I should've written this before Peter introduced himself.I want to welcome the Duck of Minerva's newest member, Dr. Peter Howard. You can read his introductory post below. Peter is the first of what may prove to be a longer list of additions to the collective. Be sure to give him a warm welcome.

The 17 men were mainly of South Asian descent and most were in their teens or early 20's. One of the men was 30 years old and the oldest was 43 years old, police officials said. None of them had any known affiliation with Al Qaeda."They represent the broad strata of our society," Mr. McDonell said. "Some are students, some are employed, some are unemployed.Thus the New York Times story on the Canadian arrests of suspected terrorists reminds us of something that should have been obvious after the July 2005 London bombings. Democracy is not a panacea for terrorism.Consider just some of the...

A box of copies of Harry Potter and International Relations just arrived at my house. According to the people the publisher asked to endorse the book, it's a good read:"A landmark in muggle studies."—The Daily Prophet"Nexon and Neumann explore an underdeveloped area of Harry Potter scholarship in a collection of essays covering a wide range of political and cultural topics. In a post-9/11world, international relations is a critical area of inquiry. Their book is a valuable contribution to the growing body of scholarly attention to the boy wizard and the magician who created him."—Lana...

Victor Davis Hanson is the gift that keeps on giving. He articulates a certain strain of neoconservativism so badly as to bring discredit upon many of his more eloquent fellow travelers.Here's one of his recent essays (via American Future). I've edited it just a bit to see if I could generate an equally poor, but diametrically opposed, argumentEurope's America's Good Intentions Have Gone SourBy V. D. HansonROME New York - The European American countryside is as beautiful as ever. Hotels in the cities are as packed as they are high-priced. Tourists fill Rome New York City. The same bustle is...

From a letter published in the Columbus Dispatch:"Marathon to uproot more trees" was a fantastic report, complete with pictures and the location of the Marathon oil pipeline.I am sure the terrorists were thrilled to see this report with the pictures – especially the sign, "Warning petroleum pipeline" – and the location of the pipeline.The media do a beautiful job of telling terrorists all about America's weaknesses. I am sure the terrorists have so much information from the media on points to strike the United States that they have a hard time deciding which location to strike first.The...

I'll be guest posting at Lawyers, Guns and Money for a bit. I'll be cross-posting at least some of my writings here at the Duck.

Jesus' General has the goods on Georgetown's latest hire.The Washington Post explains what this is all about:Douglas J. Feith, the former Pentagon policy chief who was an architect of the Bush administration's anti-terrorism policies, is joining the faculty of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.In an announcement yesterday, the university said Feith will teach a course on the administration's anti-terrorism strategy and also will conduct seminars as a visiting professor and distinguished practitioner in national security policy. He will start this fall."I think it'll be...

I'm not sure if my colleagues here at the Duck teach critical theory in their IR theory courses. I do, at least in my master's class.My classes ended last month, but I have a homework assignment just begging for a student population. Write an "immanent critique" of the following passage from President George W. Bush. Monday May 22, this question for President Bush came from a member of the audience at the Arie Crown Theater at Lakeside Center -- McCormick Place, Chicago:Speaking of oil-producing countries that are not friendly to the United States right now, I'm very concerned about what's...