The Bull Moose says we're in a "clash of civilizations." Not that long ago, Marc Schulman made the same point. Marc notes, quoting Pew data, that the Bush administration's repeated claims that the war on terror is not directed at Islam have "failed to impress" many Muslims:Sizable percentages of Muslims in many countries with significant Muslim populations also believe that suicide bombings can be justified in order to defend Islam from its enemies. While majorities see suicide bombing as justified in only two nations polled, more than a quarter of Muslims in another nine nations subscribe...

States I've visited--and I'm not counting the inside of airports or the corridors of an interstate.Create your own visited states map.I can't, unfortunately, come up with any sort of "cute" pattern for my travels.UPDATE: my international travel? Not so impressive.Create your own visited countries mapVia Republic of Heaven.Filed as: geekery

Oxblog's David Adesnik and Michael McFaul just published an article (PDF) in the Washington Quaterly entitled "Engaging Autocratic Allies to Promote Democracy." They discuss how, during the 1980s, US influence facilitated democratic transitions in the Philippines, South Korea, and Chile.Its an evenhanded and thoughtful piece.But I can't read it without thinking that their examples of how American diplomatic pressure, triangulation, and prudence aided the cause of democracy make sense... in states that were, during the Cold War, parts of an American informal empire--or, if you prefer, its...

That is, if we were both in the eighth grade. When it comes to manipulating network data? Not so much.You Passed 8th Grade MathCongratulations, you got 10/10 correct!Could You Pass 8th Grade Math?Filed as: geekery

So, when the Iraqis get out and vote, write a constitution, and form a functioning government it is proof that the Bush strategy is working--but if sectarian violence erupts and civil-war looms it is also proof that the Bush strategy is working. Karl Popper is turning over in his grave...Filed as: Iraq

Yesterdays Washington Post ran a guest column by Ron Asmus in which he lays out an argument for using NATO to contain Iran if it develops nuclear weapons. The plan calls for bringing Israel formally within NATO as a way of making the implicit defensive commitments the West shares with Israel more formal and therefore more credible.The column is less than impressive. The greatest problem with the piece is that Asmus manages to go the entire column without discussing the fissile elephant in the room: Israel's nuclear capability. Why is this a problem? Because his argument makes no sense once...

It appears as if the Horowitz crowd is conducting an on-line straw poll to identify the "worst" of the 101 most dangerous professors in America.So far, the results are not encouraging for the IR competitors: Professor School VotesMichael Bérubé Penn State University 150931[skip dozens of names]Ali al-Mazrui SUNY,Binghamton 79[skip another dozen names or so]Matthew Evangelista Cornell University 19Richard Falk Princeton University 16Lisa Anderson Columbia University 16 Even if all the IR professors put their votes together in some kind of grand alliance, they would be relatively powerless...

Last week, Prime Minister Tony Blair told the BBC he thought that his government had "won the argument" about its identity card plan. The House of Lords voted overwhelmingly in late January to make any plan voluntary, but the House of Commons voted last week to compel people applying for passports to obtain the new biometric cards.Despite Blair's proclamation of victory, it is clear that his government continues to encounter opposition. While the cards are being sold as a means to prevent fraud, illegal immigration, organized crime and terrorism, the House of Commons also voted last week to...