International Economics & Security
All posts about international affairs.
Was Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine a failure of the thesis that economic independence creates peace. No, because Russia is not economically dependent on the Ukraine. The true test is whether Russia will directly threaten EU interests with an intervention of a NATO country.
Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State, is probably the closest I have to a personal hero. I was struck by her vehemence towards Edward Snowden. I do not see any other way the NSA privacy abuses would have come to light.
Sometimes the only thing we can do in the face of unbelievable horror and the seemingly unending pain that humans inflict upon each other is to give our attention. On these occasions, being a witness is both the least and the greatest thing we can do.
Syria is complicated; thus, it is not surprising that politicians, academic experts, and human rights activists are divided on whether U.S. military intervention will help or worsen the crisis there. The one thing most people are very wrong about, however, is that non-military options have been exhausted. I explain why in the following post. But also take a look what we as individuals can do to respond to this tragedy. If you have a link or a suggestion that you believe would be useful, please leave a comment.
Since I have been reading a lot of material on the civil war in Syria lately, I wanted to highlight the most informative articles on the current crisis. This list is not concerned with the debate on U.S. involvement but is focused on content that explains the issues prompting global concern.
The case being made by President Obama and others that the international norm prohibiting the use of chemical weapons has to be enforced through military force by punishing the Syrian government is to my knowledge completely unprecedented. It also seems dangerously incoherent.
Is the United States being hypocritical when it talks about supporting democratic transitions around the world while at the same time providing aid to repressive governments like Egypt? Is McCain correct that democratic values should define America’s foreign policy interest? My conclusion is that it depends on whether one is talking about short term or long term goals.
![[Updated] A Guide To Understanding Syria](https://www.arkellogg.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Syria_map_blank.png)
