Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The Most Important Committee You've Never Heard Of
Today I have a piece in the Daily Standard, co-authored with my good friend Richard Brand, on recent reforms to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.
Monday, December 10, 2007
The End of the Year at the Supreme Court
I summarize and opine on the latest goings-on at the Supreme Court here.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Christmas in Fallujah
Billy Joel, whose music was the soundtrack of my adolescence, has written a new song, the anti-Iraq War "Christmas in Fallujah." Interestingly, he refuses to perform it because, he says, it deserves a "younger voice." It's a good song, though I don't really agree with the message. You can watch Cass Dillon's performance of it here.
Friday, December 7, 2007
So if it's Hillary vs. Huckabee, where do we move?
The Hollywood liberalatti is fond of saying that if X candidate is elected president, they’ll move to France. Fine (though Alec Baldwin once gave me the finger when I asked him what he was still doing here). But what shall we lovers of liberty do if, come next November, we are faced with the possibility of having presidential candidates from both major parties who clearly have no understanding of this country’s founding principles? To wit, here’s one of Hillary Clinton’s latest sound bites on health care:
“We can talk all we want about freedom and opportunity, about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but what does all that mean to a mother or father who can’t take a sick child to the doctor?”
Iowa-leading Mike Huckabee, meanwhile, “combines pure moralism with incoherent populism: He wants Washington to impose a nationwide ban on smoking in public, show more solicitude for Americans of modest means and impose more protectionism, thereby raising the cost of living for Americans of modest means.” (Hat tip: George Will.)
In other words, on the one hand we can forget about Jefferson and Madison and on the other hand we can turn their republic into an anti-market nanny state.
Given that choice, we’re left with another one: Estonia or New Zealand?
“We can talk all we want about freedom and opportunity, about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but what does all that mean to a mother or father who can’t take a sick child to the doctor?”
Iowa-leading Mike Huckabee, meanwhile, “combines pure moralism with incoherent populism: He wants Washington to impose a nationwide ban on smoking in public, show more solicitude for Americans of modest means and impose more protectionism, thereby raising the cost of living for Americans of modest means.” (Hat tip: George Will.)
In other words, on the one hand we can forget about Jefferson and Madison and on the other hand we can turn their republic into an anti-market nanny state.
Given that choice, we’re left with another one: Estonia or New Zealand?
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Me on TV and Radio re International War Crimes
Tomorrow from 1:30 to 2:30 EDT I'll be on Voice of America's "Straight Talk Africa" discussing "the role of the International Criminal Court in on-going war crime cases concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, northern Uganda and the Sudanese region of Darfur." Live streaming video and audio here.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Constitutional Reform in Latin America?
Yesterday I went over to the Organization of American States (OAS) for a roundtable on “Constitutional Reform in the Americas.” The event featured opening remarks by the OAS Secretary General, followed by country-specific presentations by experts on Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Venezuela.
I won’t bore you with the details, but three themes emerged:
1) The ever-expanding constitutions of many Latin American countries, both to strengthen strongmen (Chavez) and to add to the copious list of positive rights (Brazil). This is not good for either constitutionalism or rule of law because on the one hand you have the country’s founding document being changed at the whim of a single man and on the other a constitution bloated with such things as the fundamental right to, e.g., four weeks’ paid annual vacation decreases in legitimacy. To paraphrase an old Argentine lawyer who advised that country’s last significant amendment process in 1993-94, “constitutional inflation leads to rule of law devaluation.” Alternatively, the Latin American counterpart to the old saw about French constitutions being filed in libraries’ periodicals section is that Latin ones are filed as encyclopedias.
2) The desire to constitutionalize (or rebalance constitutional structures relating to) the “special rights” of indigenous peoples. There is nothing wrong per se with wanting to recognize that certain native peoples preceded the arrival of European colonists/conquerors (British-American in the U.S., Spanish and Portuguese in Latin America) and that these people should not be exploited as a result of their having been vulnerable to colonization. But to enact wholesale nationalizations and special privileges on the basis of race, or caste, or tribe — let alone raise these perversities to the constitutional level as is being proposed in Bolivia — is a political and legal travesty.
