I've been a very bad (lame) duck of late, but for good reason. On top of many other duties, I am teaching a new graduate seminar this semester on Global Economic Governance with some very smart and fun students at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of...
Last week, at University of Bristol, I gave a talk called "The Future of World Order" to the student International Affairs Society. It was a speculative lecture, based on my 17 years directing the...
Found this baby while prepping slides for my "Battlestar Galactica and Civil-Military Relations" panel presentation at ISA-Northeast conference next week. Happy Friday.
Over on the other side of the methods divide, Andrew Gelman shares a tip: Caffeine, a lightweight and free app for Macs that keeps them awake even when you haven't clicked on them for a while. But...
Are student-athletes better prepared to complete a college degree in a reasonable amount of time than the general student body? Given the stereotypes many people share about "jocks," this may seem like a startling question. Yet, the NCAA released evidence this week that claims to demonstrate that student-athletes graduate at a very high rate, often at much higher rates than other students at the same institutions. My local newspaper, the Louisville Courier Journal revealed this news today on the second page of the sports section. The front page of the same section featured local athletes...
The Canard"All the fake news that's fit to print"--CyberspaceReaders of the popular blog “Duck of Minerva” are expressing a mix of consternation and concern with the disappearance of many of the ducks on the site. Charli Carpenter, Stephanie Carvin and Dan Nexon, normally reliable for a couple of quacks a week on important issues of foreign affairs, have not been heard from in weeks, sometimes months, and those who peruse the site regularly are not letting their frustration roll like water off a duck’s back. "LFC" posted: “I count on this site to break down important events. Where is...
The US does not negotiate with terrorist groups.*^*This statement does not yet apply to the Haqqani Network in Pakistan; even though its founder and senior leadership have all been individually designated as terrorists. [ Oh, come on Vikash, the US negotiated with "reached out" to that group before Admiral Mullen's testimony to Congress. Until that testimony we had no idea that a group founded and led by people we call terrorists could actually be considered a terrorist "group." Sure the Haqqanis are vicious individually, but as a group they're like the Cub Scouts. Seriously, though it's...
On Friday, I gave some remarks in Dallas, Texas to a group of young leaders from different professions as part of the Next Generation Project organized by the Strauss Center for International Security and Law. For this diverse audience, I tested what I described in my last post a "Go Right" messaging strategy on global warming, designed to appeal to partisans and nonpartisans alike. You be the judge if this effort was successful. I've added some hyperlinks of sources I drew upon to write the speech.It’s great to be here with all of you and to have the opportunity to participate in another...
I've been in the throes of finishing a book and other matters so I haven't had a chance to blog much lately. A couple of quick observations on the death of Qaddafi (assuming the reports are confirmed). First, he died with almost all of the country opposed to his rule and celebrating his death. Second, he was killed and his forces were defeated by indigenous forces with the support of NATO. While we have seen a good deal of criticism of NATO, US Libya policy, and of R2P (as a neo-imperialist enterprise) in the past several months, that criticism has tended to dismiss or diminish the fact that...
Qaddafi has lost his contest with Hussein and Bin Laden for hiding the longest from US/Allied/Local searches. Lots of folks will make much of this event, as they should. I have already seen a great tweet/blogpost by Spencer Ackerman predicting everyone's responses.What would my readers predict of me? Woohoo? Well, sure. That NATO made a difference despite being hamstrung by the dynamics of coalitional bargaining within and between countries? Indeed. That much of the effort and all of the sacrifices (except for tax $$) were paid by Libyans? Yes.What does Libya teach us about NATO that...
Political scientists hate, hate, hate faculty meetings. They are yet another drain on the time they need to do their Original Research. Before political scientists assemble for a faculty meeting, they will chit chat with one another about how pointless the agenda is for that day. Surely we could do this all by email, they say to one another. Is it really necessary to come all the way to campus to approve a courtesy appointment for the newest overpaid member of the law school faculty? Yet all political science faculty meetings, even if the only item on the docket is to name the graduate...