Future War: Preparing for the New Global Battlefield

Robert H. Latiff

An urgent, prescient, and expert look at how future technology will change virtually every aspect of war as we know it and how we can respond to the serious national security challenges ahead.

Future war is almost battles fought in cyberspace; biologically enhanced soldiers; autonomous systems that can process information and strike violently before a human being can blink.
     A leading expert on the place of technology in war and intelligence, Robert H. Latiff, now teaching at the University of Notre Dame, has spent a career in the military researching and developing new combat technologies, observing the cost of our unquestioning embrace of innovation. At its best, advanced technology acts faster than ever to save the lives of soldiers; at its worst, the deployment of insufficiently considered new technology can have devastating unintended or long-term consequences. The question of whether we can is followed, all too infrequently, by the question of whether we should.
     In Future War, Latiff maps out the changing ways of war and the weapons technologies we will use to fight them, seeking to describe the ramifications of those changes and what it will mean in the future to be a soldier. He also recognizes that the fortunes of a nation are inextricably linked with its national defense, and how its citizens understand the importance of when, how, and according to what rules we fight. What will war mean to the average American? Are our leaders sufficiently sensitized to the implications of the new ways of fighting? How are the attitudes of individuals and civilian institutions shaped by the wars we fight and the means we use to fight them? And, of key How will soldiers themselves think about war and their roles within it?
     The evolving, complex world of conflict and technology demands that we pay more attention to the issues that will confront us, before it is too late to control them. Decrying what he describes as a “broken” relationship between the military and the public it serves, Latiff issues a bold wake-up call to military planners and weapons technologists, decision makers, and the nation as a whole as we prepare for a very different future.

• BY GIANLUIGI GUGLIERMETTO
• JULY 26, 2025
• JESUS & CHRIST, JOANNA MACY, PERE CHENU, WISDOM EDUCATION

(dailymeditationwithmatthewfox.com)

During a conversation a few days ago, Matthew Fox and I realized how much we have been talking about mentorship and mentors in recent times. He is being featured as one of four mentors in an autobiography that will soon appear; I have suggested that his forthcoming book on Marie-Dominique Chenu bear the subtitle “A Story of Mentorship”; and, speaking candidly, I often reflect on his mentor role toward me.

Joanna Macy with mentee, coach/trainer/organizer Jess Serrante. From The Work That Reconnects website; published with permission.

The recent passing of Joanna Macy, an unsurpassed mentor to a very dear friend of mine, as well to many others, is also part of the atmosphere of this week.

Matthew and I have ventured to observe that perhaps these “coincidences” point to the strong presence of the “Mentor archetype” in the collective unconscious.

We know that the Christ archetype is waging a fierce battle right now in the collective unconscious of humanity against the Antichrist archetype, which seems to have taken hold of many minds, at least in the United States. But besides the Christ archetype, which is alive and well, we also have an ally in the Mentor archetype. Perhaps the second is a subset of the first, because Christ can definitely be seen as a mentor; yet there are specificities to the mentor role that I would like to underline.

To those of us who are the black sheep or the ugly duckling in their family, mentors are extremely important. Often they are the first ones who see us and appreciate us for who we really are.

“Christ and John the Baptist” by Marinos Tzane Bounialēs and Emmanuel Tzanes, ~1670. Wikimedia Commons.

The relationship between John the Baptist and Jesus was one of mentorship. John saw with his intuitive mind all that Jesus could become, and no doubt encouraged him to follow his path. So perhaps the Christ archetype can even make use of the Mentor archetype to become fully displayed.

Today, the Mentor archetype is coming to the fore because it has become increasingly hard to trust in the institutions (religious, political, educational) which have been charged with raising the next generations of humans according to the best values of their societies. Precisely because the confusion is increasing, truth is being bought and sold, cruelty is disguised as justice, and so on and so forth, the Mentor archetype emerges as a safe haven.

Yes, the Mentor archetype can be perverted into its opposite (see, for example, Catholic priest Marcial Maciel) just as the Christ archetype can be turned into the Antichrist. But this is no reason to doubt the benefits of the archetype in its true, unperverted form. 

Although people can meet their mentors through an institution, soon enough their relationship leaves the institutional confines, otherwise it can’t breathe. I venture to say that behind the most succesful reformations of institutions there are stories of mentorship, because it is at the margins, outside the halls of power, where two souls lay bare to each other their desire for God or absolute values, that the passion for transformation is ignited.

Matthew Fox and mentees Skylar Wilson and Jennifer Listug describe the Order of the Sacred Earth Community, which they co-founded.

