A few preliminary thoughts on Rodger's discussion of the "communicative turn" in international-relations theory.The "communicative" and "linguistic" turns both occupy a great deal of attention in contemporary constructivist scholarship. One question that immediately arises is whether these are different words for the same underlying sets of arguments. The answer? It depends.Advocates of the communicative turn share a belief that "words matter" in international politics: that "rhetoric, argument, and debate" profoundly shape international-political processes. Proponents of the linguistic turn...

At least that's my impression - and that of others as well - of some recent attempts to prove that the Bush administration was right about the relationship between Hussein and al Qaeda.I'm impressed, as always, by Dan Darling's skill at connecting dots... but less so by his implication that the alleged relationships are transitive.Filed as: terrorism and terrorist networks

"Marginalia and Other Crimes": a Cambridge University Library exhibit on the many, many - and rather varied - sins inflicted by their patrons against posterity. Hat tip: Jasper Milvain (writing in a Crooked Timber comment thread on the dangers of using post-it notes on library books).

You know you're in a "special relationship" when your partner feels free to offer frank criticism.As reported in today's Washington Post, the Bush administration has now found that out: A senior British officer has written a scathing critique of the U.S. Army and its performance in Iraq, accusing it of cultural ignorance, moralistic self-righteousness, unproductive micromanagement and unwarranted optimism there.British Brigadier Nigel Aylwin-Foster, former deputy commander of a program to train the Iraqi military, has penned a "candid" critique in the U.S. Army publication, Military Review...

The new academic year is underway and it is time to start thinking more seriously about a paper I've promised for the International Studies Association annual meeting in San Diego in March. Warning: that is a large pdf.I'm returning to a topic I explored a few years ago -- the role of "framing" in global debates about norms, policies and ideas. The panel proposal had to be in by June 1, so my paper was partly motivated by something I blogged about in late May: the ongoing framing contest about the militarization of space. Some people in the Pentagon are promoting new technologies, such as...

Because I remain outraged, and because many of my smarter conservative blogfriends don't see the problem yet.1. The leftcoaster has a FAQ, of sorts, on Republican talking points concerning Bush's FISA violations (va LGM).2. Glenn Greenwald's posts on FISA remain some of the clearest on the subject. In a recent entry, he eviscerates some of the key claims made by Bush administration defenders, the attacks against the New York Times, and other unpersuasive talking points. Ted Barlow explains why the Plame and NSA leaks aren't really comparable.3. Many people praise Jonathan Rauch's "Bush's...

Bear with me. The sociogenesis of this post takes some strange twists.Scott Lemieux (of LGM fame) regularly points his readers to the latest idiocies of "political" film reviews. Today I followed his link-chain to alicublog's discussion of the par-for-the-course Mallard Fillmore "humor" about Brokeback Mountain (good film? bad film? you tell me; we have a toddler and a single income. I'm not even sure I remember what the inside of a movie theater looks like). From there, I got diverted to Altmouse's satirical post on wingnut film reviews.The post itself was, in my view, sub-par for Altmouse,...

While there is a great deal I would like to post about right now I am constrained by a paper deadline that is fast approaching (forget for the moment that it might be the worst paper I have written in years). So, until my plate is clear (approx. next Tuesday) I simply want to point out some developing stories to watch. Once the dust settles I will have lots to say about these stories. So for now....Sharon Undergoes Emergency SurgeryThe Israeli leader who recently forged a centrist party, one thought best positioned to deliver a further Israeli withdrawl and see the creation of a Palestinian...