Outsmart at the dinner table

Does anyone else have the problem of a belligerent family member that always gets you riled up over the holidays? Well Foreign Policy has come to the rescue with a guide to policy questions that you might be attacked on over a nice dinner.

Most of it is pretty good but the section on health care reform leaves a bit to be desired. I think they should probably stick to foreign policy....

"The notion that we must be adversaries is not predestined. ...Given that interconnection, power in the 21st century is no longer a zero-sum game. One country's success need not come at the expense of another. And that is why the United States insists we do not seek to contain China's rise. On the contrary we welcome China as a strong and prosperous and successful member of the community of nations."

Controversy (ooh la la)

Michael Scheuer is indeed an interesting fellow. Tread carefully, TA's.

Taliban/Al-Qaida Power Flip in Afghanistan

The most interesting thing:


Muhammad Omar (I hesitate to call him a mullah) promised the following:


"We assure all countries that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, as a responsible force, will not extend its hand to cause jeopardy to others"

In other words, he strictly removes himself and his movement from a jihadi movement, and is essentially playing to the popular mood in Afghanistan, namely "We want our country back." 


With the way Dear Leader has been conducting himself and the war effort lately, he seems likely to strike a chord.

Small Examples of Moving Forward

So I know this doesn't directly relate (although relevant) to our topics, but it is a long-term interest of mine. The New York Times had an article today on Iraq's first Elite Corps of female police officers.

For those of you who have explored post-conflict reconstruction, one of the most critical components is how the country constructs its security sector (police, military, etc.) Often, it is these institutions that were at the forefront of the abuses that occurred during the conflict. For conflicts defined by sectarian divisions, deciding which side gets the guns is particularly critical, and can make or break peace agreements (example: Zimbabwe's civil war). Further, how security sector reform is implemented has long-term impact on how social and political factors are shaped post-conflict: when you can keep the peace effectively (and appropriately), there is a great chance that countries plagued with conflict will not devolve back into it, or so the standard literature goes.

Interestingly, successful cases of security sector reform, such as South Africa, have been pointed to as strong examples of the importance of integrating women into security forces. As the article above mentions, there are huge benefits, particularly in developing world cultures, such as being able to work with children and women in a different capacity. While this includes having women not only in security forces but in decision-making positions on security related issues--it is also associated with advancing social goals, that a man's world in these post-conflict countries can be penetrated by women, an often marginalized group in this area.

Anyway, just food for thought on post-conflict SSR in general, and also for how the United States continues its efforts with the provincial reconstruction teams in Iraq and Afghanistan and training police and military.

Russia and the GDR

I was sorry to miss the Russia presentation on Sunday, considering its perfect timing with the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall.
Last night I participated in a celebration with the German Department, where we had a panel of guests from Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and other nations on both sides of the former Iron Curtain.
After listening to these speakers, it is really just unbelievable how much everything has changed. In middle of the 20th Century, the Soviet Union violently quelled many uprisings in Eastern Europe. Yet on November 9, 1989, not a single shot was fired.
Much credit is given to Gorbachev's glasnost and perestroika. In fact, in the 80s, the Soviet Union grew to be much more liberal and forgiving than the GDR State. When Gorbachev visited the GDR earlier in '89, the people chanted, "Gorbi! Gorbi!" Gorbachev himself was unwilling to back Honecker's hard-line policies.
And so we saw a peaceful revolution in East Germany. But I think that had much more to do with the struggles and sacrifices of the people over the course of 50 years, rather than the policies of Gorbachev.
I guess I am just rambling on about history, but as a German major, I love this stuff. Sure, Russia still has major issues, but the changes that have happened there in the past 20 years are incredibly remarkable. Hooray for democracy.

More walls, more falls?

BBC's special report on the walls that still stand.

How do y'all feel about the wall between the US and Mexico? As students of international relations, I feel that we have a different, more in depth understanding of the factors that go into these walls that still exist... I spoke to a few co-workers at RHRC about the US-Mexico wall and they ALL replied with "but of course, without that wall, how would we keep them out?"

Just food for thought...