3) The battle over political reform is no longer, if it ever was, between left and right or socialism and neoliberalism (the common Latin American term for pro-market policies and the Washington Consensus), but rather between democracy and authoritarianism. This may not represent that much of a change from the past — the populist governments that plagued the region in the 20th century could be alternately left or right wing — but it does confirm that the “consolidating democracy” project of the ’80s and ’90s has stalled if not taken a reverse. That is, the narrative that those of us studying Latin America in college and grad school in the late ’90s to early 2000s learned — the Third Wave of democratization, Latin America finally being on the right path but just needing time to grow economically – underestimated some nasty undercurrents of resistance.
In short, the roundtable was equal parts fascinating and frustrating. You can watch it (in Spanish) here.
[Cross-posted at Cato's blog here.]
I won’t bore you with the details, but three themes emerged:
1) The ever-expanding constitutions of many Latin American countries, both to strengthen strongmen (Chavez) and to add to the copious list of positive rights (Brazil). This is not good for either constitutionalism or rule of law because on the one hand you have the country’s founding document being changed at the whim of a single man and on the other a constitution bloated with such things as the fundamental right to, e.g., four weeks’ paid annual vacation decreases in legitimacy. To paraphrase an old Argentine lawyer who advised that country’s last significant amendment process in 1993-94, “constitutional inflation leads to rule of law devaluation.” Alternatively, the Latin American counterpart to the old saw about French constitutions being filed in libraries’ periodicals section is that Latin ones are filed as encyclopedias.
2) The desire to constitutionalize (or rebalance constitutional structures relating to) the “special rights” of indigenous peoples. There is nothing wrong per se with wanting to recognize that certain native peoples preceded the arrival of European colonists/conquerors (British-American in the U.S., Spanish and Portuguese in Latin America) and that these people should not be exploited as a result of their having been vulnerable to colonization. But to enact wholesale nationalizations and special privileges on the basis of race, or caste, or tribe — let alone raise these perversities to the constitutional level as is being proposed in Bolivia — is a political and legal travesty.
3) The battle over political reform is no longer, if it ever was, between left and right or socialism and neoliberalism (the common Latin American term for pro-market policies and the Washington Consensus), but rather between democracy and authoritarianism. This may not represent that much of a change from the past — the populist governments that plagued the region in the 20th century could be alternately left or right wing — but it does confirm that the “consolidating democracy” project of the ’80s and ’90s has stalled if not taken a reverse. That is, the narrative that those of us studying Latin America in college and grad school in the late ’90s to early 2000s learned — the Third Wave of democratization, Latin America finally being on the right path but just needing time to grow economically – underestimated some nasty undercurrents of resistance.
In short, the roundtable was equal parts fascinating and frustrating. You can watch it (in Spanish) here.
[Cross-posted at Cato's blog here.]
Monday, November 26, 2007
This Week at the Supreme Court
Notwithstanding last week’s agreement to hear the D.C. guns case — the announcement of which managed to be both later than originally expected and earlier than expected after the decision’s postponement – the Court has gone back to putting itself out of business by reducing its workload to nothingness. (How’s that for judicial restraint?)
The Court has granted review to 51 cases this term, putting it about at the same pace as last year, when only 68 cases were decided after argument. This is down from the 70-low-80s of the previous 15 years (except 92 in 1997-98), which itself is down from the 100-110 pace before that (and, for example, 129 in 1973).
But forgetting the numbers game, this week the Court is hearing four arguments, in cases involving: 1) private causes of action under ERISA (Larue v. DeWolff); 2) the deductibility of financial advisers’ fees from trust/estate taxes (Knight v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue); 3) whether New Jersey may construct a natural gas facility on the Delaware River over Delaware’s objection (New Jersey v. Delaware); and 4) the federal preemption of a (Maine) state law that blocks the delivery of Internet-bought tobacco to teenagers (Rowe v. New Hampshire Motor Transport Assn.). Not too exciting, other than that case 3 comes in under the Court’s rare original jurisdiction (meaning no state or lower federal court first ruled on the matter).
