by Rodger Payne | 25 Jun 2007 |
Parade magazine's straw poll asks: "Does the UN still matter?"Right now, the vote is running just about 60/40.That's 59% no, 41% yes, as of this moment.While more scientific polling also reveals a lot of skepticism about the UN's ability to work well, public polling results also typically indicate significant public support for making the UN work better. Update 6/30/07: It's 72% no, 28% yes tonight.
by Peter | 25 Jun 2007 |
Last Thursday, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill made a sudden and surprise visit to North Korea to talk directly with the North Korean government about their nuclear program.All I can say is-- its about (_______) time. And, it shows the power of good, pragmatic diplomacy.From 2001 through 2004, the Bush Administration held a very tough line toward North Korea--axis of evil, no direct talks, CVID, etc. This tough line was very...
by Peter | 19 Jun 2007 |
Reading Sunday's NYT, I was somewhat surprised to read about the intensity of debate within senior Administration circles about how to address Iran's nuclear program.The debate has pitted Ms. Rice and her deputies, who appear to be winning so far, against the few remaining hawks inside the administration, especially those in Vice President Dick Cheney’s office who, according to some people familiar with the discussions, are pressing for greater...
by Dan Nexon | 14 Jun 2007 |
The Israel-Palestine controversy in the academy parallels, in one respect, the Israel-Palestine conflict. Both involve a polarizing action-reaction cycle in which everyone loses.
by Rodger Payne | 14 Jun 2007 |
The U.S. is now going to arm Sunni Iraqi groups -- some of the very same groups that were called "insurgents" just days ago -- if those groups pledge to fight al Qaeda of Iraq. Reportedly, this strategy has proven successful in al-Anbar province and will now be tested in other Sunni strongholds.This is an interesting development, to say the least.At first glance, the plan seems ridiculous. The U.S. could effectively be arming both sides in a...
by Dan Nexon | 13 Jun 2007 |
It has been a busy week in world politics, but despite finishing my book I've been too squeezed to provide insightful commentary. A bit of geek-blogging, on the other hand, takes far less energy. While I was trolling around Gamespot this discussion of Halo's influences caught my eye:GS: With Halo, you've succeeded in creating a unique sci-fi setting and storyline in a rather overcrowded genre. What were the inspirations for the game's...
by Peter | 12 Jun 2007 |
How many ways, how many times, can one say that the US is @#$*&% in Iraq?Today, two of the better military correspondents following Iraq (each with a must-read book on Iraq) dispense key insights as to how problematic Iraq is for the United States.Michael Gordon in the NYT reports that:The top American military commander for the Middle East has warned Iraq’s prime minister in a closed-door conversation that the Iraqi government needs to make...
by Dan Nexon | 11 Jun 2007 |
Alex Cooley has a very positive review of Thomas Wright's and my article, "What's at Stake in the American Empire Debate," up at 3 Quarks Daily.UPDATE: Henry Farrel links to Cooley's discussion and sparks a debate in comments.
by Peter | 8 Jun 2007 |
The Senate held hearings the other day to confirm Lt. General Douglas Lute to be President Bush's "War Czar"-- a special assistant to the President directly overseeing the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.* Remember, this is the job that 3 or 4 (to our knowledge) retired Generals turned down. Lute, on active duty in the Army, could hardly say no.I wonder-- how on earth is he going to be able to do anything in this job? In the report on his...
by Dan Nexon | 7 Jun 2007 |
Gary Kamiya reviews Cullen Murphy's Are We Rome?. This seems like a good excuse for me to post, for your consideration, four "lessons" on how (not) to think about American Empire that form the core of a piece I'm working on for a forum on "American Empire":According to Deepak Lal (2004: 63), the “United States is indubitably an empire. It is more than a hegemon, as it seeks control over not only foreign but also aspects of domestic policy in...
by Rodger Payne | 7 Jun 2007 |
Over the past two and a half years, I have been contacted periodically by an Iranian journalist for Fars News Agency who identifies himself (herself?) as Kia Kojouri (or maybe Kojoury). Note that the "informational materials" exemption to the U.S. embargo on Iran makes these kinds of exchanges perfectly legal. A few years ago, scholars circulated warnings about government interpretations of the sanctions law that made some rather ordinary...
by Dan Nexon | 5 Jun 2007 |
I'm teaching a summer course on "American Grand Strategy" in about a month. I have a pretty good idea what the course is about:The terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, the Bush administration's National Security Strategy, and the American-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq have triggered a major debate about American grand strategy. Many scholars and pundits now propose alternative grand strategies under a variety of names: "National...