ZOMBIE CONTENTIONS - International Relations

Category Archives: International Relations

Comic Depictions of Mohammed: Knowing When to Hold and When to Fold

Did you hear the latest knee-slapper about Moses? Actually, I don’t have a joke about Moses to share, though if I did and chose to, I wouldn’t need to go into hiding. If the joke were sufficiently tasteless or insulting, the Jewish Anti-Defamation League might issue a statement. Beyond that I know of no organized [...]

¶ Posted 24 April 2010 † Howard Portnoy § ‡ Comments Off °

It wasn’t a very good year: 1938 – Hitler’s Gamble by Giles Macdonogh

Considering the centrality of “Munich” to American thinking on foreign policy – and the centrality of the war that followed to what America has become – there’s an argument for considering 1938 to be as important to our understanding of ourselves as other American milestone years – 1776, 1787, 1860, 1929, 1945, and so on. [...]

¶ Posted 02 April 2010 † CK MacLeod § Books § History ‡ Comments (23) ° Tagged: Afghanistan, anti-semitism, Berlin, Cuba, Georgia, Hitler, Iran, Iraq, Korea, Kuwait, MAD, NATO, Pre-Emption, SEATO, Taiwan, Vietnam

CONTENTION OF THE DAY – Resolved…

Instead of counting on watered-down United Nations sanctions, the West should cut off all diplomatic ties with Iran, close down all airspace and seaports going to or from Iran, sanction all companies doing business with Iran, and cut off its gasoline supply. We should then demand an immediate halt to all Iranian nuclear and missile [...]

¶ Posted 25 March 2010 † CK MacLeod § Contention of the Day § Iran ‡ Comments (32) ° Tagged: Iran, Islamism, Nuclear Proliferation, Sanctions

If Obama wins on health care reform…

Two stories, like the A story and the B story in a formulaic teleplay, have been dominating political news this week. The main story is, of course, Health Care Reform. The B story, developing independently, is tensions in the U.S.-Israel alliance. There wouldn’t seem to be an objective link between the two stories, but a [...]

¶ Posted 17 March 2010 † CK MacLeod § Barack Obama § Health Care § Israel ‡ Comments (20) ° Tagged: Israel, Obama, Obamacare, Zombiecare

CONTENTION OF THE DAY – The Obama Intifada

There have been positive signs of change on the Palestinian side in the last few years. The rise of Hamas has created panic within Fatah, and the result is, for the first time, genuine security cooperation with Israel. Also, the emergence of Salam Fayyad as Palestinian prime minister marks a shift from ideological to pragmatic [...]

¶ Posted 17 March 2010 † CK MacLeod § Barack Obama § Contention of the Day § Israel ‡ Comments (62) °

CONTENTION OF THE DAY – On Israel, it’s not Joe, it’s not Obama, it’s Petraeus

On January 16, two days after a killer earthquake hit Haiti, a team of senior military officers from the U.S. Central Command (responsible for overseeing American security interests in the Middle East), arrived at the Pentagon to brief JCS Chairman Michael Mullen on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The team had been dispatched by CENTCOM commander David [...]

¶ Posted 14 March 2010 † CK MacLeod § Contention of the Day § Israel ‡ Comments (85) ° Tagged: Israel, Petraeus

CONTENTION OF THE DAY – DEDUCTIVE LOGIC

I think it’s clear by now that Obama does not wish to make a confrontation with Iran part of his presidency. As I’ve written before, this means that Israeli security fears become a major problem for the administration: surely Obama realizes that one of his most important jobs is therefore preventing the Israelis from attacking. [...]

¶ Posted 13 March 2010 † CK MacLeod § Contention of the Day § Israel ‡ Comments (24) ° Tagged: Iran, Israel

The Great Game – All New Mega-Multiplayer 21st Century Edition!

Everyone agrees that events are fluid in General Petraeus’ broad domain, from Pakistan to Iraq, from Uzbekistan to the Horn of Africa. Wouldn’t you love to hear how his intelligence briefings are going these days? Come to think of it, there was an item about a raid on Wahhabists in Bosnia this week, too… so [...]

