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

Joshua Tree Report: May 29th, 2017

This is the Joshua Tree Report for May 28th, 2017, but posted on May 29th because it's a three day weekend and I got accordingly distracted.

General Data

The temperature in Cody is 62° Fahrenheit and the weather is fair. The temperature in Kirkwall is 9° centigrade and the weather is partly cloudy. The temperature in Muscat is 41° centigrade and the weather is sunny. A barrel of crude oil is selling at $49.80, and $1.24 currently exchanges for £1. This week's geospatial image is the an escarpment near the Algeria-Libya-Niger tripoint.

In the News

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

Saudi Arabia Can't Win Its Own Battles (War is Boring)

US, Saudi agree arms deals worth almost $110 billion: White House (AFP)

US-Saudi arms mega deal looks to counter Iran (AFP)

Bahrain: 5 dead as security forces clash with 'outlaws' (al Jazeera)

Qatar says state news agency hacked after report cites emir criticising US (BBC News)

Qatar to 'prosecute perpetrators' of QNA hacking (al Jazeera)

Misrata Militants Are Winning the Air War in Southwest Libya (War is Boring)

Can OPEC prevent another oil price collapse? (al Jazeera)

Erdogan says EU must decide on Turkey membership (AFP)

After Bailing Out Assad, the Russian Military Risks a Syria Quagmire (War is Boring)

China backs security services after spy deaths report (AFP)

China flexes muscle in spy games against US (AFP)

Moody's downgrades China over surging debt fears (al Jazeera)

Beijing's new weapon in economic war: Chinese tourists (AFP)

China Wants to Sell Attack Helicopters to the World (War is Boring)

Russian Hackers Are Using "Tainted" Leaks to Sow Disinformation (Wired)

E-mails phished from Russian critic were “tainted” before being leaked (Ars Technica)

Florida Republican Who Teamed Up With Guccifer 2.0 Says Secretly Working With Russia Is NBD (Gizmodo)

Foreign fighters 'among Philippines militants' (BBC News)

Calm Down, Everyone. America is Still Committed to Europe’s Defense (War on the Rocks)

Trump budget cut would make UN work 'impossible' (al Jazeera)

Trump’s Bigger Fleet Is Dead in the Water (War is Boring)

More people infected by recent WCry worm can unlock PCs without paying ransom (Ars Technica)

Windows 7, not XP, was the reason last week’s WCry worm spread so widely (Ars Technica)

There's new evidence tying WCry ransomware worm to prolific hacking group (Ars Technica)

Jury out on North Korea link to ransomware attack (AFP)

Exclusive: North Korea's Unit 180, the cyber warfare cell that worries the West (Reuters)

How the APT32 Hacking Group Operates (Wired)

Think Before You Tweet In the Wake of an Attack (Wired)

How Facebook's tentacles reach further than you think (BBC News)

Italy's pollution-eating cement (al Jazeera)

Turning CO2 into stone in Iceland (al Jazeera)

First oil flows from redeveloped Schiehallion field (BBC News)

Birmingham University to open campus in the Gulf (BBC News)

Saudi Arabia: Ramadan moon sighting continues on Friday (al Jazeera)

Ramadan 2017: Why is it so important for Muslims? (al Jazeera)

Russian explorers find 'swamp' of Soviet money (BBC News)

Top Podcasts

These were my favorite podcasts from the last week.

What North Korea wants (War College)

Climate and Security: An Interview with Brig. Gen Gerry Galloway and Rear Adm. Dave Titley (SpyCast)

Episode 195 - Annual Policy Review - Making it Worthwhile (The Southern Fried Security Podcast)

Risky Business #455 -- What a mess (Risky Business)

D3E6 - Security Engineering (CyberSecStudy)

D4E1 - Communications & Network Security (CyberSecStudy)

D4E2 - Communications & Network Security (CyberSecStudy)

D4E3 - Communications & Network Security (CyberSecStudy)

D4E4 - Communications & Network Security (CyberSecStudy)

D4E5 - Communications & Network Security (CyberSecStudy)

Archive Notes: Prosthetics and the First World War (The National Archives)

Digitising MH 47 the Middlesex military service appeal tribunal (The National Archives)

America Prepares for War (The MacArthur Memorial)

Event: Passchendaele - A New History (King's College London War Studies Podcast)

The Americans S:5 | E:3 The Midges (The Americans Podcast by Slate Magazine)

The Americans S:5 | E:4 What's the Matter With Kansas? (The Americans Podcast by Slate Magazine)

The Americans S:5 | E:5 Lotus 1-2-3 (The Americans Podcast by Slate Magazine)

Course Report

ENG 199: I didn't do any reading.
PAC 130: Still basically suspended.
BA 480/CS 406: I listened to six CyberSecStudy CISSP preparation podcasts.
PI5502: I checked out a bunch of archival materials at the Qatar Digital Archive, and made a game-changing discovery.
HST 406 (OGHAP): I didn't do anything OGHAP-related last week.