On Friday, the justices are scheduled to hold a private conference to discuss more pending cert petitions, with orders on those expected next Monday. The safe bet is that they’ll deny them all — though there is one interesting case (McDermott v. Boehner) where one sitting congressman is suing another over the latter’s disclosure to reporters of an illegally taped (and embarrassing) phone conversation. Stay tuned.
[NB: I recently started contributing to Cato's blog, so this is cross-posted here.]
The Court has granted review to 51 cases this term, putting it about at the same pace as last year, when only 68 cases were decided after argument. This is down from the 70-low-80s of the previous 15 years (except 92 in 1997-98), which itself is down from the 100-110 pace before that (and, for example, 129 in 1973).
But forgetting the numbers game, this week the Court is hearing four arguments, in cases involving: 1) private causes of action under ERISA (Larue v. DeWolff); 2) the deductibility of financial advisers’ fees from trust/estate taxes (Knight v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue); 3) whether New Jersey may construct a natural gas facility on the Delaware River over Delaware’s objection (New Jersey v. Delaware); and 4) the federal preemption of a (Maine) state law that blocks the delivery of Internet-bought tobacco to teenagers (Rowe v. New Hampshire Motor Transport Assn.). Not too exciting, other than that case 3 comes in under the Court’s rare original jurisdiction (meaning no state or lower federal court first ruled on the matter).
On Friday, the justices are scheduled to hold a private conference to discuss more pending cert petitions, with orders on those expected next Monday. The safe bet is that they’ll deny them all — though there is one interesting case (McDermott v. Boehner) where one sitting congressman is suing another over the latter’s disclosure to reporters of an illegally taped (and embarrassing) phone conversation. Stay tuned.
[NB: I recently started contributing to Cato's blog, so this is cross-posted here.]
Monday, November 19, 2007
Podcast of AFF Panel
You can listen to my take on private military contractors from last week's roundtable here.
Monday, November 12, 2007
AFF Panel
Tonight at 6:30 I'm on the monthly America's Future Foundation roundtable panel, replacing a last-minute cancellation. We'll be discussing private security contractors, with whom of course I had some experience in Iraq. C'mon out, should be fun.
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AFF Roundtable: Are Private Contractors Helping Our Troops?
Remember, next Monday, November 12th, AFF will host a roundtable discussing private security contractors. This isn't our usual day for roundtables, so make sure to note that the discussion will be happening on Monday.
Since private firms started taking a larger role in American efforts in Iraq, critics have dubbed them mercenaries and called for criminal investigations. Proponents of contractors argue that they've been essential to the security of both troops and civilians in a warzone. But are private contractors really private when they take on the powers of the state? Should they be limited? Have they helped us, or hurt us, in Iraq?
Joining us in the discussion will be Mark Hemingway of National Review, Jillian Bandes of Roll Call, Ilya Shapiro of the Cato Institute, and Christian Lowe, managing editor of Military.com.
The event will take place at the Fund for American Studies, 1706 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, near Dupont Circle. Drinks at 6:30; Roundtable begins at 7:00. Roundtables are free for members, $5 for non-members. So join today! Please RSVP to Cindy Cerquitella at cindy@americasfuture.org.
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AFF Roundtable: Are Private Contractors Helping Our Troops?
Remember, next Monday, November 12th, AFF will host a roundtable discussing private security contractors. This isn't our usual day for roundtables, so make sure to note that the discussion will be happening on Monday.
Since private firms started taking a larger role in American efforts in Iraq, critics have dubbed them mercenaries and called for criminal investigations. Proponents of contractors argue that they've been essential to the security of both troops and civilians in a warzone. But are private contractors really private when they take on the powers of the state? Should they be limited? Have they helped us, or hurt us, in Iraq?
Joining us in the discussion will be Mark Hemingway of National Review, Jillian Bandes of Roll Call, Ilya Shapiro of the Cato Institute, and Christian Lowe, managing editor of Military.com.
The event will take place at the Fund for American Studies, 1706 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, near Dupont Circle. Drinks at 6:30; Roundtable begins at 7:00. Roundtables are free for members, $5 for non-members. So join today! Please RSVP to Cindy Cerquitella at cindy@americasfuture.org.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Going Home Again
Last weekend I got to spend some time in New Orleans and Jackson, MS. I gave talks to the Federalist Society student chapters at the law schools of Loyola University and Mississippi College, but, more importantly, I attended the clerks' reunion honoring Judge E. Grady Jolly's 25th anniversary on the bench.
