Young Professionals in Foreign Policy blogs

The Great Illusion: Paul Krugman

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:50:38 -0700

While reading about the recent crisis in South Ossetia, Paul Krugman wondered if the second wave of globalization will share the fate of the first: world war. A world in which the US isn't the only military force, argues Krugman, is a dangerous one. Russia has proven itself willing to use gas as a political weapon, and China, emboldened by Russia's example, might invade Taiwan. These nationalism-powered conflicts threaten the stability of our globalized world.

I'm skeptical.

Gaz de France cancels Nabucco interest

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 03:04:43 -0700

French energy firm Gaz de France recently canceled its bid to become the seventh member of Nabucco pipeline consortium.

The French gas company’s involvement with the Nabucco pipeline was contentious. Turkish energy officials opposed Gaz de France’s involvement with the Nabucco pipeline because of the French National Assembly’s approval of a bill which made it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered at the hands of the Ottomans during the First World War.

Despite resistance, however, France continued to show interest in participating as recently as last month. Details of the cancellation were not given, though Jean Sirelli of Gaz de France-Suez said that it would consider rejoining if the pipeline was extended to France.

My take on it is that it doesn't really matter. Nabucco has enough leadership; what it needs are the actual supplies. Dubbed 'a pipeline without gas,' the Nabucco pipeline project has floundered in the absence of a natural gas source. Azerbaijan, the onetime hope for the pipeline’s leadership, is no longer “feasible” as a supplier. In the absence of a single gas source, Nabucco leadership is deliberating a more multilateral approach for the pipeline, potentially supplying Europe an amalgamation of Middle Eastern, Northern African, and Eurasian gas. This would raise the multi-billion dollar price tag on Nabucco even higher, but at the very least save its face.

YPFP at Wilton Park, UK

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:09:51 -0700

We had a great session yesterday at the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office. We heard from three panelists - each from a different desk within the FCO - and discussed a number of issues, including the UK's strategic approach to public diplomacy. Over the last few years, the British government has made a concerted effort to both revaluate and reconceputalize how their country conducts public diplomacy. Most recently, the FCO, led by Minister for Europe Jim Murphy, published a report called "Engagement: Public Diplomacy in a Globalized World." The report, which I highly recommend, was launched in the US at the Brookings Institution last month. It is a compilation of essays by leading public diplomacy scholars and addresses a number of the challenges facing governments today as they seek to promote their values and foreign policy objectives overseas. What struck me the most was the report's emphasis (and this was also brought up by the speakers) on a "new" public diplomacy for the 21st century - one that focuses on listening, dialogue, and real cooperation as opposed to diplomacy as propaganda: keep shouting your message, and if foreign publics don't seem to get it, shout louder. As an American, it seems that all too often we seem to fall in the latter camp, and sure enough Karen Hughes' failed "listening tour" was mentioned a number of times as an example of the old, ineffective way of conducting public diplomacy. Reading "Engagement" and listening to the panel, I was impressed not only by the more progressive vision for public diplomacy offered by the FCO, but also by the simple fact that their government is actively and critically reflecting on what does and does not work when it comes to public diplomacy and is unafraid to adopt a new paradigm and take bold action when old practices appear ineffective.

YPFP at Wilton Park, UK

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:24:55 -0700

WILTON PARK, UK—On our day-trip into London, we made a stop at the American embassy. A fairly heated discussion about Guantanamo Bay and torture completely dominated the hour we spent there. Guantanamo was raised simply as an example of an issue that must very carefully defended overseas; I believe our speaker merely referenced it in passing. The minute the issue was raised, my European and American colleagues took the opportunity to delve in more deeply. We hardly discussed anything else from that point.

Much of the critique I had already heard back in the States, even by some of our own policy makers and elected officials: violating the Geneva conventions, hypocritical, immoral, secretive, detrimental to the West’s efforts in the Middle East, and a bit disgraceful overall. One of the American students said “embarrassing.”

Ambassadors: Career Diplomats vs. Political Appointees

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 07:36:06 -0700

Here’s a good article by Barbara Bodine, former US Ambassador to Yemen and director of the Scholars in the Nation’s Service Initiative at Princeton University. She argues that the next president should stop the practice of filling over 30% of ambassadorships with presidential appointees, those loyal to the party or to campaigns. The positions should instead be filled by career diplomats. I think her article makes some good points but I would also add a few things:

YPFP at Wilton Park, UK

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:40:12 -0700

WILTON PARK, UK—My introduction to London was four hours spent in the Gatwick airport, with a splitting headache, no Starbucks in sight (I was in the wrong terminal for that), and in a pair of shoes that I’ll never wear to travel again. It was 3 AM on my body’s clock, so I sipped on a sub-par latte, wishing desperately I had a British accent and all the sophistication it implies, and prepared myself for the week ahead by browsing the latest Economist. I had intended to read it on the plane, as well as a whole stack of intellectual material, but the screaming infant in front of me had other plans for our seven hours together.

The Perils of the Palestinian Media

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:13:54 -0700

“It looks like Mickey Mouse, it sounds like Mickey Mouse, but do you think Mickey Mouse would ever tell kids to fight Americans and the Jews?” asks FOX News anchor Eric Shawn. The Mickey Mouse in question is nothing like his Walt Disney counterpart. His name is Farfur and he teaches Palestinian children to fight for Israel’s destruction and Islam’s domination over the entire world.

“Tomorrow’s Pioneers,” a children’s program aired last summer by Hamas’ official television station, featured this unlicensed Mickey Mouse and a young co-host named Saraa. Together, the two indoctrinate young views with teachings of Islamic supremacy, hatred of Israel and the U.S., and support of “resistance”—a euphemism for terrorism.

