Anyone who reads my posts by now knows that I have an acute interest in the effect that information, uncertainty, and signaling plays in politics and social life. One thing that becomes immediately clear to anyone who looks into those topics is that, at least in the realm of international politics, reliable information is difficult to find. Reliable signals (or, in Robert Jervis' words, indices--signals that are reliable because they are...

I'm a couple of days late, but please allow me to followup Bill's post about the King funeral controversy and the excellent discussion in the comment thread. I did some data-mining of whitehouse.gov and found President Bush's eulogy of Ronald Reagan, at the National Cathedral on June 11, 2004. Notice any self-serving political rhetoric here? The clarity and intensity of Ronald Reagan's convictions led to speaking engagements around the country,...

Greatest...face...ever...I know my last few posts haven't been that 'analytical' or IR related, but there have been too many jovial opportunities to pass up lately. Which brings me to Coretta Scott King's funeral...The event was attended by numerous dignitaries included President Bush and his wife Laura. The man speaking in the picture above is the Rev. Joseph Lowery, co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with Martin Luther...

[Updated 2/8]Exhibit A: This exchange between Attorney General Gonzales and Sen. Biden from today's hearings on NSA domestic wiretapping (hat tip Atrios):BIDEN: Thank you very much. General, how has this revelation damaged the program?I'm almost confused by it but, I mean, it seems to presuppose that these very sophisticated Al Qaida folks didn't think we were intercepting their phone calls.I mean, I'm a little confused. How did it damage...

Just came across this little gem regarding GOP efforts to distance newly minted House Majority Leader from the lobbying scandals. In their efforts to cover the story it appears a few news outlets have left out a scrumptious little morsel regarding the new king of the hill:The Associated Press, The New York Times, and ABC's World News Tonight reported on Republican efforts to present new House Majority Leader John A. Boehner (R-OH) as a clean...

Driving in the Columbus metropolitan area during the Superbowl is indistinguishable from doing so at 2 am. 'Nuff said. Filed as: football

I came across a new book meme the other day at The Republic of Heaven. Apparently it originated at Scholar's Blog. Here are the rules:Bold the books you have read. Italicise the books you might read. Cross out the books you probably won't read. Underline the books you have on your shelf to read or have started reading.Have fun!The Da Vinci Code - Dan BrownThe Catcher in the Rye - J.D. SalingerThe Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - Douglas...

...I'd go with the Steelers giving four points and also take the over (46.5) in Super Bowl XL tonight. My prediction--Steelers 28 Seahawks 21. Feel free to let me know your picks in the comments section.Filed as: Super Bowl XL

Mark over at Zenpundit has a nice post on the ongoing ridiculousness which is the Danish cartoon row. Andrew Sullivan has a link to the "extra cartoons" and the lowdown on the apparent propoganda roadshow that has helped bring the issue to the forefront in the Muslim world. For an interesting analysis of the pattern of the protests see 'Aquol. The discussion of Syria sounds eerily similar to the recent protests in China over Japan and the...

The US Quadrennial Defense Review is finally out (only a year late, but who's counting).Some of the highlights include a shift in the "two-war doctrine"--which envisioned the US being able to battle in two seperate wars with the option of regime change in one--so that one of the major conflicts can be a protracted war against an insurgency. The document also argues that the composition of US forces must shift, incorporating larger numbers...

The world inched closer to confrontation with Iran today, but it is not yet clear what will happen next. One huge problem for security analysts is the question of Iran's motives. Would Iranian want to pass a bomb to terrorists, use one or more against great powers, or perhaps versus Israel? Patrick has argued in an academic work with Ronald Krebs that scholars, at least, cannot discern states' motives. He notes that Hans Morgenthau agreed with...

[Hat tip here to Dan Nexon and the discussion going on at Crooked Timber]Does projecting the image that one is irrational actually confer that person with an advantage in bargaining situations, specifically when nuclear weapons are involved? This seems to be the question taken up by Lee Harris over at Tech Central Station, to which he answers "yes" (Glenn Reynolds provides the pom-poms, imploring the US to do this more often).Harris is...