¶ Posted 19 February 2010 † CK MacLeod § Afghanistan § Pakistan ‡ Comments (22) ° Tagged: Baradar, Taliban

CONTENTION OF THE DAY – while we speak, envious time will have fled

Should the United States use force to regime-change Iran? No – not today. But should we be ready to use all the elements of national power – diplomatic, informational, military, and economic – to support the reformists, and actively hinder the IRGC in trying to suppress them and brutalize the Iranian people? Such intervention need [...]

¶ Posted 11 February 2010 † CK MacLeod § Contention of the Day § Iran ‡ Comments (35) °

Maybe there’s more to this 2012 thing…

Economist Andy Xie is now writing at Caing.com, the successor to Caijing On-Line, and his first two columns are, as always, well worth reading in full. They explicate the bear case on China accessibly, in concrete terms and with careful logic. If the author betrays a rooting interest, it’s not for or against China, but [...]

¶ Posted 01 February 2010 † CK MacLeod § China § Economics ‡ Comments (29) ° Tagged: Andy Xie, Bubble, China

Amateurs

Russians whiff in an attempt at political snark.

¶ Posted 25 January 2010 † J.E. Dyer § Barack Obama § Culture & Entertainment § Media § Russia § The Ineffable ‡ Comments (18) ° Tagged: Heavy-handed subversion, Obama, Russian Onion (Not)

Gay Marriage in China

The United States is a free country. China is not. Yet once in a while, we find a bit of evidence that suggests the opposite. The official English-language newspaper, China Daily, had this article. When I first taught at Hebei University in Baoding, China, in 1984, I never saw a single boy and a single girl walking together on campus, although I often [...]

¶ Posted 17 January 2010 † George Jochnowitz § China § Gay Rights ‡ Comments (109) °

Where I refrain from waving the bloody shirt over the Qazali release…

In a popular post at the HotAir Green Room, John Hayward – writing as Doctor Zero – refers to the freeing of Iran-backed Iraqi Shia insurgent Qais Qazali and numerous associates, apparently in exchange for British journalist Peter Moore and the remains of his murdered bodyguards, as an “outrage,” and demands an explanation (emphases in [...]

¶ Posted 03 January 2010 † CK MacLeod § Dextro § Iran § Iraq ‡ Comments (56) ° Tagged: Allahpundit, Andy McCarthy, Bill Roggio, Doctor Zero, Islamism, Jennifer Rubin, Maliki, Max Boot, Odierno, Petraeus, Qazali

Ockham’s Razor

The simplest explanation for a phenomenon, ceteris paribus, is to be preferred. Here is my candidate for understanding current American policy regarding Iran: Barack Obama wants Iran to acquire a a nuclear weapon, indeed several or even many nuclear weapons. Why? To teach Israel a lesson and put the fear of God into Israelis. The President [...]

¶ Posted 29 December 2009 † Joe NS § Arab Middle East § Barack Obama § China § Europe § George W Bush § Hillary Clinton § History § Iran § Israel § Japan § Joe Biden § Nuclear Strategy § Politicians § Race In America § US History § US National Defense § War ‡ Comments (83) °

CONTENTION OF THE DAY – chaotic and in constant flux

[12:53AM Tehran Time] Confirmed: Multiple reports of protesters clashing with special security forces in front of IRIB, one of the regime’s state broadcasting channels. Unconfirmed: Special regime forces trying to disperse the crowd in front of the IRIB building, but so far they have been unsuccessful. More reports of casualties coming in from various areas [...]

¶ Posted 27 December 2009 † CK MacLeod § Contention of the Day § Iran ‡ Comments (29) ° Tagged: Ashura, Iran, Khamenei, Protests

...WALL...

