In all the media frenzy over “killer robots,” Terminator imagery comes up a lot. So do references to Battlestar Galactica. So does a specific scene from Robocop, soon to be remade to resonate with public fears of domestic drones. These iconic narratives invoke a recurrent theme in American science fiction about lethal robot malfunctions or uprisings against their human creators. So prevalent is this theme in anti-killer-robot media coverage...
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Does a Global Climate Agreement Require National Action?
At least since the Copenhagen summit of 2009, global climate negotiations have stalled. Both academic researchers and policy analysts have recently emphasized the need to develop innovative strategies to break the negotiation gridlock. One such argument is that if major emitters show 'leadership' by adopting ambitious national policies, they can build trust and move the negotiations forward. This argument was recently made in a joint report...
What Helps End Minority Discrimination? Recent Cool Research
Yesterday, four Neo-Nazis were finally sentenced for their roles in a series of brutal killings of Roma families in Hungary in 2008 and 2009. Although the convictions have been applauded as a human rights victory, advocates are still demanding that Hungary steps up to the plate and protects the rights of Roma, a historically at-risk minority. The killings were not isolated events against Roma in Hungary; other discriminatory actions have been...
Tiwesdæg: the Left-hand of Linkage
Tuesday on Lake Champlain In comments, Assaf Moghadam notes that his Studies in Conflict and Terrorism critique of Bob Pape's work is free to download (PDF). In light of the 5 August 40-year anniversary of the LTBT, the National Security Archive notes its 2003 collection, "The Making of the Limited Test Ban Treaty, 1958-1963." Erin Jenne compares and contrasts ethnic politics in Macedonia and Kosovo. Tom Murphy notes the prevalence of...
My Enduring Rivalry Endures: What is a Credible Signal Anyhow?
Previously, on Rathbun’s Enduring Rivalry: Brian is locked in an enduring rivalry with this neighbors in which he does not really understand why they are mad at him and why they won’t take yes for an answer, which makes him really, really mad and inclined to do anything possible to drive them crazy and make them look stupid. As it always does, this takes the form of ridiculing their behavior through the construction of yard tableaus that mock...
What Caused the Iraq War? Debs and Monteiro reply to Lake (Part III)
The effects of U.S. power preponderance, combined with 9/11, increased the likelihood of a preventive war against Iraq.
Walter Russell Mead Defends, Badly, the NSF cuts to Political Science
I’ve defended Mead before on this site. I think he is a bright conservative who stands out in a sea of Fox News ideological bleh, like NewsMax or Drudge. He has a far better sense of the importance of religion in many people’s lives than academics do, and he has a good feel for western classical history that adds historical depth to a lot of his blogging. I read him regularly, where I stumbled on this defense of the coming NSF cuts in political...
Pragmatism and Game Theory, Part 1
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Eric Grynaviski, who is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University. The recurring debate on this blog has centered on some of the bigger themes about the relationship between rational choice theory and game theory. I argued in an earlier post that when one focuses in on the specific logic of rational choice theory and/or game theory, getting away from its abstract...
Monday Morning Linkage
Good morning... Aileen Blanley writes about Nisha Pahuja's attempt to film a camp run by Durga Vahini, the women's wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). Through physical combat training and lectures, the group aims to transform girls in to "tigers." The camp girls tigers sing: "Ask for milk, we’ll give you kheer, ask for Kashmir, we’ll slit your throats." Blanley argues that Pahuja's film "... succeeds in showing the camp’s ironic...
Ultimate APSA 2013
APSA-goers: the ultimate frisbee game will be Saturday, August 31st, at 10am at 11th and Michigan (this is an update). I don't know exactly on what softball field we will set up--depends on what else is going on that morning, but we should be able to find some space. Email me at steve_saideman@carleton.ca for details on that day or just look for the shaggy, slower ultimate game (if there are any others out there at the same time). No cleats,...
Syria: Intervening Not Now But Later
A full-scale US military intervention in Syria is off the table, as is a no-fly zone. The US decision to provide arms to Syrian opposition forces is nonetheless intended to shift the military initiative away from Assad regime. But the opposition is splintered, which has allowed the Hezbollah-backed government forces to level the playing field. Although the outcome remains unclear, it may be time for Western governments to begin serious planning...
Friday Nerd Blogging: The Chosen One
If there is one bit of recent pop culture that will have enduring value as a common reference in the classroom, it is almost certainly Harry Potter.* Since his fictional 33rd birthday was this week, here's this week's FNB: * Not to mention that our Father Duck co-edited a volume on HP and IR.