The best values of humanity can be taught and experienced through mentorship, because the incandescent, alive matter that is being molded is the lived experience of the two. This includes rejocing together (via positiva), crying together (via negativa), imagining together creative solutions (via creativa) and changing institutions (via transformativa).

I had several mentors in my life, perhaps because for a long time I could never trust myself enough to fly solo. I have become in time a mentor myself. It’s a wonderful and awe-filled responsibility.

The human adventure will not be truly finished until there are mentors around, no matter how trying the circumstances and how fast the changes. True mentorship relations defy distance, and even death. They are the best testimony to the value of humanity and are — in and of themselves — a stronghold of resistance against the barbarism of these days. 

Gianluigi Gugliermetto

Read Gianluigi’s bio here.

---

(Contributed by John Tangney)

“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.”

― Albert Camus

Albert Camus (November 7, 1913 – January 4, 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, journalist, world federalist, and political activist. He was the recipient of the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. Wikipedia

By the Journal of Research in Personality, Volume 118, October 2024

Highlights

• •Conservative political ideology represented by symbolic and operational ideology and positive view of Trump
• •Psychopathic traits and malevolent disposition predicted increased conservative political ideology
• •Benevolent disposition predicted decreased conservative ideology–i.e., more liberal ideology
• •Those viewing Trump favorably reported elevated malevolent and reduced benevolent dispositions, and less empathy

Introduction

Autocrats manifest socially aversive personality, including malevolent traits in the Dark Triad: narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism (Nai & Toros, 2020), and the same has been found for Trump (Hyatt et al., 2018, Nai et al., 2019). Similar results have been found for authoritarians’ loyal foot soldiers (Hare et al., 2022). Thus, it is not surprising perhaps that voters with aversive traits tend to prefer aversive political figures (Hart et al., 2018, Nai et al., 2021). As such, we expected those in favor of Trump to display a malevolent (aversive) disposition.²

A malevolent disposition reflects wishing ill will or doing harm to others, while a benevolent disposition involves intending or showing goodwill or kindness to others. A malevolent disposition is measured via aversive features of Machiavellian manipulativeness, psychopathic callousness, and narcissistic self-absorption, all negatively associated with empathy and positively associated with antisocial behavior (Muris et al., 2017, Neumann et al., 2020, Neumann et al., 2021). A benevolent disposition is assessed in terms of whether one sees the goodness of others, values the dignity and worth of humans and treats people as they are rather than as means to an end, all positively associated with empathy and prosocial behavior (Kaufman et al., 2019, Neumann et al., 2020).

A political candidate who boasts about being able to shoot someone can be understood in terms of a malevolent disposition (Nai et al., 2019). We seek to understand the voters who embrace such a politician and propose that insight may be gained by examining the links between malevolent dispositions and political ideology (Blais et al., 2021, Blais et al., 2024).

Taken together, we propose that more extreme (malevolent) dispositions are necessary for understanding today’s modern incarnation of conservatism that includes a positive view of Trump.

Longitudinal research suggests that race/ethnicity may moderate the associations of RWA and SDO with conservative political behavior (Duckitt & Sibley, 2016) and gender might moderate the association between personality and conservatism with a stronger association for males than females (Kivikangas et al., 2021). These moderation effects may be due in part to the fact that RWA and SDO are linked with racism and sexism

For the complete report, go to: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092656625000704

(Courtesy of Thom Hartmann)

Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images

July 22, 2025 (businessinsider.com)

$100 million salaries. Deliberately inflating counteroffers for staff they don’t want to keep. Sabotaging competitors — not through code, but through culture.It takes a lot of cunning to thrive in the AI talent wars. A lot of money, too. OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, said last month it was “crazy” that Meta was offering up to $100 million to lure away his researchers. Laszlo Bock, a former VP of HR at Google, thinks Meta’s move was actually very rational. It could even be a “bargain,” he told BI. In Silicon Valley, it’s the summer of compensation FOMO. If a tech worker isn’t fielding at least one jaw-dropping offer, they’re starting to wonder what they’re doing wrong.Why are the salaries so high? Because the stakes are. The future of AI is up for grabs, and there may be fewer than 1,000 top researchers capable of building it. The pressure to attract — and keep — them is unprecedented. Bock pulled back the curtain on Google’s counteroffer playbook, which included getting a multimillion-dollar package in the hands of employees within “60 minutes” of hearing a rival had made a move.

