by Dan Nexon | 17 Jun 2005 |
The debate on the UN Human Rights Commission continues.Patrick responds to my critique of his post, so now I respond in kind.Patrick’s first set of arguments make two key points. First, the current system doesn’t shame anyone, because odious regimes get to sit on the Commission. Second, that denying states membership on the Commission because of their human-rights records would only provide opportunities for “rhetorical coercion” if “if a)...
by Patrick Thaddeus Jackson | 17 Jun 2005 |
Dan raises some important points in his response to my post expressing some skepticism about the Congressional Task Force's recommendation to eliminate the United Nations Human Rights Commission and replace it with a democracies-only Human Rights Council operating outside of UN control. After considering his arguments I remain convinced that the Task Force's proposal is a bad idea, even though the present system is certainly a flawed one....
by Dan Nexon | 17 Jun 2005 |
I've thought about Patrick's post, "The Uses of Hypocrisy", and I've come to the conclusion that I cannot agree with the interesting arguments he puts forth. I share some of his concerns about the proposal for a "Human Rights Council," but I think he gets the effect of having gross abusers of human rights on the UN Human Rights Commission exactly backwards.1. Gross human-rights abusers are unlikely to be "shamed" because of their presence on...
by Rodger Payne | 17 Jun 2005 |
Cross-posted on my blog. The noted political scientist Aaron Wildavsky (now deceased) wrote in 1966 that the U.S. "has one President but two presidencies: one for domestic affairs and the other is concerned with defense and foreign policy." He continued, "Since World War II, presidents have had much greater success in controlling the nation's defense and foreign policies than in dominating its domestic policies."While some challenge Wildavsky's...
by Patrick Thaddeus Jackson | 16 Jun 2005 |
The bipartisan Congressional Task Force on the United Nations has released its findings in the form of a report entitled "American Interests and UN Reform." Among the report's many recommendations -- including many with which I completely agree, such as empowering the Secretary-General to replace top UN officials, and the creation of an Independent Oversight Board to audit UN programs -- comes the following dramatic proposal: eliminate the UN...
by Dan Nexon | 16 Jun 2005 |
For reasons that should come as no surprise (the Duck's staff ranges from centrist to leftist), our "international relations" blogroll doesn't get much further to the "right" than Oxblog or Dan Drezner. Most of the blogs we link to lean left.I'd like to change that, so if anyone has any suggestions for conservative international-relations and international-political-economy blogs that we should link to, please let me know. The conditions are:1....
by Bill Petti | 15 Jun 2005 |
[Cross posted at "Discord and Elaboration"]I think Patrick is on to something when he writes that the current dilemma facing the US in Uzbekistan isn't strictly one of security-vs-morality. Of course, one could (and many have) frame the issue in this way. However I think there is another way to look at the issue. I see the problem as strategy-vs-strategy, or more specifically, intrinsic interests-vs-reputational interests. The Defense...
by Dan Nexon | 15 Jun 2005 |
At some point I intend to write a long post making substantive contributions to the interesting discussions of center-left foreign-policy principles that have been developing on places like America Abroad and Democracy Arsenal. I think the public debate that's emerging really goes to show how the benefits of having an increasing number of international-relations experts blogging.That being said, the discussion over at Democracy Arsenal involves...
by Dan Nexon | 15 Jun 2005 |
Always deny what you don't want to be known, and always affirm what you want to be believed. For, though there be much - even conclusive - evidence to the contrary, a fervent affirmation or denial will often create at least some doubt in the mind of your listener. (Series C, 37)I guess early modern Europe wasn't very different from the present after all...For other maxims from Guicciardini, see here and here.Filed as: Maxims, Guicciardini and...
by Dan Nexon | 15 Jun 2005 |
Glenn Reynolds asks for science fiction suggestions from his readers. Top of the list?Lots of readers have been writing in with suggestions as to authors. Iain M. Banks -- whom I've never read -- seems a favorite, particularly his Use of Weapons.To paraphrase Wanda Gershwitz:"Otto, you’re a conservative.”“Aha! Conservatives don’t read Banks!”“Yes, they do—they just don’t understand it."Filed as: Iain M. Banks, science fiction, and...
by Patrick Thaddeus Jackson | 14 Jun 2005 |
The Washington Post reports today on the recent NATO-Russia joint communique, which among other points stated that "issues of security and stability in Central Asia, including the recent tragic events in Uzbekistan, was also discussed." According to the Post, this rather bland language papered over an intra-agency dispute within the US government about how best to handle the situation stemming from the 13 May crackdown against a failed uprising...
by Dan Nexon | 14 Jun 2005 |
I really don't want to criticize the same high-profile blogger twice in a row, but David Adesnik's takedown of Henry Kissinger deserves some commentary.Kissinger's shilling for China again. No news there. David does a good job of pointing out what's substantively wrong with the op-ed. His framing, however, is all off. For David, Kissinger's mistake is a failure of realism:As a committed realist, Kissinger desperately wants to believe that...