It’s a strange thing, being a hater. It becomes increasingly hard to distinguish one’s visceral reactions to pseudo-analytical drivel from reasoned disagreement. Such is the situation in which I found myself this morning when this came down the pipe. BLUF: Friedman wishes the President best of luck in the West’s latest military intervention. Solid. Here’s the catch. [...]
Posts Tagged ‘realism’
The fight for Libya gains a moustache.
Posted in Policy, tagged Africa, realism, security on 30 March 2011 | 1 Comment »
Collier and Côte d’Ivoire
Posted in Politics, tagged Côte d'Ivoire, Collier, economy, governance, law, realism, sovereignty on 13 January 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I was pointed to Paul Collier’s latest Guardian column on the violent political standoff in Ivory Coast by the always entertaining Wronging Rights blog. In the piece, Collier advocates for a military coup openly supported by regional and international powers. Indeed, he supports the option to: …generate a credible threat of force from the government’s [...]
Irony and exceptionalism
Posted in Politics, tagged exceptionalism, just war, law, realism, torture on 7 May 2009 | Leave a Comment »
So, another month of silence on this blog… Anyway, I’ve got an hour before I need to run off to rugby practice, so let’s see what I can come up with. Ah, I know…how about the paradox of American exceptionalism. That should be an easy one. This morning, I came across some interesting thoughts by [...]
Debate and casuistry
Posted in Politics, tagged justice, law, non-cooperation, Obama, otherness, realism, sovereignty on 9 February 2009 | Leave a Comment »
A tenet that will surely continue to be heard as the new administration establishes its image on the world stage is that compromises between ideals and security will no longer be tolerated. The notion featured prominently in the President’s inaugural, and was most recently repeated by the Vice President in his speech to the Munich [...]
Reality comes knocking
Posted in Policy, tagged asymmetric, irregular, Pentagon, realism, stability operations on 7 December 2008 | 1 Comment »
A theme from which this journal can’t seem to get away is the wholesale embrace of the complex nuances of reality that has so far marked the composition of the next administration. The maniacal blathering from certain circles that a Democratic administration would surely mean the end of freedom as we know it, that socialism [...]
Flux and stasis
Posted in Politics, tagged cabinet, realism, transition on 23 November 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The desire for constructive social and foreign policy does not require rose-colored glasses, but is sustained by a simple recognition that the question comes before the answer. Such is my hope for the incoming administration, and it ought to be a considerable gauge of its success. Not all expectations will be met as the Bush [...]
The grown-up table
Posted in Politics, tagged cabinet, realism, transition on 16 November 2008 | Leave a Comment »
It’s been almost two weeks since the US election, and the gravitas associated with the transition of power ought to be a welcome sign of things to come. As the focus of the operation around the next president has shifted full-time to the daunting task of assuming executive duties from a failed administration, the gloating [...]