But it's not his call!!
   All the passion and creativity that was going into this has been
   effectively snuffed out by the tyrant.
   I understand if you're done with the idea, but this is not peters domain
   and he doesn't know crap about marketing. 
   I'm going to inform Grant and George of Peter's "opinion" and see what
   they have to say. 

   Sent from my iPhone
   On Jun 5, 2010, at 6:52 PM, Marko Papic <marko.papic@stratfor.com> wrote:

     Ok it is dead. Youre the boss and you feel strongly about it.

     On Jun 5, 2010, at 5:43 PM, Peter Zeihan <zeihan@stratfor.com> wrote:

       look - i apologize if i came across as snippy

       i've actually had a reeeeally good couple of days and i only tell you
       that because i think this is a reeeeally bad idea in its current form
       with a lot of downsides that you've not thought through

       you two are eager and creative. if anyone can make this work its you
       two. but dear god this scares the bejezzus out of me and i will do
       everything i can to kill it until it doesn't

       Reva Bhalla wrote:

         No one was trying to go over your head. We came up with the idea on
         Friday and you were not available. This is a marketing campaign, so
         naturally we pitched it to Grant first. I see no wrong in that.
         Rather than dismissing you in 2-line emails, Marko and I have been
         trying to address your concerns by explaining to you how this is a
         marketing campaign designed to feed into a global frenzy, highlight
         our methodology and drive readers to the site through well thought
         out world cup analogies. As I said, Marko and I are drafting up an
         intro email to explain the geopolitical thrust behind this campaign
         to George, Grant and yourself. We are putting effort into this
         precisely to address your concerns and because this is an idea we
         really believe in. I do not appreciate you cursing at us and
         dismissing us outright when we are trying to explain the marketing
         logic behind this.  

         Sent from my iPhone
         On Jun 5, 2010, at 3:19 PM, Peter Zeihan <zeihan@stratfor.com>
         wrote:

           ok ms snark

           you didn't run this by me before going over my head or testing it
           out on others -- not smart

           you haven't responded a whit to my basic concerns, choosing
           instead to ply me with arguments that can all be summed as up as
           rubbing it in my face that you hadn't run it by me -- also not
           smart

           if you want to seriously pitch this, you need to address my
           concern first -- not last

           until you do that, this is dead

           Reva Bhalla wrote:

             Thank you for responding to us in a professional manner on a
             marketing idea that has the support of the CEO and the marketing
             director. 

             Sent from my iPhone
             On Jun 5, 2010, at 2:45 PM, Peter Zeihan <zeihan@stratfor.com>
             wrote:

               i really don't know how else to say no, aside from maybe 'no
               fucking way'

               no fucking way

               Reva Bhalla wrote:

                 It's an analogy, Peter. Also, this is a marketing campaign,
                 emphasis on marketing -- not an analytical feature. The
                 question of whether this attracts more people to stratfor or
                 drives them away should come from Grant's judgment. Aaric
                 used to put out the most ridiculous campaigns, completely
                 devoid of analytical value. We are introducing an
                 intelligent and witty marketing campaign that highlights the
                 core of our geopolitical method. I would really urge you to
                 not close your mind to this and understand this is about
                 marketing. I've run this by ppl completely disinterested in
                 soccer abd they were completely captivated. My brother, a
                 marketing guru, also agrees this is a great way to bring
                 attention to stratfor.
                 Marko and I will be drafting up an intro to the WC series
                 that will explain the geopol thrust behind this campaign to
                 show to George, Grant and yourself.

                 Sent from my iPhone
                 On Jun 5, 2010, at 2:20 PM, Peter Zeihan
                 <zeihan@stratfor.com> wrote:

                   i couldn't possibly disagree more, and lines like what
                   i've copied from your texts below do a lot more than
                   simply set my teeth on edge

                   Similarly, Argentina's team this year is bursting with
                   offensive firepower with Lionel Massi, Diego Militio and
                   Carlos Tevez on the field. Yet, while Argentina holds all
                   the cards going into this World Cup,  the biggest question
                   looking forward is the whether the dubious leadership of
                   soccer legend Diego Maradona can lead the team to victory.

