I remain hopeful that at some point you can return to my comments and the constructive comments of others with a bit less defensiveness and a bit more patience and gain something practical from this experience.   Perhaps there should be a Warning! sign when you sign up to this site that lets you know that this is a forum for genuine debate and ad hominem attacks are not likely to be tolerated because they get in the way of informative discussion.

Again, it is not you that I've insulted.  It is the unhelpful way this subject is framed everywhere in the media.  I'd say your post was much more fair than a lot of coverage.  But it is very easy -for anyone- to slip into the old ways of talking about US-Russia relations, relying more on emotive rhetoric than reason and facts.  It is a simplistic approach, and I do hope well informed readers can see that.  Because, frankly, it is not you Jacob, I'm concerned about.  It's what you are writing about.  

"Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.

It so happens that your previous diary was devoid of content but did spawn an interesting comment thread. This one has interesting content but you're doing a good job of derailing any discussion.

If you delete another one of your diaries we might be forced to take away your ability to edit your own stories once posted.

We have met the enemy, and he is us — Pogo

Deleting diaries in a fit of pique is pretty bad form since it involves deleting other people's contributions. Don't bother posting diaries if that's going to be your attitude.

If it is any consolation to you Jacob, what I consider to have been my best diary got the least comments and recommends as you put it.  Some topics are simply a minority taste and don't attract much of a readership or debate - often because others don't feel qualified to comment.  

I suspect there are very few military strategists here and so few would feel qualified to engage with you on your central thesis.  We are here to learn, perhaps to add a minor or supplementary comment, not as experts to peer review a scholarly work.

Writing a comment and checking out the reaction to it is the best way of testing out a half formed thought or theory.  If we were experts, we probably wouldn't be here in the first place!

Index of Frank's Diaries