by Rodger Payne | 28 Oct 2011 |
Last week, at University of Bristol, I gave a talk called "The Future of World Order" to the student International Affairs Society. It was a speculative lecture, based on my 17 years directing the Grawemeyer Award (for Ideas Improving World Order) more than my scholarship per se. I warned the audience from the start of two personal biases: (1) I am an optimist; and (2) I don't really put much stock in specific predictions. I tried to stick to...
by Charli Carpenter | 28 Oct 2011 |
Found this baby while prepping slides for my "Battlestar Galactica and Civil-Military Relations" panel presentation at ISA-Northeast conference next week. Happy Friday.
by PM | 27 Oct 2011 | Featured
Over on the other side of the methods divide, Andrew Gelman shares a tip: Caffeine, a lightweight and free app for Macs that keeps them awake even when you haven't clicked on them for a while. But let me double down on Gelman with a tip that, if used improperly, could destroy your computer: Insomniax, which doesn't just keep your Mac awake but actually disables its sleep function. In other words, if you have to move from one place to another...
by Rodger Payne | 26 Oct 2011 |
Are student-athletes better prepared to complete a college degree in a reasonable amount of time than the general student body? Given the stereotypes many people share about "jocks," this may seem like a startling question. Yet, the NCAA released evidence this week that claims to demonstrate that student-athletes graduate at a very high rate, often at much higher rates than other students at the same institutions. My local newspaper, the...
by Brian Rathbun | 26 Oct 2011 |
The Canard"All the fake news that's fit to print"--CyberspaceReaders of the popular blog “Duck of Minerva” are expressing a mix of consternation and concern with the disappearance of many of the ducks on the site. Charli Carpenter, Stephanie Carvin and Dan Nexon, normally reliable for a couple of quacks a week on important issues of foreign affairs, have not been heard from in weeks, sometimes months, and those who peruse the site regularly are...
by Vikash Yadav | 25 Oct 2011 | Featured
The US does not negotiate with terrorist groups.*^*This statement does not yet apply to the Haqqani Network in Pakistan; even though its founder and senior leadership have all been individually designated as terrorists. [ Oh, come on Vikash, the US negotiated with "reached out" to that group before Admiral Mullen's testimony to Congress. Until that testimony we had no idea that a group founded and led by people we call terrorists could...
by Josh Busby | 23 Oct 2011 | Featured
On Friday, I gave some remarks in Dallas, Texas to a group of young leaders from different professions as part of the Next Generation Project organized by the Strauss Center for International Security and Law. For this diverse audience, I tested what I described in my last post a "Go Right" messaging strategy on global warming, designed to appeal to partisans and nonpartisans alike. You be the judge if this effort was successful. I've added...
by Jon Western | 20 Oct 2011 |
I've been in the throes of finishing a book and other matters so I haven't had a chance to blog much lately. A couple of quick observations on the death of Qaddafi (assuming the reports are confirmed). First, he died with almost all of the country opposed to his rule and celebrating his death. Second, he was killed and his forces were defeated by indigenous forces with the support of NATO. While we have seen a good deal of criticism of NATO, US...
by Steve Saideman | 20 Oct 2011 |
Qaddafi has lost his contest with Hussein and Bin Laden for hiding the longest from US/Allied/Local searches. Lots of folks will make much of this event, as they should. I have already seen a great tweet/blogpost by Spencer Ackerman predicting everyone's responses.What would my readers predict of me? Woohoo? Well, sure. That NATO made a difference despite being hamstrung by the dynamics of coalitional bargaining within and between...
by Dan Nexon | 19 Oct 2011 | Featured
by Brian Rathbun | 19 Oct 2011 |
Political scientists hate, hate, hate faculty meetings. They are yet another drain on the time they need to do their Original Research. Before political scientists assemble for a faculty meeting, they will chit chat with one another about how pointless the agenda is for that day. Surely we could do this all by email, they say to one another. Is it really necessary to come all the way to campus to approve a courtesy appointment for the newest...
by Vikash Yadav | 17 Oct 2011 | Featured
Photo: Protester at Zucotti Park, 9/28/11; Credit: David Shankbone/Wikimedia CommonsI support the on-going Occupy Wall Street protests. I do not share the common complaint that the protesters need to formulate a clear list of demands - which is itself a rather odd demand to make of what seems to be an anarchist inspired movement. The protesters' lack of an explicit set of demands and coherent arguments when interfacing with corporate media is...