The ranks of Jolly clerk alumni now swell at 74 (plus one deceased), with the clerks currently inhabiting chambers not having been born when the first ones assumed their station. About 55 attended some portion of the weekend's festivities, which formally consisted of a Friday evening reception in New Orleans chambers, a Saturday evening reception and dinner in Jackson, and a Sunday morning brunch at Judge Jolly's house. It was interesting spending so much time with people who have so little in common with each other beyond all being lawyers and all having spent one magical year working for and learning from this judge's judge whom we can never repay.
For me, as for most, it was a character-building year. Beyond the professional skills and knowledge I gained, I absorbed the unique personality and temperament of a man who embodies good-hearted minimalism. "Decide the case on the narrowest grounds possible in the most concise opinion possible," he declaimed, and Lord help you (or, more likely, one of his colleagues on the Fifth Circuit bench) if you strayed from that path.
The path being the one tracking down the Big Coon, of course, a.k.a. the right answer, and the straying being along those darned rabbit trails that always seemed to spring up to distract us loyal coon dogs -- with the Judge directing us as the bemused hunter. As one clerk said during the after-dinner remarks, "he taught us a lot about life and love, and a little about the law too."
It's only been three years since I left Jackson for the wider world of law firms and think tanks in Washington, but I cannot say enough good things about that year in Mississippi.
The ranks of Jolly clerk alumni now swell at 74 (plus one deceased), with the clerks currently inhabiting chambers not having been born when the first ones assumed their station. About 55 attended some portion of the weekend's festivities, which formally consisted of a Friday evening reception in New Orleans chambers, a Saturday evening reception and dinner in Jackson, and a Sunday morning brunch at Judge Jolly's house. It was interesting spending so much time with people who have so little in common with each other beyond all being lawyers and all having spent one magical year working for and learning from this judge's judge whom we can never repay.
For me, as for most, it was a character-building year. Beyond the professional skills and knowledge I gained, I absorbed the unique personality and temperament of a man who embodies good-hearted minimalism. "Decide the case on the narrowest grounds possible in the most concise opinion possible," he declaimed, and Lord help you (or, more likely, one of his colleagues on the Fifth Circuit bench) if you strayed from that path.
The path being the one tracking down the Big Coon, of course, a.k.a. the right answer, and the straying being along those darned rabbit trails that always seemed to spring up to distract us loyal coon dogs -- with the Judge directing us as the bemused hunter. As one clerk said during the after-dinner remarks, "he taught us a lot about life and love, and a little about the law too."
It's only been three years since I left Jackson for the wider world of law firms and think tanks in Washington, but I cannot say enough good things about that year in Mississippi.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
The Perfect Candidate
Regardless of which party you prefer (or dislike least), there's never a presidential candidate who embodies all (or nearly all) of your preferred policies and character traits. If only you could combine, say, Ron Paul's domestic policies, John McCain's foreign policy, and John Edwards's hair...
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
On the Radio Again
I'll be on Alaska Public Radio's morning show from 1-2pm EDT, talking about the history and constitutional aspects of impeachment.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
First Red Sox Nation, Then Colbert Nation
It's been an happy start to the week for a couple of the imagined communities which I'm proud to claim as my own. First, Sunday night, the Boston Red Sox staked a claim to being the team of this young milennium by winning their second World Series in four years. Then the latest polls out of South Carolina showed that Stephen Colbert is running in fifth place among Democratic presidential contenders. (Go to YouTube and watch the clip of Chris Dodd's face when Tim Russert tells him on Meet the Press that he's behind a TV comedian.) Colbert also apparently gains 13% of the vote nationally in a hypothetical three-way race with Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani.
The Red Sox as the toast of baseball -- again! -- and the most talented TV/pop-culture empresario of our generation (yes he's better than Jon Stewart) at the top of his game... ya gotta love it!
