Since I blogged about Journolist here in March 2009, I thought my followup (confessional) was worth mentioning now.
Since I blogged about Journolist here in March 2009, I thought my followup (confessional) was worth mentioning now.
International Affairs – the (increasingly policy oriented) official journal of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (aka Chatham House) has published a “virtual” issue of articles on the...
I am happily in receipt of a letter from University of Massachusetts' Chancellor Holub informing me that I have been awarded tenure. Of course you know what this means: the days of keeping my...
So, I'm in Brussels this morning meeting with various NATO folks on how they plan to develop a strategy for rebuilding public support for Afghanistan and for the future expeditionary operations...
I didn't meet many faculty on my recent tour of New England liberal arts colleges (and a few Ivies), but one scholar I dined with provided this great line about foreign language study: "Optimists study English; pessimists study Arabic; realists study Mandarin."After nearly 1400 miles of driving and visits to more than a dozen schools, my daughter and I enjoyed a personal tour of the Naval War College. Then, we walked around Newport and savored the end of the journey and beautiful vistas. Incidentally, this was a real highlight of the trip. Someone needs to export it to Louisville.If anyone...
Earlier this year, all eyes were focused on Iceland in a very negative way for the second time in 18 months. First their banks collapsed in 2008 which caused many in Europe who had savings accounts there to take a rather substantial financial hit. For example, in the UK local councils were estimated to be at risk for up to £840 million in cash. And secondly, as is pretty well known, the Icelandic ash cloud basically paralysed Europe for the better part of April. (There's the whole "whaling" thing too - but that's relatively long-standing.)The Icelanders, for their part, couldn’t do much....
A recent credible report by the Democratic Voice of Burma that North Korea may have assisted Myanmar's junta to acquire nuclear weapons technology has raised concerns at the international and regional levels.Myanmar is a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), but it is technically exempt from IAEA inspections. If it is in fact pursuing a nuclear weapons program aided by North Korea, it would represent one more nail in the coffin of the non-proliferation regime. The US response has been limited so far, most likely due to the fact there are potentially more pressing...
With apologies for the terrible audio on my end. I’m traveling so this comes to you from a noisy space through a low quality mike.Henry Farrell and I ramble about Wikileaks, Facebook, academic blogging, and whether or not humans may reap positive externalities during the coming zombie plague if the Internet is indeed rewiring our braaaiiiins, making us less appetizing…
Even if the new sanctions against Iran prove effective at stopping an Iranian bomb, security analysts will not be able to breathe a sigh of relief. Eben Harrell in Time, April 8, 2010, explained the global distribution of highly enriched uranium: All told, over several decades, the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council distributed some 44,000 lbs. (20,000 kg) of HEU — enough for 800 nuclear weapons — to around 50 countries as diverse as Australia, Jamaica and Vietnam. Although that figure is a drop in the bucket compared with the estimated 4.4 million lbs. (2 million kg) of HEU...
I just heard a radio discussion in which two pundits debated whether or not today's sanctions will trigger a reversal in Iran's nuclear program. The focus of the conversation was single cause = single effect -- the sanctions either will or will not be successful gauged solely against the one criteria. Obviously, that criteria is the most significant. But, like most policy instruments, sanctions are a complicated tool. I've been influenced most on this topic by David Baldwin's Economic Statecraft. David argues that that there are multiple objectives behind almost every policy. To effectively...
A powerful new music video remembering Neda.
Here is my list of some of the most important developments and trends that have occurred so far in the longest war in American history.10. The term "Neo-Taliban" was coined in 2003 (by the Economist magazine) to describe the insurgency that emerged after the US toppled the Taliban regime. However, the distinction between the Paleo-Taliban and the Neo-Taliban is mainly a shift in organization from a highly centralized government to a decentralized "brand-name" insurgency on the model of Al Qaeda.9. The term "AfPak" was coined in 2008 (originally by candidate Hillary Clinton's foreign policy...