                   This is a lesson that Athens can learn from its national
                   football team. Considering the lack of offensive talent
                   and flair that distinguishes its Balkan
                   neighbors, Greece has adopted an unattractive defensive
                   style that nonetheless brought them a surprising 2004
                   European Football Championship.  The question for Greece,
                   therefore, is whether it will learn from its football
                   squad that living and playing within onea**s means is a
                   recipe for success.

                   Reva Bhalla wrote:

                     the whole point is to use the world cup to highlight our
                     geopolitical methodology. The analogies between the
                     geopolitical positions of each country and the teams in
                     these match-ups works really well.  It's just a clever
                     marketing campaign that differentiates stratfor -- one
                     that has already been endorsed by both George and Grant.
                     Whether you watch soccer or not, the world cup can be
                     very geopolitically relevant. It's simply a fun and
                     creative way to attract readers to our site. I've
                     circulated a couple of our briefs around to a banking
                     source in Latin America and a DoD contact, and they both
                     went nuts over it. I seriously doubt that this would
                     'drive readers away.' It's just one highlight per week,
                     that's all. Nobody else can claim this angle.  Without
                     the actual World Cup angle, this is just a publication
                     of mini monographs and there is no tie-in to the World
                     Cup, which defeats the whole purpose of the idea.
                     On Jun 5, 2010, at 11:57 AM, Peter Zeihan wrote:

                       actually i'm in canada thru next wednesday (cold and
                       rainy out here)

                       and im pretty dead set against anything that touches
                       sports analysis

                       so if you want this to happen it will have to be in
                       the teeth of my utter and total opposition

                       Reva Bhalla wrote:

                         Hi Peter,
                         Hope you're back safely from Canada-land. 
                         Marko and I came up with a really great marketing
                         campaign for STRATFOR:  The Geopolitics of the World
                         Cup.  Grant loves the idea and George has also given
                         his support. I'm copying and pasting our original
                         pitch to George so you can see where we are going
                         with this. We already have drafts and ideas for most
                         countries, so this will take minimal effort from the
                         analysts side. Grant is also ready to mobilize his
                         marketing sources. We think this would be a great
                         way to drive readers to our site, and we hope you
                         agree.
                         The full email thread with George and Grant's input
                         is below. Please let us know what you think so we
                         can get rollin' with this.
                         Thanks!
                         Reva

                           On Jun 5, 2010, at 1:31 AM, George Friedman wrote:

                             Assuming we have the people and resources to
                             make this an outstansding job also take care of
                             other tasks, I think this is a great idea. Have
                             you cleared this with peter?

                             Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

     ----------------------------------------------------------------------

                             From: "Grant Perry" <grant.perry@stratfor.com>
                             Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2010 17:20:53 -0500 (CDT)
                             To: 'Reva Bhalla'<reva.bhalla@stratfor.com>;
                             'George Friedman'<gfriedman@stratfor.com>
                             Cc: 'Marko Papic'<marko.papic@stratfor.com>
                             Subject: RE: GEORGE -- A solid idea that
                             requires your approval
                             George,
                              
                             Therea**s not much I can add to the strong case
                             Reva makes for this series, but I do want to
                             emphasize how powerful I think it could be in
                             driving traffic, free list signups, sales and in
                             brand-building.  I like the concept because not
                             only does it leverage the tremendous interest in
                             the World Cup but does it in a way that shows
                             off our methodology more effectively than a pure
                             marketing piece can.  Ita**s opportunistic in
                             the best sense, and the content would be
                             a**on-branda** and consistent with STRATFORa**s
                             quality standards.  Moreover, the series would
                             expose STRATFOR to potentially fertile audience
                             segments that we otherwise might have trouble
                             reaching, whether ita**s young professionals
                             in Brazil, Indian entrepreneurs or European
                             bankers a** theya**re all soccer fans and
                             obsessed with the World Cup.
                              
