Faster TimesPub Date : 2011-03-25DOI: 10.7916/D87P97SQ
Lincoln A. Mitchell
{"title":"What Next for the U.S. in Libya","authors":"Lincoln A. Mitchell","doi":"10.7916/D87P97SQ","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7916/D87P97SQ","url":null,"abstract":"In 2002-3, President George W. Bush wanted to go to war in Iraq in the worst way possible; and that is more or less exactly what he did. Bush led the country to war based upon a very flimsy rationale, without strong international support and with no clear recognition of the extent or nature of the American commitment which would be required to succeed. The result has been that the war, after eight years this month, has been far more difficult than expected, success has been elusive, costs have been exorbitant and American standing in the world has suffered substantially. A central lesson of Bush’s rush to war, which is sufficiently obvious that it may not need restating is that it is much easier to get into conflicts like Iraq, that it is to get out.","PeriodicalId":389468,"journal":{"name":"Faster Times","volume":"2 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129911065","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Faster TimesPub Date : 2011-03-17DOI: 10.7916/D8RR27NM
Lincoln A. Mitchell
{"title":"The Tsunami, the Middle East and the U.S.","authors":"Lincoln A. Mitchell","doi":"10.7916/D8RR27NM","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7916/D8RR27NM","url":null,"abstract":"The earthquake and tsunami in Japan is a terrible catastrophe which has killed thousands, injured more and displaced hundreds of thousands. In addition to this devastation, there is also the possible that the nuclear reactors hit by the tsunami could continue to leak dangerous radiation putting millions at risk. Thus efforts to prevent further harm must begin while efforts to find survivors and begin stabilizing the damage are still underway.","PeriodicalId":389468,"journal":{"name":"Faster Times","volume":"30 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131852524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Faster TimesPub Date : 2011-03-08DOI: 10.7916/D8N01GX6
Lincoln A. Mitchell
{"title":"The Right Question to Ask About Intervention in Libya","authors":"Lincoln A. Mitchell","doi":"10.7916/D8N01GX6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7916/D8N01GX6","url":null,"abstract":"The case for why the U.S. should intervene seems reasonably straightforward. Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi is a dictator who, during his 40 years in power, has oppressed his own people and supported terrorism. In recent weeks he has behaved erratically and violently, threatening to drag his country into a bloody civil war which could affect the broader region. Based on this behavior, there is a clear and compelling argument to be made as to why the U.S. should intervene.","PeriodicalId":389468,"journal":{"name":"Faster Times","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131208704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Faster TimesPub Date : 2011-03-01DOI: 10.7916/D8CG00H0
Lincoln A. Mitchell
{"title":"Uncertainty and the New Middle East","authors":"Lincoln A. Mitchell","doi":"10.7916/D8CG00H0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7916/D8CG00H0","url":null,"abstract":"The first few months of 2011 have been a good reminder of the role of uncertainty in international politics and foreign policy. The overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, possible ouster of Moammar Gaddafi in Libya as well as widespread demonstrations in Bahrain, Tunisia, where this all started, Morocco and elsewhere in the Middle East will likely be among the biggest issues and challenges facing American policy makers for quite a while, and will almost certainly dominate foreign policy questions for the duration of Barack Obama’s time as president.","PeriodicalId":389468,"journal":{"name":"Faster Times","volume":"19 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134407266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Faster TimesPub Date : 2010-12-20DOI: 10.7916/D8M90K2N
Lincoln A. Mitchell
{"title":"Elections and Power in Belarus","authors":"Lincoln A. Mitchell","doi":"10.7916/D8M90K2N","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7916/D8M90K2N","url":null,"abstract":"From 2003-2005, a wave of Color Revolutions brought about regime change in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan. These Color Revolutions all saw fraudulent elections lead to the ouster of undemocratic leaders. Although, for the most part these events failed to bring about the democratic advances which many hoped they would, the Color Revolutions were dramatic, largely peaceful events which inspired many people in that region and beyond. The wave of Color Revolutions did not last long, as fraudulent elections in Azerbaijan in 2005 and Belarus in 2006 led to some demonstrations followed by displays of state strength that ended those demonstrations quickly. Despite efforts in Iran and elsewhere, the Color Revolution model has not been successfully replicated since 2005.","PeriodicalId":389468,"journal":{"name":"Faster Times","volume":"5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2010-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129731559","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Faster TimesPub Date : 2010-11-30DOI: 10.7916/D89G5X7V
