeera survive? (al Jazeera)

Saudi Leadership and Qatar Media (Arab Gulf Studies Institute in Washington)

Diplomatic Efforts

Qatar row: Calls for diplomatic talks to end Gulf crisis (BBC News)

Qatar says ready for mediation to ease Gulf rift (Khaleej Times)

Qatar says Kuwait trying to solve diplomatic rift (al Jazeera)

Kuwaiti Ruler to meet Saudi King over Qatar row (Khaleej Times)

Kuwaiti Amir, Advisor to Saudi King to discuss regional developments (Khaleej Times)

Kuwait's ruler to meet Saudi King over Qatar row (al Jazeera)

Kuwait Ruler meets with Qatari leader amid diplomatic rift (Khaleej Times)

Kuwait and Oman: As they remain silent on the Qatar-Gulf rift, what does this mean for them? (Zawya)

Oman's foreign minister on a private trip to Qatar (Times of Oman)

Saudi foreign minister holds talks in Oman amid regional dispute (Reuters)

International Fallout

Special flights to fly back Pakistanis from Doha (Khaleej Times)

On Qatar, Pakistan walks a diplomatic tightrope (al Jazeera)

Arab-Qatar rift may impact Filipino workers (Khaleej Times)

Indian Embassy issues advisory for Indians in Qatar (Khaleej Times)

Rights group concerned for Gulf citizens amid fallout (al Jazeera)

Isolation Efforts

Emirates Post stops postal services to Qatar (Khaleej Times)

Maersk Line to begin Qatar feeder container shipments from Oman (al Arabiya)

Nations silent on Qatar blockade plea (BBC)

Qatar Gets Cut Off (Center for Strategic and International Studies)

A Winner Emerges From The Qatar Crisis: Oman's National Airline (Forbes)

Qatari riyal under pressure as Saudi, UAE banks delay Qatar deals (Reuters)

Qatari riyal under pressure amid Gulf diplomatic rift (al Jazeera)

Some Sri Lankan banks stop buying Qatar riyal (Khaleej Times)

Isolating Qatar Reveals Economic Vulnerabilities of the GCC (Arab Gulf Studies Institute in Washington)

Intra-Gulf Posturing

The Qatari Military Is Terribly Outgunned (War is Boring)

Qatar FM: Question mark over future of GCC after crisis (al Jazeera)

The GCC will ride out the storm (al Jazeera)

Timeline of GCC, Egyptian discord with Qatar (al Jazeera)

Qatar-Gulf crisis: Your questions answered (al Jazeera)

Timeline of Qatar-GCC disputes from 1991 to 2017 (al Jazeera)

Widening gulf: Qatar's support for Islamist groups has soured relations with Gulf neighbours like Saudi Arabia (BBC News)

Unfulfilled 2014 Riyadh Agreement Defines Current GCC Rift (Arab Gulf Studies Institute in Washington)

Qatar tensions: How regional rivalries and mistrust lie beneath the current tension in the Gulf. (BBC News)

Saudi FM: Qatar must stop supporting Hamas, Brotherhood (al Jazeera)

Saudi FM: Qatar measures taken with great pain (al Jazeera)

UAE demands guarantees before mending Qatar ties (Khaleej Times)

GCC nations issue more threats against Qatar (al Jazeera)

Qatar vows 'no surrender' in row with Arab states (BBC News)

Qatar rejects Saudi-led bloc's 'terror' list (al Jazeera)

Qatar 'not prepared to change its foreign policy' (al Jazeera)

Qatar-Gulf rift: The Iran factor (al Jazeera)

Analysis: Qatar-Gulf crisis: Who are the 'terrorists'? (al Jazeera)

Five days on, five things to know about Qatar-Gulf rift (al Jazeera)

International Influence

Turkey's parliament to debate troop deployment to Qatar (AFP)

Analysis: Why is Turkey deploying troops to Qatar? (al Jazeera)

Qatar crisis: Germany seeks to bridge rift with Arab states (BBC News)

Qatar crisis has 'no impact' on US military operations: Pentagon (AFP)

US military: No plans to change our posture in Qatar (al Jazeera)

Qatar crisis puts spotlight on US military base (AFP)

Washington and the Latest Qatari Row (War on the Rocks)

A Base is More than Buildings: The Military Implications of the Qatar Crisis (War on the Rocks)

Qatar crisis: Can Al Jazeera survive? (BBC News)

Crisis talks over Qatar in Jeddah as Trump backs UAE and Saudi (The National)

US senators push for strategy amid Qatar-Gulf crisis (al Jazeera)

Joshua Tree Report: June 4th, 2017

This is the Joshua Tree Report for June 4th, 2017.

General Data

The temperature in Cody is 73° Fahrenheit and the weather is fair. The temperature in Kirkwall is 8° centigrade and the weather is partly cloudy. The temperature in Muscat is 37° centigrade and the weather is clear. A barrel of crude oil is selling at $47.66, and $1.28 currently exchanges for £1. This week's geospatial image is the Ardverikie Estate, filming location of Monarch of the Glen and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.

