by Rodger Payne | 19 May 2007 |
It is a time of political transition in Europe. While Tony Blair is not leaving his post as the UK's PM until next month, Jacques Chirac has already been replaced as French President by Nicolas Sarkozy.A few weeks ago, Sarkozy'z UMP party of the center-right beat Socialist candidate Ségolène Royal 53% to 47%. However, Sarkozy has just named Socialist Bernard Kouchner as his Foreign Minister. What will this mean for French foreign policy -- and...
by Dan Nexon | 18 May 2007 |
From the Guardian:The new EU member states of Poland and Lithuania have been arguing this week for the summit to be called off, and criticising the German preparations. For historical reasons, the east Europeans are highly sensitive to any sign of Germany cutting deals with Russia over their heads.Yes, I imagine they would be.Image source: https://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/triumph/pact-sign.jpg
by Peter | 15 May 2007 |
-- Sammy SosaThe fun thing about this blog is that we're IR scholars and baseball fans, and sometimes those two issues overlap in very interesting ways. The globalization of Major League Baseball has been all the rage in the past few years. A wealth of international players--now a full 29% of MLB opening day rosters in 2007--has brought an influx of tremendous talent into the game. MLB is actively promoting the game globally, paying games...
by Peter | 13 May 2007 |
Hugo Chavez is talking a tough game, challenging the USA, and the Bush Administration in particular, all over the globe. He's rallying leaders in Latin America, meeting with 'rogues' world-wide, and even calling Bush the "devil" at the UN.But he's got a problem. In a fascinating story, The Washington Post reported that:[A] new study of trade and oil consumption data shows that Venezuela appears ever more dependent on selling its oil to the...
by Rodger Payne | 12 May 2007 |
Is last fall's "revolt of the generals" about to extend to active duty officers?Lt. Col. Paul Yingling, deputy commander of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, offers a stinging critique of America's military leadership in the May 2007 Armed Forces Journal:Iraq's grave and deteriorating condition offers diminishing hope for an American victory and portends risk of an even wider and more destructive regional war.These debacles are not attributable...
by Dan Nexon | 11 May 2007 |
Jeffrey Trachtenberg of the Wall Street Journal investigates the non-fiction bandwagon around the Harry Potter franchise.When J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" hits bookstores July 21, it will, as virtually everyone knows, mark the end of a 10-year run of seven books that have made publishing history.But the series has spawned a whole literary ecosystem, with new offshoots expected to spring up as never before during these...
by Peter | 11 May 2007 |
Several stories on the War in Iraq hint at subtle yet significant shifts in the politics of the war.The war is, beyond a doubt, incredibly expensive. All wars are--its a fact of life, there's just no avoiding it. This war is rapidly becoming the most expensive war the US has ever fought:Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Congress has approved more than $609 billion for the wars, a figure likely to stand as lawmakers rework their...
by Peter | 7 May 2007 |
Two major events this weekend, both deserving of comment in this space. Each totally unrelated to the other, but that's the beauty of the Blog milieu.First, in France, Sarkozy wins (or, if your French is not up to par, ici). I should be excited, or disappointed, but really, all I can muster is an emphatic "Eh."Second, in New York, Rodger Clemens is back. That should make at least one member of this blog (named PTJ) giddy with excitement,...
by Dan Nexon | 5 May 2007 |
Everything you ever wanted to know about the World Bank.If only they'd done this skit before classes ended.
by Dan Nexon | 4 May 2007 |
I've finally gotten around to reading Joseph Nye's The Paradox of American Power. Nye makes a very interesting argument, but one that I wish I had known about as late as a few months ago:Finally, as the prior example suggests, the hub-and-spokes model may blind us to changes that are taking place in the architecture of the global networks. Network theorists argue that central players gain power most when there are structural holes--gaps in...
by Rodger Payne | 25 Apr 2007 |
Last August, Senator John McCain famously used the phrase "whack-a-mole" to describe and criticize the Pentagon's "old" strategy in Iraq. What I worry about is we're playing a game of whack-a-mole here. We move troops, it [insurgency] flares up, we move troops there.Based on that metaphor, McCain concluded that the US needed more troops in Iraq. The logic is simple: more US troops can whack more insurgent moles and reduce the places in Iraq...
by Dan Nexon | 22 Apr 2007 |
Over at Foreign Policy Passport, Preeti Aroon repeats--not once, but twice--the invidious comparison between contemporary Islam and pre-Reformation Latin Christiandom. Now, I've written on the general silliness of this line of comparison before, but Aroon asks an important question:Yesterday's program mentioned that the Protestant Reformation was accompanied by its share of violence, which took place over centuries. (Bloody Mary and Catholic...