Watching for War

Sure, we're all focused 100 percent upon business these days. Right? The prospect of imminent war is hard to ignore, try as we might. Apart from the obvious military and human dimensions, a protracted conflict has business implications as well. The potential chilling effect of war is discussed in The Effect of War on Telecom, a news analysis from the folks at Light Reading. So how will you keep track of the news? Many Americans will monitor TV coverage on CNN, FoxNews, MSNBC or the networks. Here are some web news sources I've encountered that might make for interesting reading as events unfold:

Global Security: A great resource for background information, this site by a DC military think tank offers updates on troop deployments and uses satellite images to track activity in "hot spots" overseas.

Iraq Coverage Resources: The story behind the stories from The Poynter Institute, a popular resource site for journalists covering the conflict. One current article examines the decisions media outlets face about if and when to evacuate staff from Baghdad.

DefenseTech: This Weblog is authored by Noah Schachtman, who covers military technology for Wired magazine, and has written at length about the use of unmanned "drones" in combat. His "blogroll" of links to related sites is impressive.

Debka: This Israeli site is focused on intelligence and counterterrorism, and has been somewhat erratic with its "scoops," with big hits and big misses in equal measure. If the Iraqis target Israel in any way, this will be a site to watch.

Where is Raed?: This offbeat weblog is written from Baghdad, and offers a view of what residents are experiencing as the likelihood of war draws near. Earlier this month, this blog made news when it offered the first account of Iraqis filling ditches with oil, apparently to set them afire to create an oily smokescreen to hinder possible US air strikes.