Image Credit: Washington Post, Interesting things happen in Asia. Over the last few months a lot of interesting things have happened. Yet as 2013 rolls forward I find myself increasingly dissatisfied with the standard explanations American commentators rely on to explain Asia’s great power politicking. This post presents a few themes neglected by many analysts […]
“Jai Hind!” So said the President of the United States this week in an address to a joint session of the Rajya Sahba and Lok Sahba. It is about time. I have criticized the Obama Administration in the past for episodes of diplomatic ineptitude and cultural insensitivity. President Obama’s stay in India does not qualify […]
Consider: On May 31st a flotilla of ships organized by the Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief tried to run the Israeli blockade of the Gaza strip. As expected, the Israelis used military force to stop the flotilla from ever reaching the shore. Nine Turks died before the day was over. […]
Unless my readers have spent the greater part of the last five weeks inside a subterranean cavern they have doubtlessly heard and seen much concerning the ‘freedom flotilla’ that attempted to break through the Israeli blockade of Gaza and the (botched) Israeli commando raid dispatched to stop them. Proving our collective inability to place world […]
Last week Prospect Magazine published a significant essay written by Boston University professor of international relations Stephen Kinzer. The ideas contained inside are more than reasonable, though they will be deemed radical by most who read it. If you can only read one article today, I ask that it be this one: The Next Power […]
Today is the final day of the 2010 Shangri-La Dialogue. Named for the Singapore hotel it is hosted in, the dialogue is an annual summit of generals, ministers, and defense professionals from across the Asia-Pacific region. The dialogue is noted for its plenary sessions, whose speakers usually include the U.S. Secretary of Defense, the People […]
Earlier this week Sublime Oblivion linked to a smart quantitative breakdown posted over at the Russian Strategic Forces Blog concerning the new START treaty. Included was this useful table: RUSSIA July 2009 Old START 2010Actualoperationally deployed launches (total launchers) ca. 2020New STARToperationally deployed launchers (total launchers)[estimate] ca. 2020New START warheads[estimate] ICBMs SS-25 176 171 SS-27 […]
The security blogosphere is buzzing with talk of the Obama administration’s decision to scrap planned missile defense architecture in Eastern Europe. The majority of commentators have been content to play the role of cheerleader, offering no substantial analysis of the reasoning behind this decision or the diplomatic consequences of its implementation. As I read the […]