Young professionals in domestic policy

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:28:34 -0700

In what has been dubbed as the city's "brain gain," New Orleans has benefitted from the stream of young professionals moving to the city in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Many are compelled to move by a sense of wanting to help the city, either directly by working in disaster-related industries or simply trying to reverse the trend of net emigration since the 2005 disaster.

These 20- and 30-somethings work primarily in disaster relief work, but can be found in fields as diverse as business or politics. They come mostly for opportunity, and for the chance to feel part of something greater. They can see the impact of their work, be part of rebuilding a broken city, and a share sense of camaraderie and purpose with their fellow city residents. Personally, I wonder if these new residents seek some of the romanticism and raw energy associated with a rising American city - Gold Rush-era San Francisco, Atlanta during Reconstruction, or even 1950's New Orleans, as portrayed in A Streetcar Named Desire.

Obama's speech at Berlin's Victory Column still contentious

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 03:01:36 -0700

Berlin is getting ready for Barack Obama’s visit this Thursday. Today's Tagesspiegel predicts what Chancellor Merkel and Obama will discuss beforehand (the economy), Germany’s Social Democratic Party has made clear they do not want any call for more German troops in Afghanistan, and the current cover story of Der Spiegel explores how much “change” Europe can expect from the popular candidate.

Obama's Berlin speech - can he have his cake and eat it too?

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:33:08 -0700

Yes, if campaign officials select the new favored location for Obama's July 24th speech, the Berlin Siegessäule (Victory Column).

Putting Obama’s speech at the Siegessäule would be a smart public diplomacy for three key reasons:

1) "Change" - After the Brandenburg Gate proved to be contentious, other ideas tossed around by the campaign were Tempelhof Airport, site of the Berlin Airlift, Checkpoint Charlie, the only East/West Berlin checkpoint through with non-Germans were allowed to pass, and Schoeneberg Town Hall, the site of John F. Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech as well as a rally immediately after the fall of the Berlin wall. All these places evoke Berlin's Cold War History. By picking a monument that is both symbolic of Berlin and commemorative of another history (Prussian military victories), Obama's speech would now symbolize an intentional break with Berlin's Cold War past, and, consistent with the theme of his campaign, ushering in a new era for German-American/EU-American relations.

NEXT AMERICA POSTING: Careful What You Wish For

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:20:21 -0700

Check out the debate over Energy Independence at Next America!

Is Energy Independence A Myth or the Right Goal for America to Pursue?

YPFP members should definitely contribute to this fascinating discussion. Here's my response to the commentary from their website:

While energy independence is a powerful rhetorical concept, and energy security is an important strategic objective, neither phrase has very much to do with reality. It is essential for the health of our economy, the welfare of our citizens, the safety of our environment and the independence of our foreign policy that we recognize we are indeed in on the brink of an energy crisis and take appropriate correctives, but most of the solutions being discussed suffer from two flaws:

Three sides of the internet

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:09:16 -0700

The Bold
Serchilo is a new tool that allows a user to navigate several search engines at once and quickly be taken to the final destination. The website works by allowing you to place short commands before your search to tell the engine where to look for what you want. For example, users interested in searching wikipedia will type a "w" before their search terms, and be taken directly to the wikipedia page on that topic. The simple commands don't save you much more time than going to the website itself - Serchilo really shines when it comes to more sophisticated functions. For example, someone wanting to quickly search an exchange rate need only type in "eur-usd 115," and they will get a currency conversion.

Washington DC leading high-tech cluster

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:12:42 -0700

With almost 300,000 employees, the DC area surpasses Silicon Valley in number of high-tech jobs, according to a report released by the American Electronics Association. Adding over 6,000 jobs in 2006, the DC area also had the second-largest growth in the US after The Big Apple. Other leading metro areas by high-tech employment were the New York City region (#1), Boston (#4) and Dallas-Fort Worth (#5).

The study’s definition of “high tech jobs” encompassed a variety of fields. While New York City’s is a hub of internet services, Silicon Valley remains the national leader in semiconductor manufacturing. Washington DC’s tech cluster is based around computer system design.

The first city-level report created since the burst of the dot com bubble, the study also warned that stringent visa requirements barring skilled foreigners to work in the United States and lack of qualified American graduates would hinder high-tech competitiveness in the long-term.

Further Reading
American Electronics Report releases Cybercities 2008
Cybercities 2008 on the Business Innovation Technology Society blog

Innovative (and plugged-in) non-profits

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 03:42:18 -0700

As I've written before, our generation of 'digital natives' is also using the internet to change public service. Here are some innovative non-profits I’ve come across recently.

Creative Commons
Operating under the motto of "share, remix, reuse – legally," Creative Commons seeks to further idea sharing and creative thinking by providing an alternative to traditional copyrights. Founded in 2002 while Stanford law professor Lawrence Lessig was arguing Supreme Court case Eldred v. Ashcroft, Creative Commons licenses fall between the private domain (all rights reserved) and the public domain (no rights reserved). By selecting the degree of restriction, creators are able to maintain their rights while inviting derivative works based on their own.

The Associated Press and 'fair use'

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:43:29 -0700

The Associated Press has roiled the blogosphere with a recent attempt to enforce what it deemed as an infringement of copyright laws. Last week the American news organization sent a letter to the Drudge Retort, asking the liberal link hub to remove seven items that contained long quotations from AP articles. After leading bloggers criticized the policy the AP retreated on Saturday calling their action “heavy-handed". They indicated however, that the battle wasn’t over, and that they were going to find a “positive” way to enforce their copyright