by Dan Nexon | 6 Feb 2009 |
We're now only the THIRD most unpopular great power! We beat Russia and China!!!!Now that I'm done quaffing celebratory beer and eating nachos, I should quote the article:"Our poll results suggest that China has much to learn about winning hearts and minds in the world," said GlobeScan chairman Doug Miller."It seems that a successful Olympic Games has not been enough to offset other concerns that people have," he added, referring to the summer...
by Charli Carpenter | 5 Feb 2009 |
Finally, a resolution to the four-month-old stand-off with the hijackers of the Faina off the coast of Somalia. NY Times reported today that the pirate crew will disembark from the Faina after some sum of money, paid by the ship owners, was air-dropped onboard: "According to one of the pirates, the owners of the ship had paid the ransom; the pirates had counted the money; and now they were just waiting for nightfall to slip away from the...
by Dan Nexon | 4 Feb 2009 |
It remains unclear whether the Kyrgyz government really wants the US out of Manas or whether it wants to extract higher rents. Rob Farley comments that the "United States has been paying considerable rent to use the airbase in question."Yes and no. It can be too easy to focus merely on the size of sidepayments. In fact, that might be part of the problem.Remember that the US doesn't officially pay rent for basing and access agreements. It just...
by Dan Nexon | 3 Feb 2009 |
Well, "hot" isn't quite the right word. But I just got word that you can pre-order a copy of The Struggle for Power in Early Modern Europe: Religious Conflict, Dynastic Empires, and International Change (Princeton University Press Description) for 34% off the cover price at Amazon.uk. Someone must have taken a look at the book and realized what a dog they had on their hands.PS: Yes, the title on the cover mock up is wrong.
by Dan Nexon | 3 Feb 2009 |
Breaking reports, if true, vindicate a manuscript Alex Cooley and I wrote last year.* Whatever pleasure I get from saying "I told you so," however, is outweighed by my concern about the complications to US operations posed by the potential loss of Manas.The AP:MOSCOW – News agencies are quoting Kyrgyzstan's president as saying that his country is ending U.S. use of a key airbase that supports military operations in Afghanistan.A decision to end...
by Peter | 1 Feb 2009 |
Football and War have long been metaphors for each other, with players famously (and infamously in some cases) referring to themselves as "warriors" who will "do battle" on the gridiron led by "field generals" at quarterbacks, throwing "long bombs" to score, and Generals "calling an audible" to launch a "blitz" or a "hail-marry pass." Indeed, those seeking to inject greater tolerance into American culture have long counseled that we do away...
by Dan Nexon | 1 Feb 2009 |
The BBC:Thousands of people have held rallies across Russia protesting against what they describe as the government's mismanagement of the economy.The biggest demonstration took place in the eastern city of Vladivostok, where protesters demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.In the capital Moscow, police arrested a number of people at an unauthorised gathering by a radical party.Meanwhile, government supporters also held...
by Dan Nexon | 31 Jan 2009 |
If recent posts are any indication, Laura Rozen has finally stopped referring to virtually every rumored or confirmed Obama foreign-policy appointee as a "hand," as in "a a think tank hand" and "Clinton-era NSC Africa hand"and "former CIA Latin America analyst and NSC hand" and "top foreign-policy hands" and "several Washington South Asia hands" and "veteran negotiator of the Dayton accords and sharp-elbowed foreign policy hand" and "a long...
by Dan Nexon | 28 Jan 2009 |
As the person who sent the link to me said, "this is [just] really cool." Nuclear archaeology has solved the mystery of a jug of plutonium that was found sealed inside a safe dug up as workers cleaned up an early Hanford burial ground.Science showed the plutonium was historic: Researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland traced its origins to the first batch of weapons-grade materials ever...
by Peter | 28 Jan 2009 |
Almost live Panel Blogging: I’m sitting (or at least was, when I started this post) in a rather interesting panel that’s running at AU right now: The Obama Administration and the Palestinian / Israeli Conflict. It’s a pretty intense, thoughtful, and insightful discussion, featuring Aaron Miller, Yoram Peri, Amjad Atallah, and moderated by our own Boaz Atzili. On the schedule but not able to make it today was Joshua Muravchick.Aaron Miller has...
by Dan Nexon | 28 Jan 2009 |
I've been inspired by Vladmir's comment on the launch of The Progressive Realist, and thus present the public beta of an aid for all those pundits and policymakers in need:(Click on the image to enlarge)Am I missing anything? Comments and suggestions welcome.
by Dan Nexon | 27 Jan 2009 |
Today is the official launch of the Progressive Realist blog, which, among other things, aggregates excellent posts from a blog network that includes this very website. Despite the obvious bad judgment that shows, you should mosey on over.