Per Dan's post below, I don't understand why Russia is our number-one enemy, either today or ten years from now. Neither, it seems, do Americans, who have only noticed Russia's phantom menace at one period in the past several years--immediately after the invasion of...
You may have heard that Romney referred to Russia as America's "number-one geopolitical foe" and plans to double down on this rhetoric during his big speech in Poland.The speech on the "values of...
I am happy to guest post my friend Dave Kang of the University of Southern California. I think Dave’s work on east Asia and IR theory is excellent; I would start with this or this if you’re...
Russia seeks to revive its power-projection capabilities by establishing overseas naval facilities. Elisabeth Bumiller of the New York Times describes the experience of being a drone...
2012 interview with Phil Arena.
The battle for Aleppo continues. Barbara Walter doesn't think much of Syria's "chemical weapons bluff."David Axe explains how German Typhoons took on US F-22s.BJ Keefe calls attention to an hour-long talk by Richard Rhodes, nuclear-weapons historian extraordinaire. Patrick Nielsen Hayden calls this piece on Machiavelli and Florence "one of the best pieces of historical writing I have read on a blog." It is awfully good, but there's something inherently wrong with mentioning The Prince without any acknowledgment of the existence of The Discourses. As, um, we do in virtually every "Intro to...
The battle for Aleppo continues. Al Jazeera interviews captive members of the Syrian secret police. Pankaj Mishra argues that the anglophone powers need to shake off their obsession with "neo-imperialist dogma," as Asia is having none of it (via). Richard Muller describes his abandonment of climate-change skepticism in a New York Times op-ed (via). Harvey Sapolsky reviews a new collection of essays on military innovation. Sarah Kehndzior helps readers understand the violence in Tajikstan. Registan is always a useful resource for this kind of thing.Part of IV of Abahaci's series on the...
Syrian forces are massing in preparation for possible ground assault in Aleppo. Goldberg at the UN Dispatch argues that "'Aleppo' may soon become shorthand for mass atrocity in the 21st century'"Philip Coyle at the National Interest provides evidence that US missile defense systems don't actually work. The attitude in the Pentagon is precisely the opposite. Jennifer Earl on how technological change facilitates not just political repression by states, but by private actors as well. If I were less pressed for time, I'd probably note that this sort of thing has broad implications for naïve...
Holy meme splicing!
Have you wasted any time viewing Bear cam? This Wired story explains:Media company Explore has teamed up with Alaska's Katmai National Park to install webcams that will deliver live video feeds of brown bears catching salmon in a popular feeding ground.Each year, around a hundred bears travel to a stretch of Brooks River to fill their bellies with salmon. Now anyone with an internet connection can witness this gathering thanks to four high-definition cameras that have been set up in this remote part of Alaska. One camera is positioned at Brook Falls, where the larger male bears fight it out...
The fighting in Khorog is very serious. As Eurasianet notes, "The fighting in Gorno-Badakhshan province (GBAO) is being described as the worst in Tajikistan since the 1990s civil war and raises concerns of a protracted new conflict." The government has cut off communications into the region. The Wall Street Journal has an overview. Suzanne Levi-Sanchez reproduces a letter from a close friend of hers in Khorog. Reuters reports on the "Secret Turkish Nerve Center" coordinating aid from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, to the Syrian rebels.Mark Hibbs on the "Taiwan and the [US bilateral nuclear...