The Duck of Minerva

Steve Saideman

Steve Saideman is Professor and the Paterson Chair in International Affairs at Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. He has written The Ties That Divide: Ethnic Politics, Foreign Policy and International Conflict; For Kin or Country: Xenophobia, Nationalism and War (with R. William Ayres); and NATO in Afghanistan: Fighting Together, Fighting Alone (with David Auerswald), and elsewhere on nationalism, ethnic conflict, civil war, and civil-military relations.

Recent Posts

Will the Dominos Fall in Westeros: When Secession Spreads (or Not)

by Steve Saideman | 21 May, 2019 |

Folks have been picking on the last Game of Thrones episode for a variety of unrealistic or unearned developments. Here's my take on the secessionist element. Folks have been picking on the last Game of Thrones episode for a variety of unrealistic or unearned developments.  Here's my take on the secessionist element. From https://www.quora.com/Why-is-it-called-the-7-kingdoms-when-there-are-9-of-them There have been arguments about secession in one country leading to secession elsewhere.  I pooh-poohed (that is the professional term) that, while arguing that secession is contagious within...

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Game of Thrones and Alliance Politics

by Steve Saideman | 15 April, 2019 | ,

I saw this tweet and could not help but respond: I enjoyed @mchorowitz on GoT Dragon airpower, but it’s time for @RyanGrauer to give the people what they want- an analysis of how Westerosi alliance politics will affect military command structure and battlefield effectiveness. — Jon Askonas (@JonAskonas) April 15, 2019 Given that I have written about both Game of Thrones and alliance politics, I have to enter this discussion.  Spoilers dwell below as we get into this: Alliances are always fraught with suspicion and doubt. Glenn Snyder wrote about the alliance dilemma--that allies will...

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Clarifying Classic Confusions for IR students

by Steve Saideman | 5 April, 2019 |

An amazing series of tweets must be re-posted here so that IR profs everywhere can use them for syllabi and for the first day of class.  A grateful nation owes Herb Carmen, former naval aviator, a tremendous debt. Casual vs. Causal pic.twitter.com/3N2ftzChkf — Herbal (@HerbCarmen) April 5, 2019 Boarder vs. Border pic.twitter.com/8U3OU7pibl — Herbal (@HerbCarmen) April 5, 2019 Loose vs. Lose pic.twitter.com/qrJ4Z4cJt9— Herbal (@HerbCarmen) April 5, 2019 And for all profs: It's vs Its pic.twitter.com/7jk7lzNk0G — Herbal (@HerbCarmen) April 5, 2019

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Failed National Military Strategy Analogies

by Steve Saideman | 1 April, 2019 | , ,

by Anonymous US National Security expert, as part of a new series of posts providing insights into the policy-making process Sir:Per your request at the 0500 stand-up, I have compiled the full set of analogies developed to wrap around the pending National Military Strategy. Staff were told to supply a framework analogy appropriate for supporting the following: Because we cannot be certain when, where, or under what conditions the next fight will occur, the Joint Force must maintain an [insert analogy] stance—with the strength, agility, endurance, resilience, flexibility, and awareness to...

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Citation Conversation Continued

by Steve Saideman | 20 March, 2019 | ,

My post on citation got far more engagement than nearly all of the things I have posted over the years, so I thought I would return to the scene of the crime/post.  While many academics agreed whole heartily with my take, more than a few did not including folks I respect a great deal.  What were their perspectives? Citations are a lousy measure, one with much bias, of academic relevance/achievement, etc.People would rather be contacted so that they can provide the latest version of the paper, rather than something that might be half-baked, wrong, or incomplete.People worry about being...

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How Not to Get Cited

by Steve Saideman | 18 March, 2019 | ,

by Steve Saideman Put "do not cite, do not circulate" on your paper.  I received a paper for the upcoming ISA which had that instruction on it.  I yelled at (ok, I mocked) my students last week for doing the same thing.  In the olden days, folks would put "do not cite" on their papers because they wanted to polish them before submitting, that they didn't want to have errant results widely circulated.  Perhaps there is a fear that if a paper is circulated, it might get scooped. But  NO!!!! While citation counts are problematic for a variety of reasons (including...

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Social Media/Engagement: Why Do It?

by Steve Saideman | 12 March, 2019 | ,

by Stephen M. Saideman I teach a 3rd year PhD workshop that is mostly focused on getting students through their dissertation proposals (a roadmap for their dissertation research).  Along the way, we cover other topics, like how to get on conference programs, what kind of non-academic employment there is, and, yes, social media.  Last night, we covered the latter category, and I was surprised at the response: why don't I make money off of it? I answered thusly: As a professor, I feel an obligation to share what I know beyond the classroom.  We have had endless...

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Where Is Intro to IR When You Need It?

by Steve Saideman | 7 January, 2019 |

One of the basic claims I make as a poli sci professor is that my goal is to help the next generation become more informed citizens, so that they understand their interests, and can vote accordingly.  So, when I see a a guy getting upset that his business is hurt by tariffs, I want to scream. I wish more voters had intro to International Relations. Trump kept his promise on trade and it has had predictable results. Guy was brpetrayed by his own ignorance https://t.co/tROnwa4GoX — Steve Saideman (@smsaideman) January 7, 2019 I didn't spend a lot of time on International Political Economy in...

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Killings in Kandahar: Implications

by Steve Saideman | 18 October, 2018 |

The news out of Kandahar is pretty awful: the top leadership of the province was killed in an apparent attempt to kill General Austin Miller, the commander of US and NATO forces in the country.  There is not many details, but the WashPost account is suggestive of some key dynamics and challenges. First, it sounds like the killer was apparently part of the provincial governor's security team.  Not great.  It does seem like the primary threat in Kandahar to elites are their security teams, as I seem to remember it was also a member of Ahmed Wali Karzai's security team that killed him. Second,...

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Ignorance of the Ivory Tower: What Do the Profs Know About the Military

by Steve Saideman | 20 September, 2018 |

I woke up to find a piece that castigates the academic world for being ignorant about the armed forces.  My reaction was: I love how broad this brush is. "I talked to some folks who are profs and they say some dumb stuff, so let's suggest that this is a broader thing" Confirmation bias much? https://t.co/jWhcaniD2B — Steve Saideman (@smsaideman) September 20, 2018 Tom Ricks, who posted this questionable piece, pushed back: I'm throwing a penalty flag here, professor. If you think he is wrong, tell us why. Is he? https://t.co/bTvRQiMekX — Thomas E. Ricks (@tomricks1) September 20, 2018 I will...

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