Category Archives: Foreign affairs

US Out by 2011?

Posted on August 21, 2008 by Joshua Foust

To celebrate the news that the u.S. has possibly negotiated a full withdrawal from Iraq by 2011, here is Kids in the Hall’s Buddy Cole on his romance in Baghdad.

Posted in Foreign affairs | Tagged Iraq | Leave a comment

How Blogs Failed the War in Georgia

Posted on August 19, 2008 by Joshua Foust

Columbia Journalism Review asked me to write an essay criticizing blogger coverage of the War in Georgia. As I’m sure you can imagine, I was scathing. While this wasn’t necessarily surprising—after all, these blogs all talk in a big circle, … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogs, Foreign affairs, Josh's Page, Media | Tagged blogosphere, Georgia, Media | 5 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on August 18, 2008 by Joshua Foust

Surely, some of our terms for peace will have to be modified to correspond to new realities on the ground and to achieve our ultimate ends, which are security for the Kosovars and peace and stability in the Balkans. Genuine … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008, Foreign affairs | Tagged Georgia, Kosovo, McCain, separatism, use of force | 6 Comments

Another Iranian Rocket Test, Another Failure?

Posted on August 18, 2008 by ChrisB

It’s certainly not unheard of, so was the recent Iranian rocket test really a success? The ever sourced “senior U.S. official” says the rocket wasn’t successful. “The Iranians did not successfully launch the rocket,” a senior U.S. defense official told … Continue reading →

Posted in Chris' Page, Foreign affairs | Tagged Iran, rocket, test | 1 Comment

The Vandalism of Russian Occupation

Posted on August 16, 2008 by Lee

Ceasefire be damned,* the Russian army reportedly destroyed the Metekhi-Grakali railway bridge. The bridge was used by Georgian refugees fleeing the mayhem in the Russian occupied zones given that the highway is controlled by the Russian army, which has naturally … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged army, Azerbaijan, Azeri, bridge, ceasefire, Condoleezza Rice, corruption, energy, export, factions, Georgia, humanitarian crisis, infrastructure, Medvedev, Metekhi-Grakali, military, occupation, oligarchy, oligcarch, refugees, Russia, vandalism | Leave a comment

Russian Imperialism and the Election

Posted on August 16, 2008 by Lee

(photo: Chris Dunn) John Bolton argues that the future of Russian imperialism in Eurasia rides on the outcome of the US presidential election. Unsurprisingly, he pitches McCain: “First reactions, before the campaigns’ pollsters and consultants get involved are always the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008, Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged campaign, centrism, consultants, divided government, Domestic Politics, election, Eurasia, Foreign affairs, Georgia, geostrategy, imperialism, indicators, invasion, John Bolton, McCain, Obama, political, polls, presidency, Rasmussen, revanchism, Russia, Russian imperialism, war | Leave a comment

NATO Protection only for Perfection?

Posted on August 15, 2008 by Lee

Alex Harrowell reminds us that NATO wasn’t always so timorous about conflict risk exposure: [I]f we assume that Georgia, and specifically Mikhail Saakashvili’s version of it, wasn’t sufficiently responsible (adult, civilised, possibly even white?) to play, how do we explain … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged 1945, 1955, Aegean Sea, Alex Harrowell, conflict, cowboys, EU, Fistful of Euros, frozen conflict, frozen conflicts, Georgia, Germany, greece, indians, Mikhail Saakashvili, NATO, risk exposure, Russia, Turkey, war | Leave a comment

A Unity of Black Hearts

Posted on August 15, 2008 by Lee

Russian Major General Vyacheslav Nikolaevich Borisov, in command of occupied Gori, has finally received orders to do something about the Russian allied irregulars who are rampaging in Georgia committing atrocities: “Ossetians are killing poor Georgians, this is a problem and … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged atrocities, caucasus, children, elderly, ethnic cleansing, Georgia, Gori, Institute for War and Peace Reporting, murder, occupation, rape, Russia, Slobodan Milošević, South Ossetia, Thomas de Waal, Tony Halpin, Vyacheslav Nikolaevich Borisov, war, war crimes, Yugoslavia | Leave a comment