It’s not all about staying ahead. Sometimes, it’s about making sure the competition stays behind. “Game theory” is how Bock put it.Even if Google didn’t want to keep a staff member, Bock said they would counteroffer to force the poaching company to spend more. The goal? To throw off team dynamics and disrupt the other company’s culture.If a “mediocre” person joined a competitor earning much more than their new colleagues, it could cause “tremendous internal tension,” Bock said. “Done correctly, there’s a lot of actual strategy behind it and it’s super fun.”This isn’t just a clash of the titans. Startups are scrapping with Big Tech for AI talent — and they have an edge.Startups can’t compete with Meta’s $100 million compensation packages, but they don’t have to. As Natan Fisher, an investor and cofounder of search firm SingleSprout, told BI: “They can win by pitching sharper problems, faster cycles, and giving top AI engineers the ability to own product, with strong upside.”

Read the full story

(Image from fondationrilke.ch)

“If we surrendered to earth’s intelligence we could rise up rooted, like trees.” 

~ Rilke

René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke, known as Rainer Maria Rilke (December 4, 1875 – December 29, 1926), was an Austrian poet and novelist. Acclaimed as an idiosyncratic and expressive poet, he is widely recognized as a significant writer in the German language. Wikipedia

Google AI Overview

In Rilke’s context, “earth’s intelligence” refers to the inherent wisdom and natural order of the world, particularly as embodied in nature. It suggests a deep, intuitive understanding that humans can access by surrendering to natural processes and cycles, much like a tree’s roots connect it to the earth. This idea encourages a shift from human-centric thinking to a perspective that recognizes and respects the interconnectedness and wisdom of the natural world. 

Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

• Nature’s Wisdom:Rilke’s concept implies that nature possesses a form of intelligence, not necessarily in a human-like sense, but in its ability to function harmoniously, adapt, and sustain life. 
• Surrendering to Natural Processes:The quote, “If we surrendered to earth’s intelligence, we could rise up rooted, like trees,” suggests that by relinquishing our tendency to control and dominate, we can learn from and align ourselves with nature’s rhythms. 
• Connectedness and Balance:This surrender fosters a sense of rootedness and interconnectedness, allowing us to find balance and harmony within ourselves and with the world around us, much like a tree’s roots anchor it to the earth while its branches reach for the sky. 
• Rejection of Entanglement:The quote contrasts this surrender with the “knots of our own making,” implying that our struggles and confusion often stem from resisting the natural flow of life and trying to impose our own will on the world. 
• Childlike Wonder:Rilke encourages a return to a childlike state of wonder and receptivity, where we can learn from nature’s simplicity and profound wisdom. 
• Finding Our Place:Ultimately, surrendering to earth’s intelligence involves finding our place within the larger natural order, recognizing our interconnectedness with all things, and embracing the cycles of life, death, and renewal. 

New Thinking Jul 24, 2025 Edward R. Close, PhD, is author of Transcendental Physics. He is coauthor (with Vernon Neppe) of Reality Begins with Consciousness: A Paradigm Shift That Works. He is also author of a lengthy chapter titled “The Mathematical Unification of Time, Space, Matter, Energy, and Consciousness” in Is Consciousness Primary? edited by Gary Schwartz and Marjorie Woollacott. Here he describes how the concept of nonlocality has been used in theoretical physics. He notes that the term has also been borrowed by people in parapsychology and consciousness studies. Some physicists object to the use of the term to describe the phenomenology of consciousness. However, in many ways, the term is apt. He then relates the concept of nonlocality to the Triadic Dimensional Vortical Paradigm (TDVP) model that he has developed with Dr. Vernon Neppe. New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in “parapsychology” ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980). He is also the Grand Prize winner of the 2021 Bigelow Institute essay competition regarding the best evidence for survival of human consciousness after permanent bodily death. He currently serves as Co-Director of Parapsychology Education at the California Institute for Human Science. (Recorded on September 20, 2019)

New Thinking Jul 23, 2025 Peter B. Todd, MAPS, a psychotherapist with a Jungian orientation, is author of The Individuation of God: Integrating Science and Religion. He experienced clinical death, during cardiac surgery, in 2005, and was subsequently revived. He was also a gold medalist at the 1982 Gay Games in San Francisco. Here he notes that, throughout his career, Teilhard, a Jesuit paleontologist and theologian, suffered from restrictions and persecution by church authorities. He developed a lofty vision of biological evolution and the divinization of the world. He saw Jesus Christ as a cosmic figure acting as an attractor, pulling all sentient beings toward an Omega point of maximum complexity and consciousness. The American Episcopal Church holds a feast day in his honor. New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in “parapsychology” ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980). He is also the Grand Prize winner of the 2021 Bigelow Institute essay competition regarding the best evidence for survival of human consciousness after permanent bodily death. He currently serves as Co-Director of Parapsychology Education at the California Institute for Human Science. (Recorded on October 25, 2019)

