I can't help myself...I saw this on Facebook and had to comment. But instead of bombing my friend's comment section, I decided something that was becoming a 300 word blog post should just be a proper blog post. Read the picture below; I've provided commentary underneath. There are a few problems with the above analysis. … Continue reading Bad Economic Analysis
2013 Update: Kenya, TechChange and TC109
So 2013 is off to a roaring start. I just relocated to a new place in the Petworth neighborhood in D.C. and learned that all the staff I worked with at the U.S. Institute of Peace back in the day all live within 5 blocks of me. But the big things on the horizon are … Continue reading 2013 Update: Kenya, TechChange and TC109
Crowdsourcing 2013’s Content!
So with the new year starting Tuesday, I will be continuing to blog into 2013. The past year has mostly focused on my interest areas, political science, conflict and technology. But I've also mused on things that are not my "core expertise", such as gun control and domestic politics. Since I'll be finishing coursework this … Continue reading Crowdsourcing 2013’s Content!
Merry Christmas!
Facepalmz: Gun control, armed guards in schools, etc. (Part 2)
Basically I'm just going to focus on the political economy, and problems of information asymmetry and game theoretic issues with the assertion that armed guards in schools will lead to no more mass shootings. For those who missed Wayne LaPierre's speech, Jason Linkins at the Huffington Post provides a really good assessment of it. With … Continue reading Facepalmz: Gun control, armed guards in schools, etc. (Part 2)
Facepalmz: More gun control thoughts (Part 1)
My last post got a little snarky toward the end, so I'm going to try to stick to purely behavioral or game theoretic arguments in this installment. I can already tell you I will fail. Without further ado, into the Thunderdome (of game-theoretic gun control arguments). 1 ) If they charge them, they will win … Continue reading Facepalmz: More gun control thoughts (Part 1)
My ordered thoughts on mass shootings and gun control
So I left a note on Facebook this past weekend that got some likes and a 'share' even. Being a Facebook post, it was long on emotion and a little shorter on precision, so I promised a friend a blog post that was a bit more structured with regard to gun control, mass shootings. Here … Continue reading My ordered thoughts on mass shootings and gun control
Goma, M23, and the success of peacekeeping
The timing of reading Virginia Page Fortna’s Does Peacekeeping Work seemed appropriate as the M83 rebels in eastern Congo (DRC) marched in and took Goma, only to recently withdraw under the auspices of the MONUSCO force currently operating in the DRC. During this series of events I saw a tweet from Oxfam’s Policy and Practice … Continue reading Goma, M23, and the success of peacekeeping
A thought on Gaza and Twitter
If an airstrike happens in Gaza and no one live tweeted it, did it happen? That I’m even pondering this question demonstrates a shift in the evolution of information control in military operations. Perhaps the issue we’re facing is that in times past we needed a barrier between the publicly available information about combat operations … Continue reading A thought on Gaza and Twitter
Book review! “Crafting Peace” by Caroline Hartzell and Matthew Hoddie
Caroline Hartzell and Matthew Hoddie make an argument that the most robust form of negotiated peace involves a well-designed power or institution sharing agreement between the parties involved in a civil war. They make this argument in “Crafting Peace” using a statistical analysis of conflict cessation that includes variables covering duration, external intervention and measures … Continue reading Book review! “Crafting Peace” by Caroline Hartzell and Matthew Hoddie
Charles P. Martin-Shields 