Georgian Wine Solidarity and Other Things

Posted on August 15, 2008 by Lee

Estonians and Latvians are apparently buying up all available Georgian wine in a demonstration of national solidarity with the beleaguered republic. Particularly popular is the consumer label Old Tbilisi (order here). Sandra Saakashvili, First Lady of Georgia, is weathering the … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged consumer, Estonia, Foreign Notes, Georgia, Georgian wine, humanitarian, Kateryna Yushchenko, Latvia, NATO, Old Tbilisi, Russia, Saakashvili, Sandra Saakashvili, snipers, Ukraine, wine | Leave a comment

Korski’s Horse Race of Horror & Overstaying Your Invasion

Posted on August 15, 2008 by Lee

(photo: Vladimer Shioshvili) Daniel Korski very prematurely calls winners and losers in the Russo-Georgian War. Too much to be decided yet for this to be a sensible exercise…and there is that small matter that Russian armor is now only thirty … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Leave a comment

Blameless are the Bellicose?

Posted on August 15, 2008 by Lee

(photo: Pavel Trebukov | blog) From the gang who brought you the “because Georgia has invaded its own country we had to attack” rationale for the South Ossetian War, Poland has now apparently “made itself a target” for Russian nuclear … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs | Tagged advocacy, attack, ballistic, ballistic missiles, borders, Boris Yeltsin, frontier war, Georgia, ICBM, international relations, invasion, Iran, militarism, missile defense, nmd, nuclear, nuclear strike, Pavel Trebukov, Poland, propaganda, republics, salvo, security policy, South Ossetia, strike, target, targets, vanity, West | Leave a comment

Estonia: Get Georgia and Ukraine in NATO Now

Posted on August 15, 2008 by Lee

Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves says the West must act fast: “They should take Ukraine immediately into NATO, and what is left of Georgia,” he told Reuters by telephone, adding that a decision this year not to give the two … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged Black Sea, Estonia, fleet, Georgia, NATO, Sevastopol, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Ukraine, Victor Yushchenko, war, West | 3 Comments

Deny, Deny, Legitimize.

Posted on August 15, 2008 by Lee

It seems Russia is increasingly leaning toward dismembering the Republic of Georgia, something previously denied, now legitimized. The predominant characteristic of Russian policy in Georgia up to this point actually. In the same vein, Russia is finally admitting to being … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged Anatoly Nogovitsyn, General staff, Georgia, intelligence, invasion, Nogovitsyn, Poti, republic, Russia, war | Leave a comment

Photos from the Front

Posted on August 15, 2008 by Lee

89 amateur snapshots from the war in Georgia. Some are rather gruesome, so avoid this link if you’ve a weak stomach. It was good to see some US munitions and equipment in Georgian hands too.

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged amateur, equipment, front, Georgia, munitions, photos, Russia, snapshots, South Ossetia, US, war | Leave a comment

War Crimes Live

Posted on August 14, 2008 by Lee

Georgian television reporter Tamara Urushadze gets shot by a Russian sniper as she delivered a live report near Gori. Tough girl, she finishes the report without a tear.

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page, Media | Tagged Georgia, girl, Gori, journalism, live, Media, reporter, Russia, sniper, Tamara Urushadze, television, tough, video, youtube | Leave a comment

Russia as Rogue

Posted on August 14, 2008 by Lee

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says “the world can forget about” Georgia’s territorial integrity. Quite a remarkable statement from the former permanent representative to the United Nations. As a statement of purpose or justification in his country’s war, it is … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged Abkhazia, charter, conflict, conquest, Cuba, foreign inister, Georgia, irridentism, Russia, separatists, Serbia, Sergei Lavrov, South Ossetia, United Nations, war | Leave a comment

Going to Tbilisi?

Posted on August 13, 2008 by Lee

Russian units are on the move again in Georgian territory, apparently in violation of the truce agreement. One Russian soldier in a large convoy shouted an ominous flirtation to a press photographer outside Gori, hopefully in jest or lust: “Come … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged Caucasian, Culture, democracy, Domestic Politics, factions, Georgia, Gori, Media, Medvedev, military, monocrats, photographer, political, Putin, Russia, Tbilisi, war | Leave a comment

Hey, Remember that One Time Some of You Made Fun of Me for Saying that Georgia Wouldn’t Be Occupied?

Posted on August 12, 2008 by Joshua Foust

Exactly. Now, as for Lee’s latest… Let’s just say I’ll be shocked if Saakashvili lasts the year.

