by Randy Waterhouse | 13 Jun 2009 |
Given the recently held presidential elections in Iran, and the claims from each candidate that they won the election, I am wondering if it is possible to reliably estimate the amount of voter fraud in favor of one candidate. At the very least, can we reliably estimate the amount of fraud perpetrated by the incumbent, who naturally has the advantage in terms of infrastructure and resources at their disposal? I honestly don't know and have never...
by Dan Nexon | 12 Jun 2009 |
Via sitemeter I recently found my way to IPE at UNC. Which leads me to wonder: I know there's a fairly robust subculture of security blogs--and camps within that subculture, such as COIN and nG Warfare* blog communities--but what about IPE?*With n equaling a value between four and six, inclusive.
by Randy Waterhouse | 12 Jun 2009 |
Tobias Harris over at Observing Japan, weighs in on the discussion regarding Japanese balancing (or lack thereof). Harris' post is an excellent addition to the discussion and includes some excellent points that require me to clarify my original post. And away we go...1) Tobias is correct that given the current and likely current state of the DPRK they are not exactly a Gilpin-esque revisionist power. However, I don't think that a state must...
by Dan Nexon | 11 Jun 2009 |
There's no substantive difference between the attempts by right-wingers to define Nazism as a phenomena of the left and Marxist attempts to define Soviet Socialism as "state capitalism."Anyway, I think the speed with which the right-wing blogsphere has circled the wagons over the shooting at the Holocaust museum speaks for itself. It should be patently obvious that any disagreements your typical conservatives have with someone like Von Brunn...
by Randy Waterhouse | 11 Jun 2009 |
Peter brings up an interesting question and one that we don’t yet have a final answer on: Under what circumstances will states balance against another? If shifts in the balance of power are not enough to provoke balancing, what does? I think the notion that Japan could be provoked into balancing by the DPRK rather than China certainly has merit. A few initial thoughts as to why this may be the case:1) Increased Economic Dependence: China’s...
by Rodger Payne | 11 Jun 2009 |
Remember the controversy in April when someone leaked a report from the Department of Homeland Security warning against the threat of right-wing extremism and domestic terrorism? Fox News, for example, reported that the intelligence document was aimed at Republicans -- and military veterans. Look at the report yourself (using the pdf link above). It warns specifically against "Threats from white supremacist and violent antigovernment groups." A...
by Peter | 10 Jun 2009 |
The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30cFormidable Opponent - Don't Ask, Don't Tellwww.colbertnation.comColbert Report Full EpisodesPolitical HumorStephen Colbert in IraqThis week the Colbert Report is broadcasting from Camp Victory, Iraq as part of a USO tour. Sporting a suit made of cammo, a regulation haircut, and swinging a golf-club Bob Hope style, he has been entertaining the troops, reminding people that there is still a war in...
by Charli Carpenter | 10 Jun 2009 |
Claims of "genocide" abound in policy discourse. So do misunderstandings about the concept. Some recent examples. In the last two years, Russia claimed that Georgia's attack on Tshkinvali was "genocide;" US House of Representatives accused Iran of inciting genocide in response to Ahmadinejad's inflammatory comments about wiping Israel (as it is currently politically constituted) off the map; and Gideon Polya apparently discovered a correlation...
by Peter | 10 Jun 2009 |
I was listening to a CFR podcast of a special conference call on North Korea's nuclear weapons test yesterday during my much longer than usual commute. One key part of the discussion centered around Japan's response to the nuclear test and missile launches. Japan, it seems, is taking steps to improve its military capabilities in response to North Korea's actions. Even the most extreme option--Japan going nuclear--seems to be lurking near the...
by Charli Carpenter | 7 Jun 2009 |
I don't know what you think, but in my mind, outing a psuedononymous blogger because you don't like what he writes about you (or what someone else writes about you that he then agrees with) is pretty disturbing.Ed Whelan of the National Review would argue that "anonymous blogging" (he doesn't seem to grasp the difference between 'anonymous' and 'psuedononymous') is irresponsible because it enables the author to avoid any personal consequences...
by Peter | 7 Jun 2009 |
A deer has been wandering around the neighborhood over the past week, frequently sojourning in my fenced-in back yard. Sometimes the deer has a baby with it. After a while, they will hop the fence into the neighbor's yard. Because its one of those Sundays, a few photos, of a deer in my back yard below the fold.You can see the baby in the 2nd picture.
by Charli Carpenter | 5 Jun 2009 |
Wordle version of President Barack Obama's Cairo speech, June 4, 2009.