April 18, 2006
'Iranian Calculations' - 10:14 AMFurther driving home this point about Iran's nuclear plans, Matthew Yglesias makes a very cogent point about their national interest calculus: That observation could lead in various directions, but it's worth recalling that this is all taking place at a...
April 17, 2006
'More Iran' - 05:31 PMVia Talking Points Memo, Greg Djerejian of Belgravia Dispatch gives us a very useful quote-heavy comparison of the Administration's obfuscations in the lead up to the Iraq War and their current smokescreen over the Iran planning. For two reasons, the...
April 15, 2006
'We Knew This In January 2005' - 12:46 AMVia Making Light, Digby reports on a CNN interview with Col. (retired) Sam Gardiner (former faculty at the National War College) over the alleged Iran bombing campaign plans: GARDINER: Sure. Actually, Jim, I would say -- and this may shock...
April 12, 2006
'Trying to Get Committed' - 11:15 PMAs you may or may not know, the word on the street these days is that the Bush Administration's next big project is 'a sustained bombing campaign in Iran [which] will humiliate the religious leadership and lead the public to...
February 28, 2006
'Its Neck is Laid Between the Sword and the Block' - 07:12 PMThe title comes from a longer Kahlil Gibran quote, which appropriately enough also contains, "Pity the nation that wears a cloth it does not weave, eats a bread it does not harvest, and drinks a wine that flows not from...
August 01, 2005
'Monday International Roundup' - 05:15 PMIt's been a busy one: King Fahd dies at 84. Oil hits $65/barrel, and we all wait to see who comes out on top. Bush appoints John Bolton as U.N. Ambassador as the Senate recesses. Bolton will be U.N. Ambassador...
July 22, 2005
'Deconstructing Bandar' - 06:11 PMReturning briefly to the matter of former Saudi Ambassador Bandar bin Sultan, even if we accept that Crown Prince 'Abdallah is behind his ouster, we are still left with the question of Why?...
July 20, 2005
'Bye Bye Bandar Bush' - 08:12 PMVia Laura Rozen, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Saudi Ambassador to the United States since 1983, has resigned his post in favor of Prince Turki bin 'Abd-al-'Aziz, the former head of Saudi intelligence. Turki is the Saudi prince most closely associated...
July 08, 2005
'On International Aid' - 10:41 PMFor information and thoughts on international aid, one of your first stops should be my good friend Matt at the appropriately named TheNeedful.org. Virtually all of the links in this post are via him, and he's got plenty more where...
July 06, 2005
'Democracy, Ready or Not' - 07:52 PMI'm on a mailing list for incoming Columbia University students for the School of International and Public Affairs (I start this fall). The topic of African political and economic development came up today, and naturally the question of which element...
June 03, 2005
'A Puzzling Naivete' - 07:22 PMI'm starting a degree in international relations this fall, so I suppose that subject is a good place to start this blog. I'd like to address a disturbing phenomenon I've noticed in a lot of otherwise clear-headed and cogent publications....