Posted in Foreign affairs | Tagged Georgia, Joshua Foust, Lee, occupation, Russia, Saakashvili, treaties, truce, war | 7 Comments

Saakashvili has a Future

Posted on August 12, 2008 by Lee

Last night Joshua argued that Saakashvili, having quite obviously failed to recapture his renegade territories, is certain to be finished one way or the other. Either overthrown by the Russian army, or by the Georgian people at the ballot box. … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged ballot box, democracy, Domestic Politics, Georgia, Joshua Foust, nationalism, Russia, Russian Army, Saakashvili, United States, war | Leave a comment

Recent History – Republic of Georgia

Posted on August 12, 2008 by Keith_Indy

I’m doing this for my own benefit, as I’ve not followed the goings on in the Republic of Georgia, except to note when it’s in the news, not our Georgia. April 18, 2008 Georgia sought the backing of NATO and … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Keith's Page, Notes on the war | Tagged Abkhaz, Abkhazia, aggression, air force, airports, Atlantic community, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Black Sea, CNN, conflict zones, Defense Ministry, economic, Edmond Mulet, escalation, EU, Europe, European Union, Fulcrum, Georgia, Giorgi Baramidz, Interfax, international relations, Irakli Alasania, Itar-Tass, Mamuka Kurashvili, Mig-29, Mikhail Saakashvili, military, Moscow, NATO, news agencies, oil, Ossetians, peacekeeping, Poti, pro-Western, republic, Republic of Georgia, Russia, Security Concil, separatism, Shota Utiashvili, South Osstia, spy planes, Sukhumi, Tbilisi, technica, troops, Tskhinvali, UAV, UN, United Nations, Vaziani, war, Zugdidi | 5 Comments

When There’s Nothing Left to Burn You Have to Set Yourself on Fire

Posted on August 11, 2008 by Joshua Foust

Sorry for my absenteeism on this, guys, but I’ve barely had the time to write on Registan.net about the war in Georgia (seriously, go there for some really in-depth discussions about what is going on), and have simply neglected copying … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs | Tagged absenteeism, blowback, Brussels, BTC pipeline, Caspian Sea, caucasus, conflict, Europe, Fidel Castro, frozen conflicts, Georgia, Medvedev, Moscow, NATO, policy, Putin, Registan, Russia, Saakashvili, separatism, South Ossetia, strategy, Tblisi, territorialism, Tskhinvali, war, western | 9 Comments

Gori Falls

Posted on August 11, 2008 by Lee

It’s looking increasingly as if the alarmists were right and Russia intends to drop all pretense. Georgian troops are pulling back to Mtskheta to defend the approach to the capital, if Russia pushes to conquer and subjugate the entire country. … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged Georgia, Gori, Mtskheta, Russia, war | 2 Comments

The Invasion of Western Georgia

Posted on August 11, 2008 by Lee

Russia has invaded Western Georgia (proper) and captured Senaki, far from Abkhazia. It’s being billed by a Russian official as a preventive move against Georgian troop concentration. This being yet another new rationale invented on the fly to justify further … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged 1998, Abkhazia, Eduard Shevardnadze, Georgia, invasion, puppet, Senaki, South Ossetia, trivia, war, Wu Wei | Leave a comment

So Ends the Kouchner Adventure

Posted on August 11, 2008 by Lee

Russia wants Saakashvili gone and then categorically rejects the French ceasefire agreement Saakashvili signed. Even while the increasingly uncomfortable Medvedev says they’re all but finished with military operations. The humiliating exposure of Medvedev’s “presidency” is one of the more comical … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged Cold War, Estonia, Europe, foreign policy, French, IBM, Javier Solana, Kouchner, Russia, Saakashvili, South Ossetia, Soviet Union, Tbilisi, Toomas Hendrik Ilves | 1 Comment

Arms for Georgia

Posted on August 11, 2008 by Lee

Evidently immune to the historical irony, Israel halted arms shipments to Georgia months ago due to fears of a Russian attack. As an IDF veteran interprets that: “When we found ourselves in a similar situation, we expected the world to … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged armor, arms, arms trade, AT4, attack, C-17, Georgia, georgians, Haaretz, IDF, Interior Ministry, Israel, Javelin, missile, Operation Nickel Back, Russia, Shota Utiashvili. spokesman, South Ossetia, veteran, war, weapons, Yom Kippur War | Leave a comment

