Ian Kummer

I'm a former US Marine fire support specialist, and also worked for about 10 years as a public affairs specialist in the US Army National Guard and Reserves. For that reason I will mostly opine about the "information operations" aspect of current events. Please see my "about" page for more information. If you would like to reach out, you can email me at ian.michael@readingjunkie.com

The Best James Bond Villains Aren’t Even in a Bond Film

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A villain is simply a hero with the wrong motive. MI6 as portrayed in James Bond films is a top-notch spy agency with ludicrously high-tech gadgets and information-collecting assets. Now imagine an organization of similar power and scope, but evil. I of course am referring to the real MI6. Just kidding, they’re a bit underwhelming … Read more

Podcast: Israel Goes Rogue

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Billy Bob invited me on another podcast about the Gaza conflict, this time with Professor Vladimir Golstein from the Department of Slavic Studies at Brown University.

Can Israel’s Doomsday Weapon Destroy Human Civilization?

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There has been a lot of discussion in the past month about Israel’s “Samson Option,” what it is, how serious of a threat it poses, or if Israeli nuclear weapons even exist. Here’s my best attempt at answering these questions. First, the most important question – do Israeli nukes exist? Simply, yes they do. Nuclear … Read more

Another visit to Saint Petersburg

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I am visiting a friend and reader of the blog in Saint Petersburg this weekend. Maria and I visited once before in the summer of 2022, so getting to see it a second time was good. For starters, I have been in Russia longer so know my way around better than I did. Secondly, I’m … Read more

An Empire With the Farcical Aesthetics of Rebellion

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Americans adore the fantasy of plucky rebels, ragtag hyper individualists standing up against tyranny. That fantasy (however selectively) resembled our early history. Revolutionaries kicking out the British Empire, Texans fighting to the last man at the Alamo, American blockade runners to Alaska during the Crimean War, and so on. But eventually, the fairy tale no longer resembled reality, but that didn’t stop us from pretending.