by Charli Carpenter | 15 Jan 2010 |
First, as posted at LGM, I predict this book is going to sell a whole lot of copies this year. Unlike many ongoing crises that suffer from lack of aid money, in Haiti the relief lag we are seeing is due not to compassion fatigue (text message donations surpassed $10 mil today, equal to the amount pledged by Brazil or Switzerland) but rather to sheer logistical strain caused by poorly built or now-destroyed infrastructure. (You simply can't...
by Rodger Payne | 14 Jan 2010 |
If you are trying to follow the news about Haiti, I recommend reading Mark Leon Goldberg's UN Dispatch. If you are looking to donate to the relief effort, then check out The Daily Beast's rundown of NGOs operating effectively in Haiti. Goldberg and I agree that Reverend Pat Robertson is a fool. Media Matters transcribed his January 13 comments about the Haitian tragedy:PAT ROBERTSON: And, you know, Kristi, something happened a long time ago in...
by Charli Carpenter | 14 Jan 2010 |
Beginning tomorrow, I'll be kicking off a blogging stint over at Lawyers, Guns and Money, where I'll post material regularly on foreign policy, pop culture and human security. My IR theory-related posts will remain exclusively at the Duck.UPDATE: OK, LFC might be onto something. From an LGM commenter:"human security?" from aliens? from TSA? ?? from politicians promising hope & change but delivering bags o'crap?Hmm, this should be fun.
by Charli Carpenter | 13 Jan 2010 |
It's not that earth-shattering - people have been saying this for years - but I haven't seen it put this well, for mass consumption, in a long time. Phil Bobbitt writing in Newsweek:It is often asked, "How can we win a war against terror? Who would surrender? How can we make war against an emotion (terror) or a guerrilla technique (terrorism), neither of which are enemy states?" These questions assume that victory in war is simply a matter of...
by Charli Carpenter | 13 Jan 2010 |
Bill McKibben has a long interview on the public radio show Speaking of Faith, which you can listen to here. An insightful quote from the transcript: The negotiation that's underway, we think is between China and the U.S. and the EU. It's really not; the real negotiation underway is between human beings on the one hand and physics and chemistry on the other. We're going to have no choice but to adapt, whether it's gracefully or in violent and...
by Charli Carpenter | 12 Jan 2010 |
I am so prepped already for social constructivism day in my World Politics 121 class. Check out Zuckerberg's answer to the second question (about 3:00). Zuckerberg claims that the new changes to FB privacy settings - which make it impossible to protect your photos and extremely difficult to prevent "everyone" from knowing your current affiliations and other information previously shared only with those you choose - are simply FB's efforts to...
by Jon Western | 12 Jan 2010 |
My friend, Stacey Philbrick Yadav, has just posted an interesting take on American policy in Yemen at Foreign Policy. She writes: I've been traveling regularly to Yemen since 2004, conducting research on the relationship between Islamists and leftists in Yemen's opposition parties. Throughout this time, I have maintained correspondence with Yemeni journalists and political activists from a wide range of ideological positions. They are united in...
by Rodger Payne | 11 Jan 2010 |
Haaretz.com is reporting that Iran is suspending its uranium enrichment program for two months. This news arrives amidst a flurry of other related reports about Iran and its nuclear program.Many political pundits have been blasting the Obama administration for its "total dud" diplomatic efforts towards Iran, noting that the U.S. deadline for Iran to make a deal about uranium enrichment elapsed in December. During the 2008 campaign,...
by Jon Western | 11 Jan 2010 |
Last week appeared to be Development Week at Foggy Bottom. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave her long-promised "Development" speech. The next day, Dr. Rajiv Shah was sworn in as the new administrator for USAID. In his speech, he identified four key priorities for his tenure: 1. To improve lives and fight poverty,2. To expand human rights and economic opportunities,3. To build democratic institutions and improve governance 4. To advance...
by Rodger Payne | 10 Jan 2010 |
According to the Department of Defense, many of the captives released from the U.S. prison on Guantánamo Bay "return" to extremist activity -- and the rate is increasing. This is from the LA Times story of January 7: A new report estimates that one-fifth of the detainees who have been released from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have resumed extremist activity, a Defense Department official said Wednesday, a figure that...
by Charli Carpenter | 9 Jan 2010 |
Paul Campos of Lawyers, Guns and Money has an op-ed in the Washington Post Wall Street Journal that everyone should read on how the US government, media and citizenry can stop handing political victories to even the most incompetent of transnational criminals by over-reacting to the supposed "threat" posed by global "terrorism." I like it so much I've reprinted large amounts below:I'm not much of a basketball player. Middle-age, with a shaky...
by Charli Carpenter | 8 Jan 2010 |
It's always great to see fellow political scientists on late-night talk shows. Last night it was James Fowler of UC San Diego. This is the guy I blogged about last year when he published an article in a leading political science journal on whether the Colbert Bump was actual or real. (His conclusion: the alleged bump is "more truthy than truth.")But Fowler's main research agenda is social networks. In his interview last night, he discusses the...