06-10-2009, 10:52 PM
An interesting discussion...
Googling the term 'calibrate the violence' turns up some indications that the phrase or concept has gained wider acceptance. One of the more interesting ones, perhaps a parallel in socio-cultural terms, comes from a discussion of the use of an "R" rating of a movie and the MPAA ratings system itself: "Producers and directors routinely calibrate language, violence and sexual situations to win a desired rating." This is certainly consistent with definitions of calibration which connote a tweaking to achieve something. In War by Other Means: The Problem of Political Control in Irish Republican Strategy[/FONT], [/FONT] Armed Forces & Society: An Interdisciplinary Journal[/FONT], September 22, 2000[/FONT], the authors seem to argue a Clausewitzian line that "As war results from political purpose this "intelligence" will "remain the supreme consideration" in its conduct." [See http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1...oblem.html ] The prevailing themes seem to be that there are parties who are "tweaking" so as to insure the continuation of conflict without letting it get out of control. Chris Floyd and Arthur Silber discuss the abuse of intelligence; see http://www.chris-floyd.com/. And there's a RAND document out there by C. Christine Fair for the USAF on counter-terror coalitions and cooperation with India and Pakistan that uses the term. And three weeks ago, William S. Lind over at http://www.d-n-i.net/dni/ had an article on the Taliban's Air Force and the concept of a "pseudo-op" ("where one side dresses up in the other side’s uniforms or otherwise duplicates his signatures, then does something that works against the goals of the simulated party"). No, David Guyatt, I don't think you're too cynical.
Googling the term 'calibrate the violence' turns up some indications that the phrase or concept has gained wider acceptance. One of the more interesting ones, perhaps a parallel in socio-cultural terms, comes from a discussion of the use of an "R" rating of a movie and the MPAA ratings system itself: "Producers and directors routinely calibrate language, violence and sexual situations to win a desired rating." This is certainly consistent with definitions of calibration which connote a tweaking to achieve something. In War by Other Means: The Problem of Political Control in Irish Republican Strategy[/FONT], [/FONT] Armed Forces & Society: An Interdisciplinary Journal[/FONT], September 22, 2000[/FONT], the authors seem to argue a Clausewitzian line that "As war results from political purpose this "intelligence" will "remain the supreme consideration" in its conduct." [See http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1...oblem.html ] The prevailing themes seem to be that there are parties who are "tweaking" so as to insure the continuation of conflict without letting it get out of control. Chris Floyd and Arthur Silber discuss the abuse of intelligence; see http://www.chris-floyd.com/. And there's a RAND document out there by C. Christine Fair for the USAF on counter-terror coalitions and cooperation with India and Pakistan that uses the term. And three weeks ago, William S. Lind over at http://www.d-n-i.net/dni/ had an article on the Taliban's Air Force and the concept of a "pseudo-op" ("where one side dresses up in the other side’s uniforms or otherwise duplicates his signatures, then does something that works against the goals of the simulated party"). No, David Guyatt, I don't think you're too cynical.
"Where is the intersection between the world's deep hunger and your deep gladness?"