Published: July 24, 2025 (TheOnion.com)

NEW YORK—Instinctively lowering themselves into a defensive crouch while awaiting the return of the eerily absent audio cue, Manhattan residents reportedly remained on alert Thursday after a sunrise unaccompanied by languid clarinet music. “Every day, as long as I can remember, I would roll out of bed to a soulful clarinet solo scoring the sun’s ascent over the Hudson, but today there’s only silence,” said longtime Hell’s Kitchen resident Robin Saunders, one of 1.6 million baffled Manhattanites who remained locked down at home as authorities investigated the music’s mysterious absence, only briefly peering out of their apartment windows in the hope of catching a single trill or sustained seventh note to mark the return to bluesy normalcy. “It didn’t matter whether I was waking up from a long bender in the West Village or getting ready for my workaday job in Midtown: Hearing those reeds blow out a long, sleepy note, watching the sunlight dapple off the Flatiron, and Woolworth buildings—that’s how you knew you were in New York. Now, though? It’s like I’m in some strange, alien world devoid of anything approaching syncopation.” At press time, the city had declared a state of emergency after Brooklyn residents reported being unable to hear the sultry saxophone solo that typically soundtracks their lonely evening walks under neon signs.

Then-United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths speaks during a press conference on the situation in Gaza, at a U.N. office in Geneva, on November 15, 2023.

 (Photo: Jean-Guy Python/AFP via Getty Images)

“I am absolutely convinced that what’s going on in Gaza is a genocide, because the thing speaks for itself,” said Martin Griffiths.

BRETT WILKINS

Jul 24, 2025 (CommonDreams.org)

Former United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths on Tuesday accused Israel of committing the century’s worst genocide in an interview published amid increasingly deadly forced starvation in Gaza and a vow by an Israeli Cabinet minister to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from the strip to make way for Jewish resettlement.

“I am absolutely convinced that what’s going on in Gaza is a genocide, because the thing speaks for itself,” Griffiths, who served as the U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator from 2021 to 2024, said in an interview with Middle East Eye.

“My grandchildren will be learning in school about who did what in the worst crime of the 21st century,” he predicted.

https://x.com/SondosAsem1/status/1948082294071181715?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1948082294071181715%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnews%2Fmartin-griffiths-gaza

Griffiths’ remarks came amid worsening mass starvation in Gaza fueled by Israel’s blockade of the besieged strip. Gaza officials said Thursday that at least 115 Palestinians, including more than 80 children, have died of malnutrition since October 2023. Overall, at least 59,106 Palestinians have been killed and more than 142,500 others have been wounded by Israeli forces during 656 days of assault and siege. Over 14,000 Gazans are also missing and presumed dead and buried beneath rubble.

“There can frankly be very little doubt that we are seeing starvation and hunger as an instrument of the war,” Griffiths asserted. “There is no prior experience in my five decades of humanitarian experience that can come close to comparison to the horror we are all seeing in Gaza.”

“The U.N. announcement, based on serious hospital data, that people are fainting in the street from hunger and malnutrition, tells us all we need to know,” he added. “It is a historic fact that children die first in these circumstances. Our humanity cannot believe our eyes.”

Numerous human rights groups and U.N. experts have accused Israel of weaponizing starvation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza including forced starvation and murder.

In March 2024 the International Court of Justice—which is currently weighing a genocide case brought by South Africa—ordered Israel to allow desperately needed humanitarian aid into the embattled enclave and reiterated an earlier directive to prevent genocidal acts. Critics allege that Israel has ignored these orders.

Griffiths slammed the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, whose aid distribution points have been the site of numerous massacres in which more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed. Israeli officers and soldiers have said they received orders to shoot and shell desperate aid-seekers.

“This isn’t humanitarian,” Griffiths said. “It’s a lure for displacement.”

Israeli officials have openly declared their intent to conquer, indefinitely occupy, and ethnically cleanse Gaza of Palestinians so that a plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump to turn the coastal enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East” can be implemented.

On Thursday, Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said that Israel’s far-right government “is racing ahead for Gaza to be wiped out.”

“All of Gaza will be Jewish,” Eliyahu vowed.

Griffiths also decried the “massive impunity” enjoyed by Israeli officials and their enablers, and warned of the dangerous precedent this sets.

“What happens in Gaza doesn’t stay in Gaza,” he said.

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BRETT WILKINS

Brett Wilkins is a staff writer for Common Dreams.

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