Is It Time to Cry Wolf? Global Conflicts in the 21st Century

October 9, 2007

We had a great Political Pub last night. We had a wonderful speaker in Professor Hall Gardner of AUP and a large crowd that didn’t stop making comments and asking questions, even when the event was long over and we were out on the street saying goodbye.

Professor Gardner gave us an extensive overview of the world’s many hot spots, a picture that was not always comforting. According to Professor Gardner, the end of the Cold War fits a larger historical trend where the collapse of a major power leads to increased instability. In the past this has created the tinder for starting much larger wars, and Professor Gardner sees plenty of opportunities for today’s tinder to be lit, whether in Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Taiwan, the Caucuses, Darfur. The list does indeed go on.

What Can Be Done About Iraq?

January 17, 2007

We had yet to tackle the war in Iraq head on. Given the current state of affairs last was certainly the time. President Bush has had a hard job selling his new strategy at home, as well as in Iraq (see the lead article in the New York Times today), but he remains defiant in the face of Democrat (and even Republican) opposition. Yet while the Democrats are firmly opposed, they are still split over how to counter Bush’s call to increase troops. The US may soon have a second fight on its hands, between the White House and Capitol Hill, but can the outcome of that battle have any positive impact in Iraq?

The Axis of Evil!! How Frightened Should We Really Be?

November 7, 2006

In light of Halloween, we thought a discussion about the “Axis of Evel” would be an appropriate topic. Since President Bush labeled Iraq, Iran and North Korea the “axis of evil” more than four years ago, arguing for the threat they posed as creators and contributors to international terrorism, it would be difficult to argue that the world is a safer place and that America (with or without the world’s cooperation) has forged an effective foreign policy in regards to these three countries. But for all the threats that Iraq, Iran and North Korea may pose, are they truly “evil” and do they truly threaten the world today? Are they truly the monsters that not only lurk under our beds but that are ready to pounce the moment we turn off the light? If so, then what do we make of American foreign policy over the past four years, and is there anything we can really do about the current situation, whether through diplomacy, sanctions, regime change or war? If not, then are we wasting valuable political energy and capital fighting phantom threats, or have we perhaps created real threats that didn’t exist before?