by Dan Nexon | 24 Nov 2011 |
Do academics use Linkedin for anything? I inquire because a small, but not insignificant, number of people ask to join my network. Their requests accumulate. The auto-generated reminders become annoying. I log into the site and expand my professional ties. The process begins anew. No other circumstances compel me to visit Linkedin. I suppose I could cancel my membership, but that seems like too much effort. Am I missing something?
by Jon Western | 23 Nov 2011 |
Erik Voeten is spot on with his post at The Monkey Cage today on the flaws in the current recommendation letter system: There may be all kinds of things wrong with law schools but they sure have figured out how to run an applications process. You submit one letter for a student, answer a few questions about how to rank the student compared to others, and that’s it!By contrast, each policy school and PhD program has its own application process....
by Josh Busby | 22 Nov 2011 |
I'm just back from the Halifax International Security Forum where I had the good fortune to meet fellow Duck blogger Jon Western. The Atlantic's Steve Clemons described the gathering as Davos for the security set, which certainly is a nice ego-boost, whether or not it's true. The forum is in its third year and is backed by the Canadian government among other sponsors. The forum of 200 plus draws mightily on traditional transatlantic security...
by Vikash Yadav | 20 Nov 2011 | Featured
I remember once when I was exploring the Indian hill station of Shillong in Meghalaya, I read a random factoid in a guide book which said the town was geographically closer to Hanoi than Delhi. It was not actually very difficult to believe that in the remote states of Northeast India, the gravitational pull begins to shift towards Southeast Asia. I also knew that India's Nicobar Islands were less than 100 miles from the coast of Indonesia....
by Dan Nexon | 19 Nov 2011 |
Why would anyone even suggest such a thing?THE [Irish] GOVERNMENT has complained to the European Commission over the release in Germany of a document disclosing confidential details about new taxes to be introduced in Ireland over the next two years. In a deeply embarrassing development the document – identifying austerity measures of €3.8 billion in next month’s budget and €3.5 billion in budget 2013 – was made public after being shown to the...
by Dan Nexon | 18 Nov 2011 | Featured
Theory Talks interviewed PTJ. Go check out the results. A sample: I don’t have some kind of extraordinary experience fueling my interest… It’s an old insight about how the United States, if you’re a citizen of the US, you can kind of ignore the rest of the world—it’s the privilege of empire or hegemony. So international relations never really had a direct impact on me growing up; the rest of the world was simply out there some place, or it was...
by Vikash Yadav | 17 Nov 2011 | Featured
President Hamid Karzai has called another jirga (assembly) to attempt to gain support for the creation of a long-term defensive pact with the United States. The traditional Loya Jirga is a mechanism for legitimizing the creation of a new dynasty or constitutional order in Afghanistan, but it is not supposed to be used in place of the parliament that was created with the new constitution nearly a decade ago. Most scholars would agree that the...
by Josh Busby | 16 Nov 2011 |
Occupy AustinSource: Austin American StatesmanWith New York City police and cities around the country cracking down on Occupy Wall Street encampments, it seems like the nascent movement might dissipate even before winter sets in. While a full assessment is obviously premature, it is fair to ask whether or not OWS possesses characteristics that have made past movements successful. At this point, will OWS' legacy be more significant than getting...
by Jon Western | 15 Nov 2011 |
There are many reasons why I hate the length of American presidential campaigns -- not the least of which is the banality of most political journalism -- and quite frankly I haven't been paying much attention to any of the current campaigns. But these two clips below do suggest that long campaigns -- and the thousand or so debates -- may produce some benefit. With each passing day Cain, Perry, and Bachmann reveal more of their amateurishness...
by Brian Rathbun | 14 Nov 2011 |
When I'm not funny, I blog angry. And this will be two this week. Can I ask -- why is that disgraced leaders always leave office smiling to the crowd and waving? I find this more infuriating then the events precipitating the departure because it betrays a lack of shame and humility. Yes, I like to diddle just recently pubescent girls, but you aren't made at me, right?I thought the new PR book on this was too look contrite, put your head down...
by Kate Weaver | 13 Nov 2011 | Featured
David Bosco has a terrific post (and a promised series) on "Can Conservatives Learn to Love Multilateral Organizations?" (Short answer: no, especially not in an election year). It is a timely entry after the recent Republican debates on US foreign policy, during which the candidates did their very best to beat each other at the age-old game of beating up the principle of multilateralism. Much to my horror (but not surprise), Texas Governor Rick...
by Charli Carpenter | 11 Nov 2011 | Featured
With approximately 1000 World War II veterans dying every day, and the absolute numbers from more recent wars increasing steadily, it's important to give some thought to what we offer those who have served or are serving... and to what they offer us. On the first score, a new report from Rand represents an example: this is a new effort to account for programs to treat traumatic brain injury due to armed service. (The report finds such programs...