The Duck of Minerva

Rodger is certainly right that posting has been light due to grading. However, in my case the combination of spring break and massive amounts of grading offered me the opportunity to watch the World Baseball Classic the past two days. And while I admit that I was somewhat skeptical of the whole enterprise when it was announced (Rob still has some issues with the WBC), the past two days of games that I was able to watch (and the highlights of the Korea-Japan game from last week) have brought me around.In each game I have watched so far both the fans and the players have shown great...

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...

Okay, so now President Bush wasn't properly notified about the pending sale of shipping operations at major US ports to a firm from the UAE. It seems that the President is always willing to tout his accomplishments and leadership when things go well, but when they don't he simply wasn't aware (read: some lower-level bureaucrats undercut his authority and I will now throw them under the bus). Even if we believe the White House spin I don't think this gets Bush off the hook: If he wasn't aware of a pending deal of this magnitude that has potential security implications what does this say about...

If there remained any doubt about just how scrumtralescent mothers are I think this story should erase it:Bear crashes hockey game, mom saves kidsEspn.comFiled as: Moms

Mark over at Zenpundit draws attention to an interesting post which discusses the contents of captured al Qaida documents revealing that they provide members with a substantial benefits package. It would appear that, like most other things in life, idealist zeal must always be balanced with practical concerns.Filed as: Al Qaida

[Updated 2-14]Vice-President Cheney does his best to provide a metaphor for the critics. Folks, you really can't make this stuff up.Those unsypathetic to the administration are likely to have a field day with this one. It appears that Cheney is once again blaming someone else for his mistakes and excesses.In all seriousness, best wishes for a speedy recovery for Cheney's 'target', Harry Whittington (that had to hurt).Update: The Daily Show got their hands on the story and, well, it is scrumtralescent. Go, now, watch--drop whatever you are doing and watch it. Hat tip Crooks and Liars.Filed...

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 thought hard or impossible to manipulate) are hard to come by given the incentives to bluff that exist. It is rare that international actors come to agree...

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 King Jr. With President Bush and the First Lady sitting directly behind him, the Reverand took the opportunity to speak directly to Bush’s foreign...

[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 this?GONZALES: Well, Senator, I would first refer to the experts in the Intel Committee who are making that statement, first of all. I'm just the...