Now that Chanukah has drawn to a close, I wonder, as I tend to do around this time of year, why we celebrate the success of the Maccabean Revolt? As Joseph Telushkin writes in Jewish Literacy, “[o]ne of the sadder ironies of Jewish history is that the Macabees led a successful revolt against King Antiochus’s […]
Joelle Fiss of Human Rights First writes in the EU Observer that NATO’s new Strategic Concept offers the European Union the opportunity for better coordination. “Tellingly, Nato’s strategic concept stretches out globally to incorporate new geo-political realities for its future, opening the door to political consultations with powers such as China, India and Russia,” she […]
Wikileaks has successfully created an online forum that publicizes normally secretive communications. Its most recent attacks on the U.S. government and military have brought widespread condemnation from officials, diplomats, and civilian experts. It remains to be seen whether this public shaming will create more transparent government or just encourage diplomats to be increasingly secretive. But […]
On Anarchism THE LIE: According to David Brooks, “Assange seems to be an old-fashioned anarchist who believes that all ruling institutions are corrupt and public pronouncements are lies.” Gideon Rose stole this line and used it on The Brian Lehrer Show, saying Assange is “essentially an old-fashioned anarchist” with “an adolescent world view that all […]
Leading political realist and Harvard professor Stephen M. Walt recently published an article in Foreign Policy which argues that realism is intrinsically at odds with the concept of American exceptionalism. While Walt’s construct of American exceptionalism may appear overly simplified for the sake of the argument, the article does shed light on the inherent dangers […]
An open letter, sponsored by forty-six of America’s leading foreign policy academics, was recently posted to the bi-partisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (previously mentioned here: http://powerpolitics.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2010/11/17/slashing-the-us-defense-budget-not-so-fast/ ) criticizing the Obama Administration’s exemption of defense spending from the bulk of austerity measures aimed at restoring “fiscal responsibility”. As a service to my readers, […]
Jafar Panahi, a celebrated Iranian filmmaker accused of organizing demonstrations against the government and various other crimes, delivered an impassioned defense in court last month. Panahi was imprisoned in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison from March 1 to May 25 of this year. Panahi is the director of several internationally acclaimed films, including “The White Balloon,” […]
There’s been a lot of discussion at Opinio Juris this week about whether Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, can be prosecuted under the Espionage Act. See their posts here, here, and here. And read the text of the Espionage Act here. Here’s a relevant portion: Whoever, for the purpose aforesaid [e.g., obtaining information respecting […]
Patrick Frost of FPA Afghanistan writes that “the leaders and leakers of Wikileaks are rightly being near universally condemned” and argues that this condemnation should be extended to encompass the news outlets publishing the Wikileaks material. Patrick and I had this debate earlier this year. Starting here, then here, and here, and here. I suppose […]
Still traveling, in Saint Louis for a speaking engagement after spending Thanksgiving with my Mom; but wanted to comment on the most recent crisis with North Korea. 2010 marks the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean War and the 57th of the Mutual Defense Treaty we signed with South Korea. Yet though 60 […]
In international relations theory, there’s a lot of talk about the offensive advantage, that being the advantage a country gains by striking first in a military conflict. There’s comparatively less written about the defensive advantage. When a country is attacked, the victim population is galvanized against the attacker and neutral states may also turn against […]
Every informed and honest observer has known since 2002-3 that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program and that, in the absence of a general regional agreement, nothing ultimately will stop it from obtaining nuclear arms. It’s also pretty clear that the holocaust deniers currently running the country might actually use their bombs, and use […]
The International Panel on Fissile Materials, a MacArthur-supported international group of scientists that has been promoting a treaty to terminate production of explosive material for nuclear weapons, has learned from the Indian government that it will not be allowed to hold a meeting it planned for December in Delhi. According to a news report that […]
Proprietorship of information is an integral part of any nation’s foreign policy and national security. Ultimately, through collecting, maintaining, and exploiting secrets, governments can accrue advantages over both adversaries and partners, whether political, military, or even economic. Conversely, loss of such an advantage can have unforeseen and particularly damning consequences. One such consequence, as appears […]
It’s only the media–not a special, dedicated tunnel team–who might believe the identification of Guzman as the tunnel mastermind qualifies as breaking news.Any agent who’s worked the southwest border for a while already knows that if a tunnel or any other kind of operation is high-end, it’s almost certainly the work of “El Chapo”…