Siloviki

Posted on August 10, 2008 by MichaelW

How much of the Georgia/South Ossetia/Russian conflict can be laid at the hands of a corrupt cabal of former soviet ministers bent on lining their own pockets? Perhaps a great deal. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has handed his Russian counterpart, … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, MichaelW's Page | Tagged Anatoly Baranov, atlas, banditry, Caucasuses, defense, Dmitri Medvedev, Eduord Kokoity, energy, ethnic nationalism, Federal Security Service, gas pipelines, Georgia, Joshua Foust, KGB, Kokoity, Mikhail Mindzayev, Mikheil Saakashvili, Mordovia, Moscow, North Ossetia, Palestinian Liberation Organization, Palestinians, PLO, pro-Russian, refugee camps, Russia, security council, separatism, siloviki, South Ossetia, Tbilisi, Tskhinvali, United Nations, Yulia Latynina, Yuri Morozov | 6 Comments

Found Him

Posted on August 10, 2008 by Lance

Joshua hasn’t disappeared, he just isn’t gracing us with his opinions on the conflict in the Caucasus, but you can find them at Registan.net, here and here. Heh, Insty links to him, but describes it as peevish (Josh? Peevish? Also, … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lance's Page | Tagged Abkhazia, annexation, caucasus, conflict, Georgia, Joshua Foust, Putin, Registan, Russia, Saakashvili, South Ossetia, war | 2 Comments

Georgia vs Finland

Posted on August 10, 2008 by Lance

Zbigniew Brzezinski strikes a note from our discussion on tonights podcast and compares the invasion of Georgia with Stalin’s assault on Finland. If Georgia can hold up the military end of that analogy it would be quite impressive. I am … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lance's Page | Tagged analogy, Finland, Georgia, invasion, military, podcast, Putin, qando, Stalin, Zbigniew Brzezinski | Leave a comment

QandO Podcast

Posted on August 10, 2008 by Lance

McQ, Dale and I discuss the Russian campaign against Georgia over South Ossetia. Generally I feel that our support should belong to Georgia. However, Georgia has severely miscalculated in this matter, and frankly our options are limited. At best, we … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lance's Page | Tagged Abkhazia, airspace, campaign, Dale, discuss, Georgia, Lee, McQ, NATO, negotiated settlement, peacekeeeping, peacekeepers, Putin, Russia, South Ossetia, sovreignty, US, war | Leave a comment

Glimpse of a Better Outcome for Georgia

Posted on August 10, 2008 by Lee

When it seemed like escalation was the modal reality, outcomes looked bleak for Georgia. Dynamics change. Thus Georgia’s ceasefire in South Ossetia cannot be a bad thing under the circumstances. By putting up an initial fight, they drew the attention … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged 1812, BBC, Georgia, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Media, NATO, opinion, peacekeepers, Russia, South Ossetia, Tbilisi, war, war crimes | 4 Comments

The “Serbian” Claim to South Ossetia

Posted on August 10, 2008 by Lee

The point has been made more than once that the Russian incursion into South Ossetia is ideologically motivated as a retaliatory gesture for Kosovo independence. Wu Wei makes a fine point about why this is not plausible if so: The … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged Albania, Albanians, ethnic, Georgia, identity, kings, Kosovo, Macedonia, Milosovic, Ottomans, Russia, Russians, Saakashvili, Serbia, Serbs, South Ossetia, Wu Wei, Yugoslavia | 1 Comment

The Trouble with American Alliances

Posted on August 9, 2008 by Lee

Always demanding when they need you, useless and even obstructionist when you actually need them. Our friend Geoff Morrell can serve as something of a personification of that characteristic in fact: Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said the Georgians had requested … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs | Tagged Chinese, Geoff Morrell, Georgia, Kevlar, military, NATO, Russia, South Ossetia, veterans | 2 Comments

Achieving International Opposition

Posted on August 9, 2008 by Lee

James Traub has written a magnificent survey of the events leading up to the current war in Georgia, and the personal contest between Mikheil Saakashvili and Putin.

Posted in Foreign affairs | Tagged Angela Merkel, EU, European Union, Georgia, Germany, James Traub, McCain, NATO, New York Times, Obama, Putin, Robert Kagan, Russia, Saakashvili, Ukraine, United Nations | Leave a comment

Policy Recommendations for the Demented

Posted on August 9, 2008 by Lee

One can always count on the New York Times for publishing pernicious editorial advice on foreign policy. To duty, Helene Cooper is eager for the US to seize the opportunity of the South Ossetia invasion to…throw Georgia under the bus … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs | Tagged ally, Georgia, Helene Cooper, invasion, New York Times, South Ossetia, Stratfor, war | 10 Comments

Who Owns Tskhinvali?