The Red Sox as the toast of baseball -- again! -- and the most talented TV/pop-culture empresario of our generation (yes he's better than Jon Stewart) at the top of his game... ya gotta love it!
Monday, October 8, 2007
My First Radio Appearance as a Cato Staffer
This evening at 6:15pm EDT I will be on the Chris Baker Show on KTRH (Houston) discussing the case of Medellin v. Texas. Live streaming audio at ktrh.com.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Argentina Week
This week I was able to enjoy two cultural experiences emanating from the country to which part of my soul belongs, Argentina.
First I attended one of the final performances of Mario Diament's Cita a Ciegas ("Blind Date"), an appropriately melancholy vignette of life in Buenos Aires with not-so-subtle evocations of Jorge Luis Borges -- one of my favorite writers. This play opened to rave reviews in Buenos Aires, and I'm delighted to live in a city where it can be performed in Spanish (and Argentine-accented Spanish at that!). This was actually my first time to the Gala Theatre, which is located at 14th and... way north in Columbia Heights. I came away impressed by the ambiance, and discovered a new neighborhood for myself besides.
The second event was another movie at the Latin American Film Festival, Ciudad en Celo ("City in Heat"). From the Festival's website:
A little cheesy, but about right. Made me long for for long afternoons in Buenos Aires cafes...
First I attended one of the final performances of Mario Diament's Cita a Ciegas ("Blind Date"), an appropriately melancholy vignette of life in Buenos Aires with not-so-subtle evocations of Jorge Luis Borges -- one of my favorite writers. This play opened to rave reviews in Buenos Aires, and I'm delighted to live in a city where it can be performed in Spanish (and Argentine-accented Spanish at that!). This was actually my first time to the Gala Theatre, which is located at 14th and... way north in Columbia Heights. I came away impressed by the ambiance, and discovered a new neighborhood for myself besides.
The second event was another movie at the Latin American Film Festival, Ciudad en Celo ("City in Heat"). From the Festival's website:
[Hernan] Gaffet’s character-driven comic debut, a light intelligent comedy,
centers around Buenos Aires’s Garllington pub, the daily meeting place for
Daniel Kuzniecka, who has recently instigated a spectacular break-up with his
girlfriend, and his group of late thirty-something friends, all variously
unlucky in love. Into their group comes tango singer Dolores Sola, who’s one of
the guys but also a catalyst for some emotional maturing. Her torchy singing
adds spice to the movie’s cockeyed romance.
A little cheesy, but about right. Made me long for for long afternoons in Buenos Aires cafes...
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Sweet Sunday
Sometimes you have one of those days that's just "lovely." This past Sunday, I was wakened at my usual PT time by the sunrise over the Potomac, casting all the monuments in a red-dawned silhouette. Then I went for PT, quite a long loop across the river, past Arlington National Cemetery, through Washington Harbor and Georgetown, and back.
Then it was time for a brunch of fresh cheese, bread, fruit, coffee, and the Sunday paper at the Marvelous Market off Wisconsin Ave. Then some strolling around the aforementioned monuments in the sweet Indian Summer afternoon.
Then a Princeton Club of Washington reception in the backyard of the Club's President's home, where my stories of "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" were a big hit. Then back home for the season premieres of the cartoons (The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad).
And off to sleep, for sure to dream...
Then it was time for a brunch of fresh cheese, bread, fruit, coffee, and the Sunday paper at the Marvelous Market off Wisconsin Ave. Then some strolling around the aforementioned monuments in the sweet Indian Summer afternoon.
Then a Princeton Club of Washington reception in the backyard of the Club's President's home, where my stories of "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" were a big hit. Then back home for the season premieres of the cartoons (The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad).
And off to sleep, for sure to dream...
Concerts Part II
Saturday night I journeyed up to the 9:30 Club, where I hadn't been in some time, to take in Iron & Wine, whom I refer to as "that soft-sounding guy from the Garden State soundtrack."
Turns out not only does he sing softly and mellifluously, but he looks like a young God. I don't mean Jesus, but rather the wide windswept face and flowing locks, just normal-hair-colored, not all-white. It was a good show.
