Here is something to chew on: Journal of Democracy’s special issue on the Middle East Oxblog’s earlier debate about the issue. David Adesnik on Algeria vs Iran Found via David Adesnik of Oxblog. I’ll be reading these in the next few days and will comment later.
Special Registration: PR Failure
Here’s a news item from Reuters: Hundreds of Iranian and other Middle East citizens were in southern California jails on Wednesday after coming forward to comply with a new rule to register with immigration authorities only to wind up handcuffed and behind bars. Shocked and frustrated Islamic and immigrant groups estimate that more than 500… Continue reading Special Registration: PR Failure
Light Blogging
I haven’t had much time to blog for the past couple of days. Real LifeTM has intervened. Fall semester has ended and I have travelled home to New Jersey. Now, I have to run to see The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
Terrorism and Repression
The Head Heeb replies to my post about the purpose of terrorism: For the most part – as Zack agrees in the comments – this logic doesn’t work. In places like Peru and Colombia, for instance, terrorists were indeed successful in provoking repression. The only problem is that most of the people the terrorists thought… Continue reading Terrorism and Repression
Affirmative Action
This post by Matthew Yglesias mirrors my views about affirmative action.
A Brief History of the Future
Jim Henley has a very interesting post describing future trends tied in with Science Fiction.
Racial Discrimination: #5
Kieran Healy links to a study focussing on the effects of a criminal record on job prospects. Pager found a similar race effect to the study Kreuger writes about, but because she also looked at incarceration it brings it into sharper focus. She found that blacks “are less than half as likely to receive consideration… Continue reading Racial Discrimination: #5
Security: Pros and Cons: Part Deux
While we are on the subject of security policies, I should mention the FBI interviews of people from Middle Eastern and Muslim countries. I was also one of the people interviewed by US government agencies early this year. My interview was harmless. The time and date of the interview was set at my convenience. The… Continue reading Security: Pros and Cons: Part Deux
Hindu Extremists Gain
The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won by a landslide in elections in the province of Gujarat. In an election that was widely viewed as a referendum on India’s secular character, Hindu nationalists won a landslide re-election victory today in the western state of Gujarat, which was convulsed by Hindu-Muslim riots early this… Continue reading Hindu Extremists Gain
Military Punishment
Can the military punish killers among its soldiers? Specifically killers of innocent civilians on the side of the enemy. Obviously, we cannot look at the record of illiberal and fascist countries for guidance in this matter. However, looking back at US history, I don’t find a good record either (obviously, the record is much better… Continue reading Military Punishment