Posted on August 9, 2008 by Lee

So who is in control of Tskhinvali right now? Russia says Russia, Georgia says Georgia, and the separatists? Take your pick: Eduard Kokoity, self-styled president of the separatist region, said a “second attempt” by Georgian forces to retake the town … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs | Tagged Boris Chochiyev, Eduard Kokoity, Georgia, Reuters, Russia, South Ossetia, Tskhinvali, war | 6 Comments

US Begins to Align with Georgia

Posted on August 9, 2008 by Lee

Slowly the gears turn, but Washington and Tbilisi’s positions inch further into concord by the minute. The infamous “unnamed senior US official,” behind all important news events of the last century has spoken: A senior U.S. official says Russia has … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs | Tagged administration, Bush, Georgia, military, Moscow, Russia, South Ossetia, Tbilisi, war | 1 Comment

Some Anonymous South Ossetia Endgame Analysis

Posted on August 9, 2008 by Lee

Daniel Nexon gets an email from an anonymous Russia hand speculating on the grim possible outcomes for Georgia: This is not going to end well for Georgia. Russia has expanded its targets beyond the vicinity of South Ossetia, hitting not … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs | Tagged Abkhazia, Chechnya, Daniel Nexon, Georgia, independence, Russia, Russophile, Saakashvili, South Ossetia, war | 8 Comments

The Conquest of Georgia?

Posted on August 9, 2008 by Lee

In an unnerving development, the New York Times is reporting that Russia may be preparing for an amphibious assault on Georgia’s Black Sea coastline. Alexander Lomaya, Secretary of Georgia’s National Security Council: “Russia has clearly decided to redraw the borders … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged Alexander Lomaya, Black Sea, Georgia, Russia, South Ossetia, war, Washington | 2 Comments

160,000 Deaths

Posted on August 9, 2008 by Lee

At least 160,000 deaths in the suppression of Chechen independence by Russia. Just a reminder for when someone tries to set Russia up as the great defender of South Ossetia’s right of national self-determination. There’s a diplomatic argument for that, … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged Chechen, Chechnya, diplomacy, Georgia, independence, nationalism, self-determination, South Ossetia, war | Leave a comment

McCain’s Turks vs. Obama’s Armenians?

Posted on August 9, 2008 by Lee

Tsitsernakaberd (photo: Adam Lederer) Just when bewilderment at the spectacle of Steve Cohen going absolutely berserk on an Armenian film crew had started to subside (they were trailing him over his opposition to recognition of the 1915 Armenian genocide), I … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008, Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged 1915, Armenia, Armenian genocide, Armenians, ethnicc, facebook, genocide, liveleak, McCain, nationalist, Obama, Ottoman, social, socnet, Steven Cohen, Turkey, Turks, video, war, war crimes | Leave a comment

Choosing Sides on South Ossetia

Posted on August 9, 2008 by Lee

After an ambiguous initial reaction, the State Department appears to have realized that despite whatever Russia contends, it is physically impossible for Georgia to invade its own country: “We call on Russia to cease attacks on Georgia by aircraft and … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged Condoleezza Rice, Georgia, Iraq, Russia, Sergey Lavrov, South Ossetia, State Department, Tbilisi, United States, withdrawal | 2 Comments

Appetites of the Empire

Posted on August 9, 2008 by Lee

(image: Marcelus G. Zalotti)

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged Abkhazia, cartoon, eagle, empire, Georgia, graphic, invasion, Russia, South Ossetia, state seal, war | Leave a comment

China’s Olympic Designer to Boycott Olympics

Posted on August 7, 2008 by Lee

Chinese architectural designer Ai Weiwei, who conceived the now famous “Bird’s Nest” Olympic stadium design for the Beijing games, will not attend the opening ceremonies in protest against Chinese dictatorship. He has some powerful words of explanation in the Guardian … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page, Sports | Tagged Ai Weiwei, authoritarian, Autocracy, Beijing, bird's nest, boycott Olympics, China, design, designer, dictatorship, games, government, protest, stadium | 2 Comments

Thunder in the Place of the Winds

Posted on August 7, 2008 by Lee

photo: Isuru Senevi | site And so ends Mauritania’s brief experiment with constitutional democracy. The AFP has a source in the new ruling junta who says there will be new elections in two months. We shall see.