I also discovered this new Jamaican food place called Tropicana Eatery, where I will now be going for a pre-game meal before every 9:30 concert. We had jerk and curried chicken (they were out of goat) with rice, beans, and fried plantains. Delicious. I don't recommend the chicken pattie, however, which we only got in the first place because the beef ones were just then being baked.
Turns out not only does he sing softly and mellifluously, but he looks like a young God. I don't mean Jesus, but rather the wide windswept face and flowing locks, just normal-hair-colored, not all-white. It was a good show.
I also discovered this new Jamaican food place called Tropicana Eatery, where I will now be going for a pre-game meal before every 9:30 concert. We had jerk and curried chicken (they were out of goat) with rice, beans, and fried plantains. Delicious. I don't recommend the chicken pattie, however, which we only got in the first place because the beef ones were just then being baked.
Concerts Part I
Continuing the theme of cultural-events-every-night-of-the-week, Friday I went to the Bob Dylan concert at Merriweather Post (which is a lovely outdoor venue halfway between DC and Baltimore). Traffic was ridiculous so it took us about two hours to get there, thereby missing the opening act and most of Elvis Costello.
Then came Bob. And he wa disappointing. I mean, I mainly went to be able to say to my grandkids that I've been to a Bob Dylan concert, but I kinda was hoping to be entertained as well. The problem was that he only sang one song I knew ("Everybody Must Get Stoned"). And everything he sang was completely incomprehensible. They should've had supertitles, like they do at the opera.
Oh, and Merriweather ran out of food, other than hot dogs and popcorn. At least the beer, while expensive, was free-flowing...
Then came Bob. And he wa disappointing. I mean, I mainly went to be able to say to my grandkids that I've been to a Bob Dylan concert, but I kinda was hoping to be entertained as well. The problem was that he only sang one song I knew ("Everybody Must Get Stoned"). And everything he sang was completely incomprehensible. They should've had supertitles, like they do at the opera.
Oh, and Merriweather ran out of food, other than hot dogs and popcorn. At least the beer, while expensive, was free-flowing...
American Film Renaissance
Last week I snagged VIP tix to two movies in the American Film Renaissance (AFR) festival. AFR's motto is "the art of freedom," and its films contain various libertarian currents.
The first was "The Call of the Entrepreneur," which explained the role that entrepreneurs play in economic growth by weaving together the stories of a Michigan farmer, a New York banker, and a Hong Kong media magnate. Remarkable, and there was even a sizeable shout-out to Hayek. Well done, Acton Institute.
The second was "Weirdsville," and this movie was definitely weird. Set in a small town in Ontario (represent!), it follows the one-night travails of some small-time drug addicts. A pretty funny flick -- best part involved midgets dressed in full-on medieval regalia -- but not sure where it fit into the theme of the festival...
The after-parties on both nights were well put-together, the first at Poste Moderne Brasserie in Chinatown and the second at Blue Gin in Georgetown. A good time had by all.
The first was "The Call of the Entrepreneur," which explained the role that entrepreneurs play in economic growth by weaving together the stories of a Michigan farmer, a New York banker, and a Hong Kong media magnate. Remarkable, and there was even a sizeable shout-out to Hayek. Well done, Acton Institute.
The second was "Weirdsville," and this movie was definitely weird. Set in a small town in Ontario (represent!), it follows the one-night travails of some small-time drug addicts. A pretty funny flick -- best part involved midgets dressed in full-on medieval regalia -- but not sure where it fit into the theme of the festival...
The after-parties on both nights were well put-together, the first at Poste Moderne Brasserie in Chinatown and the second at Blue Gin in Georgetown. A good time had by all.
Monday, September 24, 2007
I'd Rather Be Blogging
My new employer is gonna try to sponsor me for a green card, so I've gotten a lot of homework from the immigration lawyers to make this happen. Putting together a CV, documenting everything on it, soliciting letters from employers in just the right way, etc. It's like, everything I do at work, I'm thinking, I should be using this time to do green card stuff. But the green card stuff is so boring (and depressing -- what if it doesn't work, can't afford to get my hopes up when they've been dashed so many times before).