                             I say go for it.
                              
                             Grant

   --------------------------------------------------------------------------

                             From: Reva Bhalla
                             [mailto:reva.bhalla@stratfor.com] 
                             Sent: Friday, June 04, 2010 4:24 PM
                             To: George Friedman
                             Cc: Grant Perry; Marko Papic
                             Subject: GEORGE -- A solid idea that requires
                             your approval
                              
                             George,
                              
                             You are currently in Turkey, the crossroads of
                             civilization, the epicenter of geopolitics. The
                             country loves you, your face is plastered all
                             over Istanbul, the world respects STRATFOR. Life
                             is good.
                              
                             But we can make it better.
                              
                             We have a great marketing idea that will:
                              
                             a) highlight STRATFOR's geopolitical methodology
                             b) battle the perception that STRATFOR is too
                             US-centric
                             c) feed into a global frenzy to drive thousands
                             of readers to our site
                              
                             On June 11, the bulk of the world's attention is
                             going to be on the World Cup. Everyone from
                             Foreign Policy magazine to Goldman Sachs is
                             covering the event.  Marko and I have a unique,
                             salient and intelligent way for STRATFOR to give
                             its geopolitical perspective to this global
                             event.
                              
                             The idea is to pick a geopolitically-relevant
                             country every week and use the World Cup to hook
                             our readers into reading our fresh,
                             contemporary, intelligent geopolitical take.
                             This could take place on the free list, on the
                             site, whatever Grant says. 
                              
                             Take Argentina, for example:
                              
                             Argentina 

                             Argentina is endowed with wide swaths of arable
                             land, natural resources and an interconnected
                             river transport network. The country has the
                             most potential on the South American continent
                             to reach worldwide geopolitical stardom. Yet
                             decades of populist policies, military control
                             and severe economic mismanagement have the
                             country constantly flirting with economic
                             collapse (LINK). Similarly, Argentina's team
                             this year is bursting with offensive firepower
                             with Lionel Massi, Diego Militio and Carlos
                             Tevez on the field. Yet, while Argentina holds
                             all the cards going into this World Cup,  the
                             biggest question looking forward is the whether
                             the dubious leadership of soccer legend Diego
                             Maradona can lead the team to victory.
                              
                             Or, Greece
                              

                             Greece managed to parlay its geopolitical
                             importance since independence in the early 18th
                             Century to gain patronage from the U.K. and
                             the U.S, allowing the country to compete with
                             Turkey (LINK) next door. But since the end of
                             the Cold War Greece has been unable to cope with
                             its relegation into the minor league of
                             geopolitics, which in part led to the debt
                             crisis it faces today. The Greek debt crisis
                             will continue to rock the nation, with strikes
                             and political unrest (LINK) becoming the norm as
                             the state is forced to implement harsh austerity
                             measures. The message the EU has sent
                             to Greece is that it has to learn to live within
                             its means. (LINK: Monograph) This is a lesson
                             that Athens can learn from its national football
                             team. Considering the lack of offensive talent
                             and flair that distinguishes its Balkan
                             neighbors, Greece has adopted an unattractive
                             defensive style that nonetheless brought them a
                             surprising 2004 European Football Championship. 
                             The question for Greece, therefore, is whether
                             it will learn from its football squad that
                             living and playing within onea**s means is a
                             recipe for success. 
                              
                             As you can see, STRATFOR's Geopolitics of the
                             World Cup would simply consist of these briefs
                             with an accompanying graphic every week. This
                             would be a definite crowd pleaser and marketing
                             success -- I guarantee it.  We would do the
                             United States, Brazil, South Africa, Germany,
                             Portugal, South and North Korea, Japan, etc. We
                             have already been brainstorming with the
                             analysts on this, and have some great ideas to
                             go on.
                              
                             We already have pitched the idea to Grant, and
                             he is all for it. All we need is your go-ahead,
                             and we can make this happen.
                              
                             Hope your travels are going well,
                              
                             Reva