Quote of the Week

"Argument, properly understood and subject always to charity, is merely a dialogue in which both parties intend to arrive at the truth, or at least end up closer to it."
- Joseph Pearce, C.S. Lewis & The Catholic Church

Joshua Tree Report: May 21st, 2017

This is the Joshua Tree Report for May 14th, 2017.

General Data

The temperature in Cody is 62° Fahrenheit and the weather is partly cloudy. The temperature in Kirkwall is 9° centigrade and the weather is partly cloudy. The temperature in Muscat is 41° centigrade and the weather is sunny. A barrel of crude oil is selling at $50.33, and $1.30 currently exchanges for £1. This week's geospatial image is the Saint Antony Coptic Orthodox Monastery outside Barstow, California.

In the News

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

Foreign Advisers Are Turning Kurdish Soldiers Into Professionals (War is Boring)

Very Quietly, Israel and Iraqi Kurdistan Build Ties (War is Boring)

Report: Arab states offer Israel improved ties in exchange for peace concessions (Jerusalem Post)

US-Saudi relations: A timeline (al Jazeera)

Kuwaitis Debate Power over Citizenship (Arab Gulf Studies Institute in Washington, D.C.)

Analysis: Iran steps up support for terrorism in Bahrain (Long War Journal)

There’s No Such Thing as the ‘Arab Street’ (Wall Street Journal)

Why China's Nervous Over South Korea's New Missile Defense System (Foxtrot Alpha)

China's Silk Road project: A trap or an opportunity? (al Jazeera)

Jordanian spies provided ISIL bomb intel: officials (al Jazeera)

What does the Haftar-Serraj meeting mean for Libya? (al Jazeera)

How Gorbachev Destroyed the USSR's Military Space Program, and What It Cost Russia (Sputnik)

Looks Like the Russians Tried to Lure U.S. Stealth Fighters Into an Intel Trap (War is Boring)

U.S. Air Force Sends Robotic F-16s Into Mock Combat (War is Boring)

Broken and Unreadable: Our Unbearable Aversion to Doctrine (Small Wars Journal)

Women: A NATO Special Operations Forces Force Multiplier (Small Wars Journal)

Today’s Massive Ransomware Attack Was Mostly Preventable—Here’s How To Avoid It (Gizmodo)

The Ransomware Meltdown Experts Warned About Is Here (Wired)

Global Ransomware Attack 'Accidentally' Halted But It's Probably Not Over [Updated] (Gizmodo)

How an Accidental "Kill Switch" Slowed Friday's Massive Ransomware Attack (Wired)

How I accidentally stopped a global Wanna Decryptor ransomware attack (Ars Technica)

If You Still Use Windows XP, Prepare For the Worst (Wired)

WCry is so mean Microsoft issues patch for 3 unsupported Windows versions (Ars Technica)

Microsoft Issues WanaCrypt Patch for Windows 8, XP (Krebs on Security)

Windows XP PCs infected by WCry can be decrypted without paying ransom (Ars Technica)

A WannaCry Flaw Could Help Some Windows XP Victims Get Files Back (Wired)

5 Tools To Protect Yourself From Ransomware (Wired)

High-Profile Extortion Hacks Aren't Paying Off (Wired)

Hackers Behind Massive Ransomware Attack Have Made an Embarrassingly Small Amount of Money (Gizmodo)

The WannaCry Ransomware Hackers Made Some Real Amateur Mistakes (Wired)

'Wana' Ransomware Outbreak Earned Perpetrators $26000 So Far (Krebs on Security)

Researchers eye possible N Korea link to cyberattacks (al Jazeera)

Virulent WCry ransomware worm may have North Korea’s fingerprints on it (Ars Technica)

The WannaCry Ransomware Has a Link to Suspected North Korean Hackers (Wired)

U.S. In Computer Attacks, Clues Point to Frequent Culprit: North Korea (New York Times)

Two days after WCry worm, Microsoft decries exploit stockpiling by governments (Ars Technica)