In the News

Here are a few of this week's top stories.

Iran's Growing Casualty Count in Yemen (War on the Rocks)

Turkey’s German Spy Network (RUSI)

Why the Trump Administration Should Reconsider Oman (Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington)

Moving Al-Udeid Base from Qatar Discussed in Washington D.C. (Small Wars Journal)

Zanbaq square: Huge blast in Afghanistan's Kabul mapped (al Jazeera)

What Is the Haqqani Network? (Voice of America)

Bahrain court dissolves main secular opposition group (BBC News)

Muammar Putin at the Versailles (al Jazeera)

US begins sending weapons to Kurdish YPG in Syria (al Jazeera)

Syrian rebels: US sends more arms against Iran threat (al Jazeera)

US begins sending arms to Kurdish fighters in Syria (AFP)

Algeria and Morocco urged to assist Syrian refugees (al Jazeera)

Rehab for jihadists (BBC News)

Superheroes and hijabs: Malaysia's Muslim cosplayers (al Jazeera)

Security Firm Discovers Link Between WannaCry Ransomware and Southern China (Gizmodo)

Who Are the Shadow Brokers? (Schneier on Security)

Tainted Leaks (Schneier on Security)

Defense contractor stored intelligence data in Amazon cloud unprotected [Updated] (Ars Technica)

Trump decision 'will encourage activists' (BBC News)

Fragile future for US nuclear power (BBC News)

Ninety jobs at oil giant Shell to go in Aberdeen (BBC News)

The Pentagon Is Still Worried About Climate Change (War is Boring)

Time Is Running Out to Avert Climate Wars (War is Boring)

Back From The Dead? Reported Sightings Fuel Hope For Return Of Tasmanian Tigers (NPR)

BA flights disrupted for third day after IT crash (AFP)

How to Spring Clean Your Digital Clutter to Protect Yourself (Wired)

How to Build a Smart Home Where Everything Might Actually Work (Gizmodo)

I’m a Portlander. Political Extremism Is Poison (War is Boring)

Field of Dreams: A Farm-League Approach to OA-X (War on the Rocks)

CT scans to 'improve' Scotland's sheep stocks (BBC News)

Belgium: Female students asked to wear low-cut tops to graduation (BBC News)

In 1905, Japanese Battleships Pulverized a Russian Fleet (War is Boring)

Unexploded device found on Brough of Birsay () Top Podcasts

These were my favorite podcasts from the last week.

Guardian Long Read: Killer, kleptocrat, genius, spy: the many myths of Vladimir Putin – podcast (The Guardian)

Stretching the special forces thin (War College)

Risky Business #456 -- Your MSP *will* get you owned (Risky Business)

Episode 196 - WannaCry: Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda (The Southern Fried Security Podcast)

D4E6 - Communications & Network Security (CyberSecStudy)

D5E1 - Identity & Access Management (CyberSecStudy)

D5E2 - Identity & Access Management (CyberSecStudy)

D5E3 - Identity & Access Management (CyberSecStudy)

D5E4 - Identity & Access Management (CyberSecStudy)

D5E5 - Identity & Access Management (CyberSecStudy)

D6E1 - Security Assessment & Testing (CyberSecStudy)

D6E2 - Security Assessment & Testing (CyberSecStudy)

For king and another country: Indian soldiers on the Western Front (The National Archives)

Sahib, the British soldier in India, 1750 - 1914 (The National Archives)

Sources for army officers' commissions (The National Archives)

Voices of the First World War: After Kut (BBC)

Voices of the First World War: Kut: Sand, Mud, Mirage (BBC)

Voices of the First World War: Jutland (BBC)

Voices of the First World War: Salonika (BBC)

Episode 1 - Forgotten Heroes, The Indian Army in the Great War (BBC)

WW1 At Home 1 - Spies, Bravery & Acme Whistles (BBC)

Radiolab: Shots Fired: Part One (Radiolab)

Radiolab: Shots Fired: Part Two (Radiolab)

Course Report

ENG 199: I didn't do any reading this week.
PAC 130: I didn't do any physical training this week.
BA 480/CS 406: I listened to eight CyberSecStudy CISSP exam preparation podcasts and reviewed the OSI Model twice.
PI5502: I reviewed a number of documents from the Qatar Digital Library.
HST 406 (OGHAP): I listened to eight podcasts about the First World War.

Quote of the Week

"Another evil which comes from the superficial notice of historical events, is that some readers are either wholly ignorant of the events, or cannot call them to remembrance sufficiently to be able to grasp the author's meaning, so that there is no alternative between either accepting blindly what is said, or remaining unconvinced."
- Carl von Clausewitz, On War, Book 2 Chapter 6