An Arctic War is Coming: “Beneath the ice, the Arctic possesses untold riches. The region is estimated to contain a fifth of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas reserves and rare earth elements such as gold, nickel and zinc. While most of these are present within the largely undisputed land borders of the Arctic nations, it is the increasingly navigable international waters that present the most likely flashpoint. An ongoing process led by a United Nations commission is considering sovereignty rights to the central Arctic Ocean between Russia, Denmark and Canada. ”
Between Suicide and Murder: “Perhaps in exaggerated terms, I arrived at the provisional conclusion: I would rather live in Juárez, where I would fear murder, than in West Texas, where I would welcome suicide. The truth of which remained in the morning when I was sober—that in Juárez, among the people, there was at least an instinct to live beyond mere existence.”
Building an Army: “The people who have talent can’t use it right now. And that means people like you and me have got nothing to read.”
God and the Bomb: “When Strauss succeeds in taking away Oppenheimer’s security clearance but loses his cabinet position confirmation after having challenged the revered scientist, we see him greet the news with quiet dignity. Then, he puts on a smile, opens the door, and walks out to a corridor teeming with reporters eager to document his very public humiliation. The smile, we suspect, is genuine: A true believer, he knows that he’s walking away with real convictions rooted in ancient realities, something much more rewarding than a government job.”
Resisting Interrogation: “Interrogation is a battle of wills, not wits. Try to outsmart your captor and you will fail. Choose what you will say and say it, over and over. Choose what you will not say and keep it locked up. ”
The Mills of the Gods: “We didn’t love freedom enough.”