Fearing Shadow Brokers leak, NSA reported critical flaw to Microsoft (Ars Technica)

Why Governments Won't Let Go of Secret Software Bugs (Wired)

The Cyber Workforce Gap: A National Security Liability? (War on the Rocks)

The US Senate Is Using Signal (Schneier on Security)

What "Classified Information" Means, and What Happens If You Divulge It (Lifehacker)

Companies Are Creating So Much Data, It Has to Be Shipped in Trucks (Gizmodo)

Yacht Security (Schneier on Security)

Sheepdog rescued by coastguard after Shetland cliff fall (BBC News)

The Sinking of HMS ‘Victoria’ Led the Royal Navy Astray (War is Boring)

Top Podcasts

These were my favorite podcasts from the last week.

MWI Podcast Ep. 05 - "Zombies and Global Security" with Max Brooks (Modern Warfare Institute)

Radiolab: Nukes (Radiolab)

Inquiry: How did North Korea get the Bomb? (BBC World Service)

DocArchive: The Web Sheikh and the Muslim Mums (BBC World Service)

Has Moscow Already Taken Down the Trump Administration? (Council on Foreign Relations)

Area 45: Cyber Security (The Hoover Institution)

Episode 092 – The Trouble With Dating Michael Bazzell (Social Engineer)

Risky Business #454 -- Intel AMT latest, TavisO's horror-show Windows bug, Macron leaks and more! (Risky Business)

D3E1 - Security Engineering (CyberSecStudy)

D3E2 - Security Engineering (CyberSecStudy)

D3E3 - Security Engineering (CyberSecStudy)

D3E4 - Security Engineering (CyberSecStudy)

D3E5 - Security Engineering (CyberSecStudy)

Minds at War - Fighting France (BBC World Service)

'Over the top: a foul a blurry foul' - the first football charge of the First World War (The National Archives)

The Final Whistle: the Great War in 15 players - a London rugby club at war 1914-1918 (The National Archives)

The National Archives: Secrecy and government records (The National Archives)

Aberdeen Maritime Museum Podcast #2 Thermopylae (Aberdeen Maritime Museum)

Course Report

ENG 199: Suspended!
PAC 130: Suspended!
BA 480/CS 406: I listened to five CyberSecStudy podcasts, and I think I applied for about six jobs.
PI5502: I invested some time to figure out what potential items of interest are available at the Qatar Digital Library.
HST 406 (OGHAP): I re-read chapter six of The Gordon Highlanders: A Concise History by Trevor Royle.

Quote of the Week

"The other day I had a meeting at the provincial governor's office... All these notables came in and rubbed their beards against mine, a sign of endearment and respect. I simply could not get my message across in these meetings unless I made some accommodations with the local culture and values. Afghanistan is not like other countries. It's a throwback. You've got to compromise and go a little native."
- Major Kevin Holiday, USA, quoted by Robert Kaplan in Imperial Grunts

Joshua Tree Report: May 14th, 2017

This is the Joshua Tree Report for May 14th, 2017.

General Data

The temperature in Cody is 56° Fahrenheit and the weather is fair. The temperature in Kirkwall is 7° centigrade and the weather is clear. The temperature in Muscat is 38° centigrade and the weather is sunny. A barrel of crude oil is selling at $47.84, and $1.28 currently exchanges for £1. This week's geospatial image is the Principality of Hutt River in Western Australia.

In the News

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

Qatar FM: No substitute for Bashar al-Assad's departure (al Jazeera)

Trump to send arms to Kurdish YPG in Syria (al Jazeera)

Tunisia orders army to protect oil and gas fields (al Jazeera)

Libya foreign minister names Khalifa Haftar army chief (al Jazeera)

'Jihad pills' found by Dutch and Italian police (BBC News)

Palestinian hunger strike leader Barghouti 'filmed eating' (BBC News)

Pizza Hut Barghouti ad prompts boycott call (BBC News)

SOF's Evolving Role: Warfare 'By, With, and Through' Local Forces (RAND Corporation)

Estonia faces cross-border beaver problem (BBC News)

Only One Country Has Ever Voluntarily Given Up Its Nukes (Jalopnik)

The Bipartisan Case against James Comey (National Review)

Comey’s Overdue Departure (National Review)

Why was James Comey so controversial? (al Jazeera)

Obama’s Conflict Tanked the Clinton E-mail Investigation — As Predicted (National Review)

How to Blow an Election — in Five Easy Steps (National Review)

