I’ve arrived in Samoa to start my Clinton-Fulbright Fellowship, working with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology on disaster management and response policy. I’ll be blogging on the technical details of what I’m doing starting next week, but just wanted to post a few photos from my journey.
Peacekeeping, economic growth and technology
The economics of peacekeeping are difficult to unpack but there are signs that when a mission has a strategy that includes long-range economic planning, it can have positive long term effects on the host country’s economy. This could help us understand the strategic value of communication technology as not just a tool for good governance … Continue reading Peacekeeping, economic growth and technology
Syria Update
Yesterday I mentioned the need to be transparent with our intelligence on chemical weapons use in Syria if we wanted to take the moral high ground. Today I read the release outlining the U.S. intelligence findings on the attack. The Huffington Post linked to this, along with a quote from Secretary of State Kerry that … Continue reading Syria Update
Getting traction in the United Nations on Syria
As I've been following story of the chemical weapons attacks in Syria, and the resulting moves to prepare for military strikes, I've felt like the U.N. has been an under-utilized resource for dealing with the crisis. A few friends mention that President Obama's 'red line' could be defined as something other than a military strike, … Continue reading Getting traction in the United Nations on Syria
The Fulbright-Clinton Crew Meets Secretary Clinton
Matrix Math and Paul Revere
This week has been a rather stat oriented week of posts. I blame this on the fact that political economy and peacekeeping has been dominating my official academic life in the form of a comprehensive exam. The silver lining is that I will soon have political economy and peacekeeping content galore. To keep everyone entertained this … Continue reading Matrix Math and Paul Revere
Unpacking P-values: Turning statistical significance into practical significance
I often get questions about the veracity of using statistics to understand conflict and political behavior, especially when using predictive or confirmatory analytic methods. The questions are well founded, since a recent article found that potentially up to 54% of statistical results in the medical field are spurious. This should give social scientists pause, since … Continue reading Unpacking P-values: Turning statistical significance into practical significance
Tech, Development and the Pacific Region: Analysis from Gerard McCarthy
I haven't posted much recently, and probably won't be able to post much for the next week or so (blasted comprehensive exam and Fulbright paperwork), but I started my morning off right when I came across my colleague Gerard McCarthy's new article on how AusAID could benefit from an institutional technology for development strategy. Gerard's article is … Continue reading Tech, Development and the Pacific Region: Analysis from Gerard McCarthy
Fulbright-Clinton Fellowship: Quite the welcome
So this week is the orientation week for 23 of my colleagues and me as we prepare to head off and do our Fulbright-Clinton Fellowships. People will be going all over: Burma, Ethiopia, Haiti, Malawi, Samoa, Cote D'Ivoire and Guatemala. What really struck me was the history and the timelessness of the Fulbright program. Former … Continue reading Fulbright-Clinton Fellowship: Quite the welcome
Complex Peacekeeping and Tech: Don’t forget the politics and the people
General H.R. McMaster recently published an op-ed in the New York Times on the folly of thinking war can be easily won, and the intellectual gymnastics policy makers will do to maintain that illusion. As I read his analysis, many of his observations are germane when thinking about the drive to "tech-up" peacekeeping operations. McMaster's … Continue reading Complex Peacekeeping and Tech: Don’t forget the politics and the people
Charles P. Martin-Shields 