The 2019 strategy is out now

Jason Criss Howk 12 Jan 2019 As we prepare for the next season of Game of Thrones we are reviewing the 7th season. Spoilers ahead… As we watched the story unfold we were struck by the similarities of warfare, policy making, and intelligence operations to today. This season centers partly around a young advisor/scholar/scientist from… Read More Can Your Intel Team Find the Dragon Glass?

Jason Criss Howk 28 December 2018 Book lovers and readers can start their new book wish list today. We’ve all started looking to 2019 and our resolution to read more…and you know what book hints were ignored when you unwrapped gifts this season. Just this print this out for your gift giving friends and family… Read More 12 Impactful Books You May Have Missed

By Jason Criss Howk 1 December 2018 One of our most qualified and capable presidents has joined in his wife and daughter in heaven. The final president we were gifted from the greatest generation is gone, but his mark remains on this human project and upon me and so many others who were lucky enough… Read More Saluting my First Commander in Chief

For those that have been working on Afghanistan closely, here is the next step in the long and bumpy peace process. One step closer to a final cease fire and a decades long reconciliation process. Download the pdf document here

A very touching farewell today in Utah as Major Brent Taylor’s family and friends said goodbye. A grateful nation stands beside his family. The local news did a great job capturing the event and has shared a video of the day. My friend Major Abdul Rahman Rahmani, an Afghan Military Pilot, shared some kind words… Read More Rest well Major Brent Taylor; your work is done

Jason Criss Howk While speaking at the APPNA conference in Virginia with my good friend Dr Babar we had a chance to have a long quiet and private lunch with Dr Syeed and his gracious wife. It is always interesting to see how conversations about Islam change when they are intimate and calm. I shared… Read More Mission from God?

Finally an administration uses clear language to publicly segregate Violent Islamist ideologues from the religion of Islam and the Muslims around the world that are America’s natural allies against terrorism. As Muslims are usually the victims of terrorism, America must make clear that we are friends to all Muslims and we differentiate radical Islamists from… Read More America clarifies its CT policy

Why we are there and what the future holds for the coalition supporting the Afghan people and the various enemies of the Afghan people. Link to article #41strong

The latest assessment from the US point of view Country Reports on Terrorism 2017 is submitted in compliance with Title 22 of the United States Code, Section 2656f (the “Act”), which requires the Department of State to provide to Congress a full and complete annual report on terrorism for those countries and groups meeting the… Read More State of Terrorism 2017

There are lots of opinions about the status of America’s longest war. Few pundits and “experts” actually get their insights from the Afghans themselves. Since 2002 I’ve watched Afghanistan and occasionally worked in Afghanistan. I read Afghan news and social media everyday. I’ve spent time working on Afghanistan from military, diplomatic, and intelligence perspectives. I… Read More The Future of Afghanistan

I’m Worried About My Country, But Not Afraid Jason Criss Howk 17 August 2018 As I sit on a porch at ~3800 feet and watch the sun slowly shed light on Grandfather Mountain today, I am concerned. I feel my country is becoming more divided and am troubled that so many people with the power… Read More I’m Worried About My County, But Not Afraid

#Russia #policy #respectfulDisagreement Read this book. The Hawk and the Dove: Paul Nitze, George Kennan, and the History of the Cold War Nicholas Thompson, 2009 Reviewed by Jason Criss Howk Read this book. 1. You probably don’t understand the Soviet-US Cold War as well as you think you do. 2. America has forgotten how to… Read More Book review (ish) The Hawk and the Dove

A great piece by the Afghanistan Analysts Network team as they gathered a diverse sampling of Afghans and discussed what the recent truce-cease fire between the Afghan government forces and the Taliban. Best thing you’ll read this month about Afghanistan Article link

A review of The Koran in English : A Biography Author, Bruce B. Lawrence Princeton University Press, 2017 Five-star book, worth your money. “The world is certainly full of shadows.” -Arberry Let Bruce B. Lawrence shed some light on the Koran’s various English translations. Lawrence has written a valuable study of many of the English… Read More Book review: The Koran in English

Our nation has a SecState that can score touchdowns and a President that calls daring plays. (When does SEC football start…) This statement is a better than many would’ve guessed possible. Now can they carry it through. Let’s hope so. Damn good start.

Episode one is available on our website https://werejusttalkingaboutit.libsyn.com/about Also available on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/were-just-talking-about-its-podcast/id1404984777?mt=2&i=1000414834953 Hollie Fleck, my amazing producer, and I will drop a couple more episodes soon and then “We’re Just Talking About It” will show up in all your favorite podcast listings. So for now please use our website and share it with your… Read More Jason Howk’s Podcast: We’re Just Talking About It

Published in the Foreign Service Journal Lessons learned since I first served in an Embassy in 2002

We are excited to announce our first episode of the podcast “we’re just talking about it” is in the can and out for review with our early listeners. Host Jason Criss Howk and cohost and producer Hollie Fleck will be having a conversation in plain English every other week to help people understand Islam. Not… Read More New Podcast: Islam 101– the conversation we should have started on 12 Sept 2001

I’m knee deep into writing a book about Afghanistan and have engaged in many discussions with Afghan Hands across the Joint, Interagency, Intergovernmental, and Multinational spectrum. Some early thoughts… 1. American presidents have poorly communicated why the US and the coalition are there and how they define success and how it will be achieved. A.… Read More Afghanistan: How and Why