I wonder what my life would be like -- what I'd be like -- if I hadn't been dealing with this huge psychological hit all these years. And yet... maybe this time it will work. It would be awesome. And it would certainly take a lot of pressure off my dating life.
I wonder what my life would be like -- what I'd be like -- if I hadn't been dealing with this huge psychological hit all these years. And yet... maybe this time it will work. It would be awesome. And it would certainly take a lot of pressure off my dating life.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Mission Statement
So where am I taking this blog now that I'm back from Iraq? Good question.
My rate of posting has obviously trailed off precipitously since I left "The Big Dirty." Most of this has to do with how busy I've been transitioning out of one job and into another. Plus I haven't actually spent any weekends at home, having gone to NY for the US Open finals and to Miami for a friend's much-belated 30th birthday party.
It's also partly due to my trying to figure out what I want to write about here. Clearly I'm not devoted to Iraq 24-7 any more. Nor is there any reason for me to post constitutional/legal stuff here -- because I should save that for op-eds and other writing/research that I do in my new career as a recovering lawyer (and even the Cato blog).
So I think I'll stick to what I had in mind when I first envisioned blogging many months ago: This blog will be devoted to my observations from living in Purple America. Purple America, of course, is a state of mind, and represents the confluence of seemingly incongruous cultural and political affinities. My tastes and values reflect that. And that's what I'll be writing about.
My rate of posting has obviously trailed off precipitously since I left "The Big Dirty." Most of this has to do with how busy I've been transitioning out of one job and into another. Plus I haven't actually spent any weekends at home, having gone to NY for the US Open finals and to Miami for a friend's much-belated 30th birthday party.
It's also partly due to my trying to figure out what I want to write about here. Clearly I'm not devoted to Iraq 24-7 any more. Nor is there any reason for me to post constitutional/legal stuff here -- because I should save that for op-eds and other writing/research that I do in my new career as a recovering lawyer (and even the Cato blog).
So I think I'll stick to what I had in mind when I first envisioned blogging many months ago: This blog will be devoted to my observations from living in Purple America. Purple America, of course, is a state of mind, and represents the confluence of seemingly incongruous cultural and political affinities. My tastes and values reflect that. And that's what I'll be writing about.
Beer and Pizza
About half and hour ago I got back from Cato's weekly Friday happy hour. The media people run it and, apparently, there's always a theme. Tonight's theme was "back to school."
That is, back to college. So there was beer and pizza and wings. And wine for some reason (did girls drink that in college?). Unfortunately, I arrived 10 whole minutes after the thing started -- had been reading the recently released transcript of the Khalid Sheikh Mohammed testimony -- so there were but a few slices left, and almost nothing that wasn't vegetarian. (Why do people always order too much vegetarian? Why is it always us carnivores who are left with nothing appetizing to eat? But I digress...)
A few Coronas and some scintillating conversations in various languages later, I returned to my office to provide you, dear reader, with this (and the previous) blogpost.
That is, back to college. So there was beer and pizza and wings. And wine for some reason (did girls drink that in college?). Unfortunately, I arrived 10 whole minutes after the thing started -- had been reading the recently released transcript of the Khalid Sheikh Mohammed testimony -- so there were but a few slices left, and almost nothing that wasn't vegetarian. (Why do people always order too much vegetarian? Why is it always us carnivores who are left with nothing appetizing to eat? But I digress...)
A few Coronas and some scintillating conversations in various languages later, I returned to my office to provide you, dear reader, with this (and the previous) blogpost.
The Trip Home Part III
[More on the never-ending journey -- which it seemed like, given all the sleeping in hangars, tents, and planes, plus showering and changing socks once in five days, etc.]
There had been an issue earlier regarding my need to have my passport stamped because I was coming in on a new visa so I could work at Cato. Fort Benning doesn't typically do immigration paperwork, other than stamping diplomatic/government passports for visiting dignitaries/military officers, so they were gonna call in a DHS official specially for me, but now that I was on the R&R flight to Atlanta that would not be necessary.
Instead I breezed through customs, thanks in no small part to my "handler," and proceeded to the Avis rental counter (Hertz was out of cars if you can believe it) to get a ride to go to Benning and drop off my army-issued protective gear.
