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...
by Rodger Payne | 4 Jun 2007 |
George Washington University sociologist Amitai Etzioni regularly sends me his "Communitarian Network" newsletter as I am on his email distribution list. Most recently, Etzioni's newsletter passed along an invitation to this forthcoming event in Washington:Monday, June 18, 2007 @ 2:00PM-4:00PM"Plan Z: Community Based Security for Iraq"Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 419Dialogue moderated by Amitai EtzioniOpen to the public. Space is...
by Peter | 31 May 2007 |
Last summer, I noted the significance of the Pentagon's creation of an Africa Command in the unified command plan. My conclusion then was:By creating such a high-profile position for Africa, the bureaucracy of the Pentagon and the US Government as a whole, will see Africa in a whole new light.On Monday, the Washington Post ran an article based on analysis of a CRS Report on the new command (You can read the entire CRS Report here).There are two...
by Dan Nexon | 30 May 2007 |
I spent about ten minutes on WHRU (Hofstra University Radio) this morning discussing Iran, the Middle East, American Empire. One of the first things the hosts asked me was to explain the broader significance of the first direct talks between the US and Iran in 29 years. I responded, more or less, that they suggest "that Iraq has turned into such a colossal disaster that the Bush administration will even talk to a member of the 'Axis of Evil' if...
by Dan Nexon | 28 May 2007 |
By almost any standard, the B-1 bomber is a pretty impressive piece of engineering. A ceiling of over 30,000 feet, maximum speed of about 950 miles per hour (somewhere around mach 1.25), capable of carrying a variety of conventional and nuclear bombs and delivering them quite precisely -- not to mention a maximum range of 7,456 miles. All of this machinery, from advanced avionics to variable geometry wings (which are pulled back at an angle to...
by Peter | 24 May 2007 |
China is in the Satellite business. The NYT reports that China is launching a communications satellite for Nigeria (pictured right).The lead says it all:For years, China has chafed at efforts by the United States to exclude it from full membership in the world’s elite space club. So lately China seems to have hit on a solution: create a new club.Beijing is trying to position itself as a space benefactor to the developing world — the same...
by Dan Nexon | 24 May 2007 |
Not long ago I mentioned my embarrassment over missing a relevant citation for a piece that I'd written.The article, co-authored with Thomas Wright and entitled "What's at Stake in the American Empire Debate," appeared a few days ago in the American Political Science Review. Tom and I argue that:Scholars of world politics enjoy well-developed theories of the consequences of unipolarity or hegemony, but have little to say about what happens when...
by Rodger Payne | 23 May 2007 |
Is Condi's dream about to become a reality?The Guardian has a story today with this headline: "Bush may turn to UN in search for Iraq solution." It is filled with quotes from "a former senior administration official...who is familiar with administration thinking." A "senior US diplomat" also chips in anonymously as well. So, what's the forthcoming plan -- apparently to be outlined this September when the UN meets in NY?· Expanded UN involvement...
by Bill Petti | 21 May 2007 |
Addison Mary Petti was born on Sunday, May 20th at 3:43am after what amounted to 19 hours of labor. My wife Kate was remarkable to say the least--she is my hero. Addison is 7lbs 10oz and comes in at a lanky 21 inches. Daddy is already thinking of buying her a pony.
by Peter | 21 May 2007 |
It wasn't quite one of my best-laid plans, but it did go awry this weekend. I had intended to blog about 3 or 4 interesting stories I've been following over the weekend, but between feeding the new kid, searching for child care (if this were one of those so-called 'mommyblogs,' oh the stories i could post. but its not, so i won't...) and of course the fantastic Taste of Wheaton today, time flew by and here it is, Sunday night watching the Mets...