by Patrick Thaddeus Jackson | 25 Dec 2007 |
Ever since the invention of the InterNet, not a December goes by without some version of this making the rounds of listservs and e-mail chains and the like. I must have received it a dozen times from various sources. It's cute and funny and all, but I must say that I've never been entirely happy with its conclusions. So in the spirit of the season, I present the first known social constructionist investigation in the the existence of Santa...
by Peter | 22 Dec 2007 |
In the post- 9-11, post Iraq world of Intelligence and policy, the great hue and cry has been that the US needs better Human Intelligence. To that end, the Intelligence Reform act created the National Clandestine Service out of the CIA's old Directorate of Operations, in an attempt to beef up our human intelligence capability.Joseph Weisberg, writing in the Washington Post, raises an interesting and provocative argument:Although we dedicate...
by Dan Nexon | 20 Dec 2007 |
Yes, you read the title correctly. I don't think the United States should withdraw from Iraq. My disagreement with the views of some of my fellow bloggers, most of "my blog friends," and every candidate with a shot at getting my vote in the 2008 elections, stems from a number of ethical and realpolitik considerations.I feel strongly that the United States has an ethical obligation to repair Iraq--or at least to continue to try. I agree, in...
by Charli Carpenter | 20 Dec 2007 |
Foreign Policy has released its annual “Top Ten Stories You Missed in 2007.” Among the contenders: 1. The Cyberwars Have Begun. However, see Miriam Dunn Cavelty’s article “Cyberterrorism: Looming Threat or Phantom Menace” in the inaugural issue of the Journal of Information Technology and Politics. 2. US Navy is in Iraq for the Long Haul. And a good thing too, if trade in the Arabian Gulf is to be protected from the emerging threat of piracy,...
by Peter | 18 Dec 2007 |
An actual job description currently posted on the website of a major government contractor:JOB DESCRIPTION:The Policy Analyst would focus primarily on projects investigating the creation and evolution of subnational identities within and across states, focusing on the construction and interpretation of narratives, contestation, and negotiation with hegemonic discourses, and the temporalization of values, ethics, and ideals. In the project,...
by Dan Nexon | 18 Dec 2007 |
The recently leaked photographs of Liberal Fascisms table of contents have provided some of my favorite bloggers with an excuse for another round of snark at Jonah Goldberg's expense. John Cole mostly hits the proverbial nail on the head when he writes:The most depressing thing about Jonah Goldberg’s new book is that this whole “liberals are fascist” argument is going to morph from something idiot frat boys would argue after three credit hours...
by Peter | 18 Dec 2007 |
Several days ago, I asked if someone making 97,000 / year was Middle Class, and Rodger followed up wonderful post on the two "two Americas," economic and cultural.Matt Bai, NY Times Magazine political writer and new contributor to their political blog The Caucus, raises the issue again. Responding to a John Edwards ad where Edwards promises to "save the middle class," Bai asks:All the Democratic candidates, to one extent or another, have been...
by Rodger Payne | 16 Dec 2007 |
The press has periodically made note of various allegations, but the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee just released (December 12) its full report on Political Interference with Climate Change Science Under the Bush Administration. The Committee has been gathering evidence for 16 months and examined 27,000 pages of documents from the Bush administration. It also conducted multiple hearings and interviewed key figures.What did the...
by Charli Carpenter | 14 Dec 2007 |
Human Security Report Project's newsfeed reports:Serbia has promised NATO it would not use force against Kosovo if the breakaway province carried out a vow to declare independence early next year, a senior alliance commander said on Thursday. NATO has patrolled Kosovo since it bombed Serbia for nearly 3 months in 1999 to force the withdrawal of Serb forces accused of atrocities in a war against separatist Albanian guerrillas in the province....
by Peter | 14 Dec 2007 |
Obviously, the Mitchell Report is all the big news in the world of sports, culture, and politics this morning, and is receiving saturation coverage. Rather than try to add my 2 cents as a baseball fan, I thought I might try to tease out an interesting IR angle to the whole thing.As I was driving home yesterday, I heard Selig in his press conference assert that Baseball had one of the most stringent testing drug policies (now) of any major...
by Maia Gemmill | 12 Dec 2007 |
Will Putin's plan be Russia's victory? I can't tell you. However, I can tell you that it does apparently involve Putin becoming prime minister. Dmitri Medvedev, the apparent heir apparent, yesterday declared that he would name none other than Vladimir Putin as his prime minister.Thus shall Vladimir Putin keep a grasp on the reins of power, though, as I have previously noted, it is no guarantee. The prime minister's position is substantially...
by Charli Carpenter | 11 Dec 2007 |
From USA Today: “Darfur Benefit Party Brings Celebs Out in Force” While Forest Whitaker chatted with a refugee, his wife, Keisha, worked a table selling her line of lip gloss, with money going to the IRC. Her top seller: the shade she named Forest. Whitaker, who arrived directly from the Toronto set of Repossession Mambo, said issue-oriented films remain high on his agenda. In March, he'll shoot Hurricane Katrina-related The Patriots, to be...