by PM | 27 Oct 2012 | Featured
I'm pretty sure I'm the only Duck to (a) have lived at a state fair, (b) know the 4-H pledge by heart, and (c) have been quoted by the Watertown, S.D., newspaper on ... well, on any subject, actually. And although I had the misfortune to be born in Washington, D.C., I quickly decamped for America's Heartland, where I learned Real American Values, which include RC Cola, moon pies, and a fondness for country music not sung by the Dixie Chicks....
by Robert Kelly | 27 Oct 2012 | Featured
Did anyone else find the third presidential debate just appallingly narcissistic and self-congratulatory? Good lord. Good thing America is around to show you bubble-headed foreigners the way to freedom. I could run through all the offensive, ‘America-is-tasked-with-upholding-the-mantle-of-liberty’ patronizing condescension, but why bother? (Nexon does a nice job here.) I told my students to watch it, and in retrospect, maybe I shouldn’t have....
by Dan Nexon | 27 Oct 2012 | Featured
I refuse, on principle, to post "Rock you like a Hurricane" or some such. So instead, here's Japandroids, "The House that Heaven Built." This is the kludge, folks.
by Dan Nexon | 27 Oct 2012 | Featured
The ISA-NE leadership is monitoring the weather situation. We hope that everything is cleared out in time for the conference. We will keep you all posted as to developments. That's all, folks.
by Dan Nexon | 27 Oct 2012 | Featured
Nothing much today. Too busy preparing for Frankenstorm. There's no better illustration of what's broken about "horse race" campaign coverage than the proliferation of analysis about how it might impact the Presidential race. First-world problem of the day: getting ready for the storm entails a bit of a rush, as we're in the middle of an addition. The crew is scrambling to get the last of the roofing on. The yard is a disaster waiting for high...
by Dan Nexon | 26 Oct 2012 | Featured
Rob Farley reminds us that not every dictator is the fault of US foreign policy. Brad Delong says 'less anniversary attention for the Cuban Missile Crisis, more for Stalingrad.' Dan Murphy writes the (so far) definitive piece on the US politics of the Benghazi attack. Meanwhile, Leon Panetta explains the US military reaction to the attack. Richard Weitz looks at whether Romney or Obama would be better for Asia. At the National Interest,...
by Charli Carpenter | 26 Oct 2012 | Featured
via Richard Moyes of Article36.org: "We are calling on all autonomous robots to establish a new subroutine that would prohibit the sustenance and accommodation of killer humans", said campaign spokes-robot C3 PO. "These biological entities lack the necessary behavioural and social constraints. They are actively destroying the environment and they have armed themselves with nuclear weapons capable of catastrophic consequences for the only known...
by Dan Nexon | 25 Oct 2012 | Featured
Michael Krepon argues that Asian nuclear competition takes place under different rules than did the US-Soviet rivalry. The security situation in Darfour is "deteriorating" according to a UN official. Aimée Fox-Godden on "organizational forgetfulness" in the WW1-era British military. The National Security Archive is in the process of releasing critical documents pertaining to the Cuban Missile Crisis. On Saturday, 27 October, they are holding an...
by Amanda Murdie | 25 Oct 2012 | Featured
In an effort to add to the discussion on the “living academic,” let me give hat-tip to an often hidden part of the profession: rejection. I’ve had a little over a dozen things accepted so far as an assistant professor. I prominently display these successes on my CV. Hidden way in some dark place in my mind, however, is the fact that I’ve also had about 20 journal rejections – and counting. I really wish, as a profession, we instructed newbie...
by Dan Nexon | 24 Oct 2012 | Featured
Most of you have probably seen this, but why not? It is that kind of day. That's all, folks.
by Dan Nexon | 24 Oct 2012 | Featured
Richard Weitz notes an intensification of PRC anti-missile defense rhetoric. He points to the implications of robust BMD for China's minimal deterrence approach and for US-led containment. David Axe reports that John Lehman has a financial stake in a larger navy. Bill French deflates the Romney campaign's claims of "American Weakness." Over at Political Violence @ a Glance, Lionel Beehner analyzes the relationship between climate and conflict....
by Dan Nexon | 23 Oct 2012 | Featured
The final 2012 Presidential debate was a decisive "victory" for President Obama on both style and substance. Romney's tack to the center left him with no other arguments than to invoke the resolve fairy and to call for a large increase in defense spending. The dominant narrative among the pundit class seems to be that Obama won and that Romney did well enough for the debate not to matter. I've decided against making judgments about the...