Because everything is interrelated. There ya go, a college edumacation in one sentence. You know, these posts would be a lot shorter if y’all’d just figure out all the details. Okay, okay, here goes: Realists are wrong; the international game isn’t a single board with only a few main players. In reality (pun left in because it’s funny), international relations are twenty different games being played by two hundred players all at once and with a lot of pieces missing. … Continue reading “Why Russia Matters if China is the Enemy”
Isolationism is NOT in America’s Best Interest
George Washington famously advised that the US ‘avoid foreign entanglements’. In typical American fashion, we proceeded to ignore it completely and take it completely overboard as it suited us. Washington’s warnings were specific to his time and certainly an accomplished general like Washington had more than enough sense to realize the US had survived the Revolutionary War by the skin of its teeth and didn’t need to be trying that again anytime soon. We did, of course, in the War … Continue reading “Isolationism is NOT in America’s Best Interest”
Don’t Become The Monster: Foreign Policy Edition
Look guys, being opposition for the sake of being oppositions is STUPID. So quit it. Any questions? What? Oh for Pete’s sake… We’ve spent the last forty years in American politics with the Democrats desperately clinging to the coattails of Civil Rights in the vain hope of maintaining relevance. They settled for maintaining power. That’s now ending. Yes, the whole process was stupid. Could we please not repeat it on the conservative side? No, I didn’t say Republican because I’m … Continue reading “Don’t Become The Monster: Foreign Policy Edition”
Is There Anything in the World Besides Russia and China?
Sure. Australia. See y’all la… What? You weren’t kidding? Sigh… Okay, let’s lay this out straight. Nations-states can rub their tummies and pat their heads at the same time because nation-states are made up of LOTS of people and have a bunch of those people working in their governments. No one person has to do it all. Individual humans have limitations. We can’t know everything we need to know at any given moment about the whole world. A supercomputer couldn’t … Continue reading “Is There Anything in the World Besides Russia and China?”
It’s About the Future
Communism and socialism were both born in the latter part of the Nineteenth Century. I’m aware that the concepts of communal ownership and related practices do predate the Industrial Revolution but as political and economic movements, both are born in the later Industrial Revolution. The distinguishing of property into classes which could or could not be privately owned is a modern invention. You get to own your bed but not the land that the house sits on – modernity is … Continue reading “It’s About the Future”
It Ain’t About Putin
Before you ask, yes, this has to do with American politics and yes, it’s Wednesday. I’m not suggesting for an instant that Putin didn’t order the invasion – of course he did. Russia would have lost a LOT more generals and not in Ukraine had they invaded so much as a Mickey D’s without Putin’s say-so. What I am going to tell you is that events have gotten well away from Putin’s control. From the point of view of his … Continue reading “It Ain’t About Putin”
It Ain’t About Biden
I know, I know. Monday is foreign relations day. I’m getting there, you’ll see. There are a lot of conservatives that are not happy about the US’ support of Ukraine. This is not because they support Putin or that they wish ill towards the Ukrainian people. In my opinion, it’s largely related to the corruption links between Hunter Biden and Ukraine. Ukraine is not an innocent baby nor is it a little devil. Ukraine has a major problem with corruption, … Continue reading “It Ain’t About Biden”
It Ain’t About NATO
I know, normally I talk American politics on Friday. Well, that’s what I’m doing. Hang on, you’ll see – but first I need to kill off the stupid elephant in the room. To the best of my knowledge the ‘NATO expansion problem’ theory originates with Mearsheimer . I’ve heard him give one talk about it. It seemed a well reasoned position and he argued it compellingly. Before the invasion, it made a great deal of sense. It just happens to … Continue reading “It Ain’t About NATO”
The Failure of Realpolitik
Political Scientists like to think they are real scientists. Sometimes, they even are. Most times, they are analysts. But since the field has science in the name, they try very, very hard to be a sciency as possible. The results can be fairly comical. Scientist or analyst, they still need frameworks to work from. America has 330 million people and 22,000 plus governments. Making sense of that without some kind of framework is impossible. The world has 195 countries, not … Continue reading “The Failure of Realpolitik”
The Post Russo-Sino World, Part II
Okay, when last we left our hypothetical, the world had NOT ended in a fireball. The US was busily trying to corral nuclear proliferation and both Russia and China had fully collapsed. Nation-states can multi-task. They aren’t great at it because humans aren’t, but unlike your Supermom, nation-states really do have many people who can be directed to do different things. This is a good thing because the US is gonna be really distracted, as it was in the Nineties, … Continue reading “The Post Russo-Sino World, Part II”