Cross posted on my blog. In the past week, I've heard a number of Republican-friendly commenters on TV go on-and-on about the "fact" that neither Karl Rove nor Lewis "Scooter" Libby used Valerie Plame's name in their summer 2003 conversations with journalists. To these analysts, this means that no crime could have been committed in the case. Today, NRO Corner writer John Podhoretz explains that NBC's Tim Russert might have used the same excuse...

I've been slowly working on a series of posts on terrorism and collective violence. The London attacks are part of my motivation, but I also wanted to write out - for myself, and anyone else who is interested - my own take on the current 'web' debate over the nature of terrorism and the specific threat posed by al-Qaeda. One major component of that debate has involved Robert Pape's work on suicide terrorism. I was also struck by Marvin's...

This one reflects the ongoing debate over the Bush administration's planning for the Iraq War, not to mention some Democratic complaints about its expense:Those who try to be tightfisted while waging war always end by spending more. For nothing requires a more boundless effusion of money than war. The greater the provisions, the quicker the undertaking will be ended. Failure to make such provisions, just to save money, will make the enterprise...

Reported explosions in London. Based on preliminary reports, this smells like a copycat bombing. The most frightening scenario so far, I imagine, is that this is a planned second round - one with the aim of destroying any sense of returning normalcy in the city - but I can't help think that one would expect something a bit more powerful and deadly if that was the case. Counterterrorism blog, among others, should have good updates throughout the...

Speaking of transporters, which we have been:The real tribute to James "Scotty" Doohan, 39 light-years after he first saved the USS Enterprise's heinie (and did it many times over), is that it's now almost impossible to have a boyfriend or husband who can't do a somewhat reasonable impression of Doohan's famously stressed-out burr: "We've got nuh powrrrr, Cap'n!" Or "She cannuh take much moor."The Washington Post offers a nice appreciation of...

My wife points me to a very interesting post at Geeky Mom on higher education and social software.Books like Everything Bad is Good for You and What Video Games have to teach us about learning and literacy point to a different kind of learning, learning that is more active and hyperlinked and most importantly, controlled by the learner. Which brings me to blogging (or pretty much any technology where one must relinquish control to the...

Battlepanda recently posted on Nozick's "Experience Machine" and the hypothetical of Star Trek holodecks. In the comments section, I learn that she and I share the same position on transporters: if I lived in the Star Trek universe I'd be one of those sad sacks who still putter around earth growing stuff that can be made in a replicator anyhow. To me, it's tantemont to suicide.I've had many a geekfest discussion on the subject, and I stand...

Eric Reeves is guest posting on Darfur at TNR's blog. The Editor's note: His contributions will add up to a sort of crash-course on the Darfur genocide--moving from posts today on the genocide's history, to posts in coming days on the inadequate response of the international community, to posts toward the end of the week on what it would realistically take to bring the genocide to a halt.I may occasionally teach a course on genocide, but Reeves...

In the comments section of Bruce Jentleson's recent post at America Abroad, 10 Days After London, commentator Daniel A. Greenbaum asks:I am curious what about the war in Iraq caused the radicalization? Saddem has killed far more Arabs that than this war has. Saddem invaded both Iran and Kuwait. This question is not meant to be ironic but genuine.Two (related) possible answers:First, identity and in-group bias have interesting effects. Arabs and...

Does anyone actually enjoy grading? I admit that I get something of a kick out of reading a smart, elegant essay or exam. I particularly enjoy essays that show a flash of brilliance, even if their mechanics leave a bit to be desired. I also recognize the importance of grading: I really do try to give each student's work the attention it deserves, and to provide constructive feedback that will help them improve in their writing and...

Cross posted on my blog. Most of the world's major media are reporting that the 7/7 London bombers were suicide terrorists, willing to give up their life for their cause.I've watched CNN and MSNBC enough the past week to know that this "fact" is now part of the conventional wisdom. Suicide is repeatedly used as an adjective to describe the bombers. Say it over and over and over...and it becomes truth. Right?What if it is wrong? Apparently,...

This afternoon I was interviewed by ARD German television for a news spot of some kind. Like most news organizations and savvy observers, they expect the CDU to win the German elections in the fall, which will make Angela Merkel the new German chancellor. The folks from ARD wanted to know whether I thought that Merkel's election would change things in US-German relations; I told them no, because the issues that have cropped up in US-German...