How the author coded the characters either for "good" or "lawful" certainly beggars the imagination. That said, as an out and proud political scientist I cannot help but appreciate a handy 3x3 grid wherever I can get one... H/T selfishmeme
How the author coded the characters either for "good" or "lawful" certainly beggars the imagination. That said, as an out and proud political scientist I cannot help but appreciate a handy 3x3 grid wherever I can get one... H/T selfishmeme
So, we're almost in October, and it's still 100 hundred degrees here in Texas. Â We have just endured the hottest summer on record for any state in the United States. Â Just last month, thousands of...
The musician K'naan's haunting elegy for his country Somalia, wracked by famine:So, 20 summers after I left as a child, I found myself on my way back to Somalia with some concerned friends and...
The world has been watching this week as the Palestinian Government prepares to make a bid to the Security Council for recognition as an independent state. Many thought Obama had backed himself into...
The exciting and tumultuous eve of the revolution in Libya has achieved many of its objectives: the power balance has swung in the rebel's favor, many national governments around the world now recognize the Transitional National Council (TNC) as the legitimate leadership, and most (though not all) of the country is under their control.In many ways, this week can be described as 'the morning after' the revolution in Libya. Rebels drunk on gun battles are now waking up with adrenaline hang-overs to the realities of post-revolution Libya. There's mortar rounds everywhere, hundreds of displaced...
In a new paper, Michael Spagat and a number of collaborators explore the determinants of intentional civilian killing in war. Using sophisticated regression analysis they claim to have found "four significant behavioral patterns":"First, the majority (61%) of all formally organized actors in armed conflict during 2002-2007 refrained from killing civilians in deliberate, direct targeting.Second, actors were more likely to have carried out some degree of civilian targeted, as opposed to none, if they participated in armed conflict for three or more years rather than for one year.Third, among...
I had a nice life imitating art (or science) today. I was lecturing about identity and the stuff we political scientists have borrowed from social psychology to explain ethnic conflict today. The idea is to get my IR of Ethnic Conflict class exposed to the basics before we move on to the international relations issues that are the heart of this course.So, today, I am quite aware of my identity and how my self-esteem depends on how I see my group and how others see my group. Then I notice a blog about Teaching Political Science which links to an article that focuses almost entirely on...
Joshua Goldstein's book on peacekeeping is now out, and in this promotional video he shows us what the future of conference presentations could look like. ;)
I just got this note in my Inbox from the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston: In a little more than a month, the Palestinian delegation to the United Nations will seek a unilateral declaration of statehood in the General Assembly. Israel and its friends around the world, including the United States, are urging the Palestinians to reject unilateralism. Only face-to-face negotiations will bring true peace. In the letter, CJP uses "unilateralism" eleven more times to describe the Palestinian actions. This has been the major talking point from pro-Israel groups for well over a year....
 A few thoughts from Jay Smooth on Rick Perry's favorite superhero:
Counterfactual theses:Absent 9/11 or a 9/11-style attack, the US would not have invaded Afghanistan but might very well  have used force against Iraq. Rationale: despite the Bush campaign's repeated condemnation of "nation-building" and calls for a more "humble" foreign policy (remember that?), Cheney and others were already singling out Iraq as a policy failure of the Clinton administration.Absent 9/11 Bush would not have been a one-term president, but the 2002 midterm results would have been much more favorable to the Democrats. Rationale: the 2001 slump would largely have been over; I...
Chris Clayton Joyner, aka "Dr. J," passed away last night. He was one of the nicest people in Georgetown's Government Department and the School of Foreign Service. He'll be missed, not only by his colleagues, but by thousands of his former students. Although I got the email this morning, Erik Voeten provides the impetus to post.