Latest on Tue, 05:42 pm
Zolt The Jew: I finished "The Israel Test" on the plane coming home from the beach, Colin et all my dear frems. I will try to email Colin a brief review tomorrow. It is a very important book, of just over 250 big print pages. I could write more on it right now but right now the blonde below is distracting my attention. There is something about blondes with that look and the puckered lips which drives Jewish men crazy, crazy, crazy, even after a full day of Shabbas prayer, oy vey!
CK MacLeod: The Blonde Below...
CK MacLeod: Stop distracting me... I'm conjoining universes...
narciso: Just to get it straight, you're talking about Lady Gaga,
fustidious: clean up on the recbrow aisle needed!
CK MacLeod: feh
fuster the never satisfried: I see that you've grown more fond of the menu on top thing. I liked it from the git, but wonder if you might to able to work on the eye-appeal of it.
Howard Portnoy: Wow, it's my first time here since your remodeled, Czar. Looks great! Kudos.
narciso: Moved on to the last of Larsson, the reason for Sljander's rather idiosyncraticpersonality, her father is a Soviet GRU defector protected by the evil Swedish state security, Sapo, Larsson's journalist background does allow him to expound on the 'national security state' hidden in Social Democracy

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- The Wall (4827)
  - narciso: Moved on to the last of Larsson, the reason for Sljander’s rather idiosyncraticpersonality, her father is a Soviet GRU defector protected by the evil Swedish state security,...
  - Howard Portnoy: Wow, it’s my first time here since your remodeled, Czar. Looks great! Kudos.
- Roman Polanski: The Other War (Culture, That Is) (35)
  - narciso: He’s printed up his whining statement, from the office of his chateau, no doubt, it’s hard to see someone more vile, then again he telescoped the water wars of the 00s,...
- New York City Announces that “Rubber Rooms” for Teachers Will Close (1)
  - Zoltan Newberry: It would be better if these hard working and badly misunderstood teachers were put to work, I say! They could raise money for education as targets in pie throwing daily fund...
- RECOMMENDED BROWSING (132)
  - narciso: You missed who that line was directed at Sully, it wasn’t Obama
  - Sully: @ fustotten: I didn’t like the baby campaign prop either, which actually caused me to wonder whether it was productive as a prop. And, on the subject of the presidency. There is...
Said in a Thread
- when you’re a designated shepherd or sheepdog…
  March 6, 2010 | 12:17 pm
  … (remember you can designate yourself) part of you is actually glad to see a wolf, because now you can prove to everyone how important you are, by bossing everyone around for their own good.
  
  “A doctor and a peasant know more than a doctor alone,” the Italians used to say. Self-appointed doctors everywhere are working to suppress this insight. Human societies can save themselves from the next wolf, if they are allowed to do so; but it is hard for them to save themselves from the shepherds.
  
  Margo @ Yet another global warming apocalypse.
- Archive for Said in a Thread »
Collected Poetry of Sully
- Telomeres
  February 17, 2010 | 6:23 am
  Telomeres of defined length,
  Were by his God in mankind bent,
  To make it sure that aged ones,
  Would pass to make room for their sons,
  Before they learn to mount the hill,
  They yearn to climb, their God to kill.
  
  New daughters too then see their day,
  As the used up old fair pass away,
  And the brighter young can in their turn,
  Seek their creator’s iron rules to spurn.
  
  One day mankind may beat the odds,
  And take on the powers of the gods.
  Sure on that day He’ll mold an image,
  And include within his toy’s equippage,
  A strictly limited telomere,
  To set for it a cliff that’s sheer.
  
  For once a former God is whipped,
  Displaced by his toy free will equipped,
  The former toy learns something odd,
  About possession of the mind of God,
  Namely, knowledge of the entire script,
  Makes the endless now a boring crypt.
  
  Mere mechanical beasts are not a cure,
  For their script entire a God knows for sure,
  To divert a toy must have free will,
  And at least a chance to climb the hill,
  There to displace its God, a bitter pill
- Archive for Collected Poetry of Sully »
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- "Jochnowitz, throughout the essays, is animated by the cool precision of logic.... scintillating, amusing, and provocative."
  —February 2009, Midstream
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