AHCA & Pre-Existing Conditions -- The Big Lie Democrats Are Telling (National Review)

Microsoft CEO: tech sector needs to prevent '1984' future (AFP)

Microsoft Is Right: We Need a Digital Geneva Convention (Wired)

Hacked Macron Emails Leak Online Ahead of French Presidential Runoff Election (Wired)

The NSA Confirms It: Russia Hacked French Election 'Infrastructure' (Wired)

Evidence suggests Russia behind hack of French president-elect (Ars Technica)

Don't Pin the Macron Email Hack on Russia Just Yet (Wired)

Macron campaign team used honeypot accounts to fake out Fancy Bear (Ars Technica)

Cisco kills leaked CIA 0-day that let attackers commandeer 318 switch models (Ars Technica)

Microsoft's recent success in blocking in-the-wild attacks is eerily good (Ars Technica)

HP laptops covertly log user keystrokes, researchers warn (Ars Technica)

More Android phones than ever are covertly listening for inaudible sounds in ads (Ars Technica)

Website Flaw Let True Health Diagnostics Users View All Medical Record (Krebs on Security)

Ransomware infections reported worldwide (BBC News)

There's a Massive Ransomware Attack Spreading Globally Right Now [Updated] (Gizmodo)

Massive ransomware attack hits UK hospitals, Spanish banks (Ars Technica)

U.K. Hospitals Hit in Widespread Ransomware Attack (Krebs on Security)

A Massive Ransomware 'Explosion' Is Hitting Targets All Over the World (Vice Motherboard)

Comey: 15 Percent of Terror Cases Came as Refugees (National Review)

Suspect in California drink-drive crash 'deported 15 times' (BBC News)

Rescued Orkney diver 'could have been found sooner' (BBC News)

Aberdeen's Gordon Highlanders Museum 'could face closure' (BBC News)

Rare flowers destroyed in Australia after paperwork error (BBC News)

Scottish fishermen given Brexit assurance (BBC News)

The Falklands penguins that would not explode (BBC News)

A Love Affair With Dates, The Fruit At The Cultural Heart Of Oman (NPR)

Top Podcasts

These were my favorite podcasts from the last week.

Deep Undercover: An Interview with Former KGB Illegal Jack Barsky (SpyCast)

A Keynote Conversation with General (Ret.) David Petraeus [2016 Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference] (National Council for U.S.-Arab Relations)

Franklin expedition: myths, archeology & Canadian identity (King's College London War Studies Podcast)

Security Studies Podcast Episode 12 - David Fahrenkrug on Cyber Warfare (Georgetown University)

Risky Business #453 -- The Intel bugs: How freaked out should you be? (Risky Business)

Inquiry: Why Is No-one Trying to Stop the War in Yemen? (BBC World Service)

DocArchive: Subversion, Russia and the West (BBC World Service)

Episode 194 - Evaluating Security Product Vendors (The Southern Fried Security Podcast)

Security Management Highlights May 2017 (ASIS)

The myth of the ‘lone wolf’ terrorist – podcast (The Guardian)

The quest to crack and preserve vintage Apple II software – tech podcast (The Guardian)

D1E5 - Security & Risk Management (CyberSecStudy)

D1E4 - Security & Risk Management (CyberSecStudy)

D1E6 - Security & Risk Management (CyberSecStudy)

D2E1 - Asset Security (CyberSecStudy)

D2E2 - Asset Security (CyberSecStudy)

The National Archives: Sailors, storms and science: how Royal Navy logbooks help us understand climate change (The National Archives)

Sources for First World War army ancestry (The National Archives)

From the Somme to Arras (The National Archives)

Shell-Shocked Britain: Understanding the lasting trauma of the First World War (The National Archives)

The Origins of Naval Station Norfolk (The MacArthur Memorial)

Course Report

ENG 199: Suspended for this week!
PAC 130: Suspended! Who has the time!?
BA 480/CS 406: I listened to, and took notes from, eight CyberSecStudy podcasts.
PI5502: Suspended for this week!
HST 406 (OGHAP): I listened to a few podcasts and re-read chapter six of The Gordon Highlanders: A Concise History by Trevor Royle.

Quote of the Week

"At the outbreak of war Field Marshal Lord Kitchener was appointed Secretary for War and at his first Cabinet meeting he astonished his colleagues by claiming that the war would last for a minimum of three years and would require over one million men to win it."
- Trevor Royle, The Gordon Highlanders: A Concise History