I Don’t Think That Word Means What You Think It Means…

 Posted by  2012 Election, Book Related, East and S.E. Asia, Foreign Policy, Middle East, Nuclear Weapons  2 Responses »
Apr 132012
 

Can we please stop using the word “embolden” to describe American policies with respect to our enemies?

“Embolden” has become a buzz word to attack the foreign policy maneuvers of political enemies here in the United States.  President Bush used to say that withdrawing from Iraq would “embolden” the terrorists–and many Democrats pushed back by arguing that in fact the Iraq War itself had “emboldened” the terrorists.  Just today Mitt Romney attacked Obama for “emboldening” North Korea by trying to engage with them diplomatically.

But what does “embolden” actually mean?  The dictionary definition is to make bold, to give someone courage or confidence.  But in the context of a strategic environment, it really doesn’t make a lot of sense. Continue reading »

Telling Autocrats What To Do

 Posted by  East and S.E. Asia, Foreign Policy, Middle East  1 Response »
Jul 082009
 

Let’s call it the Wilsonian myth. It’s one of the most pervasive myths in American foreign policy circles today. It is the fundamental assumption upon which both liberals and conservatives base their calls for democracy and human rights. And, unfortunately, it is completely wrong. What is it? I think the editorial in today’s New York Times on China’s most recent human rights abuses sums the myth up pretty well:

“China must ensure a transparent investigation of the violence and respect the rights of anyone who has been arrested. It must work toward political solutions that give Uighurs, Tibetans and other minority groups more autonomy over their lives. Beijing’s rulers will never achieve the stability they covet until they deal with the root causes of these problems.”

Continue reading »

Mutually Assured Safety

 Posted by  Debt and Deficit, East and S.E. Asia, Foreign Policy  2 Responses »
Jun 272008
 

I’m normally a big fan of John Stewart, and I also generally have a lot of respect for Ted Koppel. But I was bothered by something that the two of them said yesterday during Koppel’s appearance on The Daily Show. Koppel was promoting a Discovery Channel special that has yet to air on capitalism in China, and the subject quickly turned to America’s debt, about one quarter of which is owned by the Chinese. Stewart then asked Koppel if he thought that China was about to “pull the rug out” of the American economy. Koppel basically responded that “they rely too much on selling products to the American consumer to want to do that”–certainly a true response. But no one mentioned the larger point about the developing Chinese-American relationship, contained in an old adage: if you borrow $10,000, the bank owns you, if you borrow $10 million, you own the bank.
Continue reading »

Don’t Taint The Games

 Posted by  East and S.E. Asia, Sports  39 Responses »
Apr 082008
 

I love the Olympic Games. I love seeing great athletes compete in obscure sports. I love the chance to watch Bob Costas every day. I love that the competitors compete not for money, but for the chance to bring attention to their sports and pride to their countries. And I love those moments when people from around the world forget their country loyalties for a few minutes and stand together to cheer greatness. My favorite Olympic moment? It’s not even close: Eric Moussambani, the swimmer from Equatorial Guinea who took two minutes to swim 100 meters in 2000, and was given a standing ovation by the Australian audience. That day a man from a country no one’s ever heard of became a hero all over the world. That’s the heart and soul of the Olympic Games right there: no matter your country, your religion, your national or ethnic allegiance, your language, or your ideology, we can all come together and compete on a level playing field, congratulate the winners, and celebrate the opportunity just to be there.
Continue reading »

Politics in Japan

 Posted by  East and S.E. Asia, Foreign Policy  1 Response »
Jul 302007
 

Hey Silence, how about an analysis of what’s going on in Japan right now with Abe’s party losing the elections…

 Older Entries
© 2012 leftfielder.org login Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha