Cool OSINT Tools on Arms and Freedom

I've checked out a few more analytical tools for my bag of tricks.  These links are cool because they help me understand the world we live in today.  They appear in the Intelligence Links in the column on the right-hand side of this blog.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute tracks military spending and arms shipments worldwide.  Check out their database links.  They even track subnational groups.  I plan to use this site to cross-reference military spending with other categories of military activity to see which country's military gets the most bang for the buck when influencing world affairs.

Reporters Without Borders publishes the Press Freedom Index that ranks countries by how much they respect their fourth estate (read up on the legacy of the French Revolution of you need that term defined).  I'm disappointed that the US is ranked #32 in 2013.  I'm doing my part to move the needle higher by blogging as much as possible in honor of the First Amendment.

The Economist Intelligence Unit publishes a bunch of good stuff, but their annual Democracy Index just plain rocks.  A lot of EIU's services cost serious bucks but the Democracy Index is free.  I like freebies.  I don't like paying for other things I can get for free just by searching the web.

Big Data isn't just for big corporations.  Anyone in free societies can use it to make better policy and hold governments accountable for their actions.  

Welcome To Third Eye OSINT

This post inaugurates something that has been in the works for a while.  I've always had an interest in international relations, military strategy, defense technology, security policy, intelligence collection, and related matters.  These interests don't always mesh with the financial focus of the Alfidi Capital blog but I am compelled to write about them anyway.  These topics warrant coverage in their own blog.  That is why I've launched Third Eye OSINT. 

The "third eye" image from my corporate logo is an age-old symbol of original insight and special knowledge.  The use of "OSINT," or open source intelligence, is common among national intelligence agencies that supplement their own clandestine collection with information found in public sources.  All of the information referenced here comes from unclassified, open sources to show that anyone with sufficient time and ability can perform intelligence analysis. 

Think of Third Eye OSINT as primarily a blog about geopolitics, with analysis of related topics.  It's very much a project of my for-profit business so all of the revenue from advertising you see here goes to me.  Launching it on Independence Day is perfect timing. 

Enjoy what you see here on Third Eye OSINT.