by Dan Nexon | 8 Aug 2008 |
As I noted below, the situation is developing fast.[UPDATE: Bloomberg reports:Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said ``war has started'' over the breakaway region of South Ossetia as Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili accused its neighbor of a ``well-planned invasion.''Saakashvili said in a Bloomberg Television interview that his nation of 4.6 million people is ``fighting to secure its borders'' amid a ``full-blown military aggression''...
by Dan Nexon | 8 Aug 2008 |
Over a year ago MG wrote: "if you want to put money on a hot war somewhere in the near-abroad, I'd advise you to give considerably more attention to relations between Russia and Georgia."After the Georgian attack on South Ossetia, Georgia and Russia are at, or already over, the precipice.Anne Barnard and Andrew Kramer of The New York Times: Russia sent troops rolling into South Ossetia on Friday, after Georgian troops attacked the capital of...
by Charli Carpenter | 7 Aug 2008 |
by Rodger Payne | 7 Aug 2008 |
Do you have secret longings for the cold war? Vladimir Putin apparently does. Here's the AP lede from 2 days ago: Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is calling for Russia to regain its influential position in former Cold War ally Cuba, Russian news reports said Monday.The statement comes amid persistent speculation about whether Russia is seeking a military presence in a country just 90 miles (150 kilometers) from the United States in response to...
by Peter | 6 Aug 2008 |
Nothing quite says Hegemon In Decline like: "LeBron would consider European offers."
by Charli Carpenter | 6 Aug 2008 |
If you've not done so, open up your Political Science & Politics and read James Fowler's article "The Colbert Bump in Campaign Donations: More Truthful than Truthy." In this brilliant piece, Fowler empirically tests whether support exists for Stephen Colbert's claim that Congresspersons who appear on his late-night comedy show receive a "bump" in their approval ratings.Now I need to go back through my video archive to make sure I'm correct in...
by Dan Nexon | 5 Aug 2008 |
Wander around the political blogsphere and chances are, at any given moment, you'll find partisans of all stripes bravely stripping away the deceit of their rivals. Indeed, despite the best efforts of the "MSM" to mislead us all, the bloggers will uncover the facts. In 2004 they poured over maps of the Mekong Delta to prove Kerry's falsehoods. They blustered about partisan weighting to prove that Bush was really behind in the polls. They...
by Dan Nexon | 5 Aug 2008 |
What should we consider the limits of responsible campaigning? Like many people, my ideal campaign would focus on policy issues rather than attacks on character. A President's character matters, of course, and I see no ethical reason why attacks on character should be "out of bounds" in a Presidential campaign (but the qualities that make someone a good leader of the Executive Branch are, I would argue, quite different than those the electorate...
by Dan Nexon | 4 Aug 2008 |
Because I shouldn't assume that all of our readers also read The Monkey Cage, I note the debate between, on the one hand, Raymond "Bud" Duvall and Alex Wendt, and, on the other hand, Henry Farrell, about Bud and Alex's Political Theory article, "Sovereignty and the UFO." Round I: Henry engages (with special guest appearance from PTJ).Round Ia: Henry taunts?Round II: Bud and Alex respond.That's all, for now.
by Dan Nexon | 3 Aug 2008 |
Rasmussen:Sixty-nine percent (69%) of voters have seen or heard news coverage of McCain’s ad including Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Just 22% believe the ad was racist. But, most say Obama’s comment about not looking like other Presidents on the dollar bill was racist.If I understand this correctly--and Rasmussen does not produce numbers, nor the wording of the question, for the second finding--then a majority of the American public is right...
by Charli Carpenter | 3 Aug 2008 |
I wonder what readers of the Duck (and my co-bloggers) think about the DoD's "Minerva" social science initiative. Short story is, the Pentagon plans to fund $8 million worth of social science research through the National Science Foundation this year. The NSF program solicitation is to be found here.Today, the Washington Post reported that one "Network of Concerned Anthropologists" has expressed concern with the initiative: "The Pentagon's...
by Peter | 1 Aug 2008 |
What is the "central front" in the war on terrorism?According to Obama, its Afghanistan. According to McCain, its Iraq. Bush--still president--has long asserted that its Iraq.A pair of articles in the NYT yesterday and today suggest otherwise--Pakistan should perhaps be at the center of the discussion.While Obama may in fact be closer to the mark with is focus on Afghanistan, the source of NATO's troubles in Afghanistan seems to be emerging...