The Duck of Minerva

Rodger Payne

Rodger A. Payne is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Louisville. He serves on the University’s Sustainability Council and was a co-founder of the Peace, Conflict, and Social Justice program. He is the author of dozens of journal articles and book chapters and coauthor, with Nayef Samhat, of Democratizing Global Politics: Discourse Norms, International Regimes, and Political Community (SUNY, 2004). He is currently working on two major projects, one exploring the role of narratives in international politics and the other examining the implications of America First foreign policy.

Recent Posts

Will Afghanistan be Obama’s Iraq?

by Rodger Payne | 28 November, 2008 |

Last night, at a couple of gatherings with family and friends, some people were speculating that Afghanistan could become Barack Obama's Vietnam -- or Iraq. A blogger at the socialist Monthly Review made this precise charge last summer. Should we reasonably fear this possibility?First, events since election day seem to assure that Obama's campaign promise about Iraq withdrawal will be fulfilled.Since I posted about "Obama's exit strategy?" just 10 days ago, Iraq's Parliament has approved a Status of Forces Agreement with the US establishing a formal timetable for the withdrawal of US troops....

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Obama’s exit strategy?

by Rodger Payne | 18 November, 2008 |

Today, Jesse Singal has an excellent post challenging the role of conventional wisdom in making national security policy. All-too-often, he suggests, the terms of political debate and the potential policy options are locked in by a national security elite that infrequently finds its ideas contested, however dubious they might be.For example, what are we to make of the forthcoming increased attention devoted to Afghanistan and Pakistan -- even though many security analysts don't see much of a threat from the Taliban and al Qaeda forces located there? Singal references a provocative article by...

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Interpreting Obama’s victory

by Rodger Payne | 5 November, 2008 |

I don't ordinarily do this, but I thought Duck readers might be interested in seeing my post on "President-Elect Obama" over at my personal blog. It is impossible to be happy on the day of my father's funeral, but the American electorate is doing its best to win me over for the rest of the decade.

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Do you live in the “real America”?

by Rodger Payne | 19 October, 2008 |

Remember when Bill Clinton promised to put together a Cabinet that "looks like America"? Then, to his credit, George W. Bush "appointed a more diverse set of top advisers than any president in history."Now, however, Governor Sarah Palin defines "real America" in a substantially less inclusive manner: "We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation."As anyone paying attention...

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Debate preview

by Rodger Payne | 15 October, 2008 |

Given the way the campaign has gone lately, this seems to offer a preview of tonight's presidential debate: I never really previously noticed the parallels between Senator McCain and the Penguin.

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al Qaeda’s electioneering

by Rodger Payne | 2 October, 2008 |

Current polls reveal that the economy is at the top of voters' agenda and that they trust Senator Barack Obama to handle the ongoing crisis better than Senator John McCain. Today's Rasmussen Daily Tracking Poll, for example, has Obama leading 51%-44% overall and by 63-32 "among voters who name the economy as the top voting issue."However, that same poll revealed that McCain has a whopping 74-24 lead "among those who say that national security is the highest priority." Luckily for Obama, half the electorate says the economy is the most important priority, while only 19% "understand" it is...

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For What It’s Worth

by Rodger Payne | 25 September, 2008 |

Paranoia strikes deepInto your life it will creepIt starts when you're always afraidYou step out of line, the man come and take you away---- Buffalo Springfield, 1967The Army Times reported on September 8 that the Army has a brand new mission -- and potential battleground: American soil.The 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team has spent 35 of the last 60 months in Iraq patrolling in full battle rattle, helping restore essential services and escorting supply convoys.Now they’re training for the same mission — with a twist — at home.Beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the 1st BCT will...

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“Kill the invaders”

by Rodger Payne | 12 September, 2008 |

The Australian is reporting that Pakistani troops have been told to fire upon US troops attacking from Afghanistan: KEY corps commanders of Pakistan's 600,000-strong army issued orders last night to retaliate against "invading" US forces that enter the country to attack militant targets.The move has plunged relations between Islamabad and Washington into deep crisis over how to deal with al-Qa'ida and the TalibanWhat amounts to a dramatic order to "kill the invaders", as one senior officer put it last night, was disclosed after the commanders - who control the army's deployments at...

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The market punished Russia

by Rodger Payne | 9 September, 2008 |

Dan previously reported that the European Union decided not to impose economic sanctions on Russia -- at least for now. However, The New York Times had an interesting story on September 3 noting that the market was imposing its own penalty on Russia for its war versus Georgia....[I}nvestors are also unnerved by the aftermath of the five-day war in early August.Russian shares have lost about a third of their value since hitting record highs in May. Russian and Western bank analysts polled by Reuters have cut forecasts for Russia's gold and foreign exchange reserves.As much as $25 billion in...

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War on Pakistan?

by Rodger Payne | 4 September, 2008 |

Yesterday, US troops crossed the Pakistan border for the first time -- clearly extending the war in Afghanistan into another state. This is from The Washington Post story: Helicopters carried U.S. and Afghan commandos many miles into Pakistan on Wednesday to stage the first U.S. ground attack against a Taliban target inside the country, Pakistani officials said. At least 20 local people died in the raid, according to the officials. Pakistan filed a protest and the US military apparently had no comment.Mohammed Sadiq, a spokesman for Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, condemned a "gross violation...

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