Lincoln A. Mitchell
{"title":"WikiLeaks and the Power of Secrecy","authors":"Lincoln A. Mitchell","doi":"10.7916/D89G5X7V","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7916/D89G5X7V","url":null,"abstract":"The newest revelations from WikiLeaks is being described as a major scandal revealing potentially embarrassing and damaging secrets for the U.S., possibly causing tension between the U.S. and important allies and has caused the Obama administration to consider legal action against WikiLeaks. These leaks raise may cause lasting harm to the U.S. Much of this will be little more than embarrassing, but some will have more serious implications for the country and its security.","PeriodicalId":389468,"journal":{"name":"Faster Times","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2010-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128097000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Faster TimesPub Date : 2010-11-18DOI: 10.7916/D8NZ8J24
Lincoln A. Mitchell
{"title":"China Can't Have It Both Ways, but Neither Should the U.S.","authors":"Lincoln A. Mitchell","doi":"10.7916/D8NZ8J24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7916/D8NZ8J24","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":389468,"journal":{"name":"Faster Times","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2010-11-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126964507","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Faster TimesPub Date : 2010-11-09DOI: 10.7916/D81C268Z
Lincoln A. Mitchell
{"title":"Georgia's Paradoxes","authors":"Lincoln A. Mitchell","doi":"10.7916/D81C268Z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7916/D81C268Z","url":null,"abstract":"Upon returning from another trip to Georgia the contradictions of the post-Rose Revolution, and post-war period in that country remain more clear than ever. The country has made some very unambiguously positive steps in the last seven years, and even the last two years. It is impossible not to notice this when visiting Georgia and its capital, Tbilisi. The city is replete with new buildings, bridges and roads. The disrepair of the immediate post-Soviet period has clearly giving way to a cleaner, better functioning city. The petty corruption which dominated former President Eduard Shevardnadze’s tenure as Georgia’s president has not been in evidence for years. University degrees are no longer simply sold by impoverished professors and corrupt university administrators. Police no longer stop drivers, seemingly at random, to shake them down for bribes.","PeriodicalId":389468,"journal":{"name":"Faster Times","volume":"431 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2010-11-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123412438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Faster TimesPub Date : 2010-10-21DOI: 10.7916/D8G450PM
Lincoln A. Mitchell
{"title":"Angela Merkel and the Failure of Multi-Culturalism in Germany","authors":"Lincoln A. Mitchell","doi":"10.7916/D8G450PM","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7916/D8G450PM","url":null,"abstract":"Angela Merkel’s recent remarks about the failure of Germany as a multi-cultural society are disturbing for a number of reasons. It is possible to interpret this simply as chauvinism on the part of the German chancellor, but there is likely more to her comments than that. While the accuracy of her statement can certainly be debated, it is clear that Merkel’s comments reflect views held by many in Germany, as well as in Europe more broadly. The question is what should Germany, or any country, do about a situation like this.","PeriodicalId":389468,"journal":{"name":"Faster Times","volume":"22 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2010-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132263088","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Faster TimesPub Date : 2010-10-07DOI: 10.7916/D82V2RJ9
Lincoln A. Mitchell
{"title":"Why Obama Institutionalized the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars","authors":"Lincoln A. Mitchell","doi":"10.7916/D82V2RJ9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7916/D82V2RJ9","url":null,"abstract":"The war in Afghanistan has now gone on for nine full years with no clear end, other than a self-imposed summer 2011 deadline from which the administration has been back pedaling almost since it was set, in sight. Similarly, the end-again-of combat operations in Iraq has left 50,000 American troops there with no clear indication of when they will come home. Ironically, a president whose campaign was initially made possible by substantial support from the anti-war movement, will be responsible not for ending the two wars that he inherited, but for institutionalizing them.","PeriodicalId":389468,"journal":{"name":"Faster Times","volume":"25 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2010-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127972673","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}