Posted in Foreign affairs | Tagged Abdallahi, AFP, Africa, Alex Ely, capital, Cold War, communism, constitutional, coup, darfur, democracy, extermists, Islamic, Mauritania, military, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, power, State Department, support, Washington Post | 1 Comment

Surprise, Central Planning is Still Stupid (Even in China)

Posted on August 7, 2008 by Lee

(photo: 2 Dogs) Modern China has a curious capacity to make otherwise very sensible capitalists instantly forget every experience they’ve ever had with government central planning. The Western businessman on a trip to Shanghai looks up and sees all those … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page, Uncategorized, Urban planning and development | Tagged aesthetic, American, bridge, capitalists, central planning, China, commercial, construction, cruise, disaster, Dongguan, Far Eastern Economic Review, government, Hongko, housing, Houston, international, largest, Los Angeles, planning, project, public works, republic, shipping, shopping mall, skyscapers, Soviet, terminal, urban planning, vessels, Waigaoqiao, Yangpu, yangtze | Leave a comment

The Virtues of Celebrity Foreign Policy

Posted on August 5, 2008 by Lee

(Photo: Alice E. Backer | blog) Andrew Galasetti at Lyved is an extremely devoted admirer of Obama. While fanatical devotion can blind — Galasetti thinks for instance that the McCain celebrity charge backfired, when the polls suggest a different picture … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008, Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged Asia, campaign, celebrity, election, Europe, foreign policy, George W. Bush, Johnson, leadership, lyved, McCain, Nixon, Obama, Rasmussen, world | Leave a comment

China & Russia: Models and Modalities

Posted on August 3, 2008 by Lee

Francis Fukuyama chats with Robert Kagan on a number of interesting things: Flash | WMV | MP3 (via: The American Interest). Of immediate interest is Kagan’s notion that the the emergence of global multipolarity induces an imperfect, baseline bipolarity of … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged authoritarianism, bipolarity, Burma, Calvin Coolidge, China, China Model, Cuban Revolution, diplomacy, eastern, flash, Francis Fukuyama, imperial, internationalism, Kremlin, Lenin, Mao, Moscow, mp3, multipoliarity, nationalism, Nikolai Bukharin, oligarchy, power, revolution, Robert Kagan, Russia, russocentrism, sinocentrism, Soviet, Soviet Union, Stalin, tibet, Trotsky, Tsarist, unification, vassal states, video, western, Zimbabwe | 3 Comments

A Paranoid on Paranoia-Last updated 1:06 CST

Posted on August 3, 2008 by Lance

After 9/11 itself, the anthrax attacks were probably the most consequential event of the Bush presidency. One could make a persuasive case that they were actually more consequential. You could? The 9/11 attacks were obviously traumatic for the country, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Domestic Politics, Foreign affairs, Glenn Greenwald's Carnival of Fisking, History, Lance's Page, Media, Notes on the war | Tagged 9/11, anthrax, conspiracy, Glenn Greenwald, Glenn Greenwald's Carnival of Fisking, Media, Terrorism | 16 Comments

Colombia’s Capitalist Communes

Posted on August 2, 2008 by Lee

Colombian flower farms (photo: Mike Freedman-Schnapp) Colombia’s flower farm workers have for some time been benefiting mightily from industrial support communities, which practice heavy nongovernmental social investment in workforce collectives. Many of the workers in these communities outside Bogota and … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged Bogota, business, CFTA, Colombia, Colombia Free Trade Agreement, community, daycare, Fausta, Felipe Arango, flowers, free trade, government, labor, Medellin, MG Farm, rights, Shapiro, Sherrod Brown, social investing, trade, USA, worker rights, workers | 2 Comments

How Supermarkets Can End Poverty

Posted on August 1, 2008 by Lee

Namibian supermarket selection (photo: Olivier Peyre) One of great inequities in the modern world is that in relative terms, food in poor and starving countries often costs far more than in the wealthy developed world. That’s because industrial countries tend … Continue reading →

Posted in Developmental economics, Economics, Foreign affairs, Lee's Page | Tagged Africa, agriculture, Ashok Gulati, Asia, chains, consumers, developing, Economics, fdi, food, food prices, foreign direct investment, household, Hugo Chavez, India, inequity, International Food Policy Research Institute, Latin America, liberalization, nepal, poverty, revolution, scale, spending, supermarket, Thomas Reardon, United States, vegetables, Wal-Mart, world | Leave a comment

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