State of the Union Reaction

I’m sure you’ve all been waiting with bated breath for my thoughts on the State of the Union, just like we were all on pins and needles for Joni Ernst’s response speech last night. Unlike hers, this will actually engage some (though not all) of the content from Obama’s address. You can find video and…

Post-Midterm Thoughts

So elections happened this week in the U.S. And there were a lot of big victories for Republicans. As a self-identified anarcho-social democrat, this was not particularly encouraging to me. On the other hand, there were victories that I appreciate. Across the country, people rejected so-called “personhood” amendments (a.k.a. attempts to outlaw abortion and some…

Links to Start Your Week 2/9/14

Europe What started as a local anti-privatization protest in Bosnia-Herzegovina has morphed into a broader condemnation of corruption and nationalism. A Ukrainian man, reportedly very drunkenly, tried to hijack a plane and force it to land in Sochi. He claimed to have a bomb and was brandishing what looked like a detonator. The pilots were…

Links to Start Your Week 11/17/13

Surveillance/War on Terror Mother Jones published what I think is an excellent article on this year’s revelations about the NSA’s spying practices. Basically, they make the point that even with this absurd amount of data collection, which has ostensibly been mostly to enhance U.S. national security and foreign policy making, those continue to be areas…

Links to Start Your Week 5/12/13

This is a good way to follow up on Wednesday’s post. There’s discussion of the White House’s involvement in writing talking points after the Benghazi attacks. Also, apparently my referring to the State Department location attacked in Benghazi was slightly inaccurate. It was not a consulate, but rather a “diplomatic outpost.” http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/11/us/politics/benghazi-e-mails-put-white-house-on-the-defensive.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130511 Here’s a longer…

Benghazi Back in the News

This Wednesday Congress heard testimony on the September 11 attack in Benghazi, Libya. The attack killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens. Crash Course: Benghazi This is a very brief review for those who may not remember the specifics of the Benghazi attack. It took place shortly after the release of a trailer of an anti-Muslim film…

Links to Start Your Week

Happy Sunday Funday. Here’s what I’ve been reading this weekend. The president’s recent trip to Mexico and Costa Rica wound up revealing some details about domestic and Middle Eastern policy. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/05/04/what-did-we-learn-about-obamas-thinking-in-mexico/?hpid=z7 Foreign Policy magazine provides some reflections on the nature of diplomacy. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/05/02/would_machiavelli_have_drawn_a_red_line_diplomacy?print=yes&hidecomments=yes&page=full If you’re not familiar with Policy Mic, you should check it out….