"Thank you for your service," I heard from an early-40s soccer mom type as I exited the Avis counter with my rental car keys. I was in uniform, you see -- not having had a chance to change and, in any event, still being in transit till I got home later that day -- and naturally the untrained eye wouldn't pick up the civilian designation on my rank badge. I didn't know how to respond, so I smirked sheepishly like a teenager commended on some achievement. ("Aw shucks ma'am it was nothing.") After that I was prepared, responding to every such entreaty -- and there were several -- with "my honor, ma'am/sir." (Not worth explaining that I wasn't actually in the army, etc.)
Similarly, when an hour later, on the interstate near Columbus, Ga., a copper flagged me for going 81 in a 55 zone (I honestly thought it was 70), it was probably my uniform that got him to downgrade it to 65 -- but who knows really how they exercise their discretion -- saving me points and notification to the DC authorities.
Anyhow, I got back to Benning, navigated the bureaucracy to be able to drop off my body armor and helmet -- normally one would have to wait to make formation at 0730 the next morning to accomplish this task, but, of course, I was a VIP -- had lunch with the lieutenant who had previously been my escort, and drove back up to Atlanta to catch my flight home to DC.
At the airport the security guys waived me to the first class lane, and I mentioned that I wasn't actually in the Army. "Well," the senior one said, "you're in uniform, you're comin' from Iraq, and you look beat, so go on right ahead." Fantastic.
I came home, again uneventfully, took a shower and went to bed. It was good to be back from Iraq!
There had been an issue earlier regarding my need to have my passport stamped because I was coming in on a new visa so I could work at Cato. Fort Benning doesn't typically do immigration paperwork, other than stamping diplomatic/government passports for visiting dignitaries/military officers, so they were gonna call in a DHS official specially for me, but now that I was on the R&R flight to Atlanta that would not be necessary.
Instead I breezed through customs, thanks in no small part to my "handler," and proceeded to the Avis rental counter (Hertz was out of cars if you can believe it) to get a ride to go to Benning and drop off my army-issued protective gear.
"Thank you for your service," I heard from an early-40s soccer mom type as I exited the Avis counter with my rental car keys. I was in uniform, you see -- not having had a chance to change and, in any event, still being in transit till I got home later that day -- and naturally the untrained eye wouldn't pick up the civilian designation on my rank badge. I didn't know how to respond, so I smirked sheepishly like a teenager commended on some achievement. ("Aw shucks ma'am it was nothing.") After that I was prepared, responding to every such entreaty -- and there were several -- with "my honor, ma'am/sir." (Not worth explaining that I wasn't actually in the army, etc.)
Similarly, when an hour later, on the interstate near Columbus, Ga., a copper flagged me for going 81 in a 55 zone (I honestly thought it was 70), it was probably my uniform that got him to downgrade it to 65 -- but who knows really how they exercise their discretion -- saving me points and notification to the DC authorities.
Anyhow, I got back to Benning, navigated the bureaucracy to be able to drop off my body armor and helmet -- normally one would have to wait to make formation at 0730 the next morning to accomplish this task, but, of course, I was a VIP -- had lunch with the lieutenant who had previously been my escort, and drove back up to Atlanta to catch my flight home to DC.
At the airport the security guys waived me to the first class lane, and I mentioned that I wasn't actually in the Army. "Well," the senior one said, "you're in uniform, you're comin' from Iraq, and you look beat, so go on right ahead." Fantastic.
I came home, again uneventfully, took a shower and went to bed. It was good to be back from Iraq!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
The Greatest Love of All
On Tuesday night I attended the premiere of this year's Latin American Film Festival, the 18th Annual such event in DC. The event started with a reception in the atrium of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and continued with the screening of the award-winning Brazilian film, O Maior Amor do Mundo ("The Greatest Love of All").
This sweet movie tells of a middle-aged professor who makes a triumphant return to Rio while battling terminal brain cancer. He ends up on a journey through time and urbanity to find out about (and find) the mother who abandoned him at birth. The acting is just right, the cinematography stark. I recommend it.
This sweet movie tells of a middle-aged professor who makes a triumphant return to Rio while battling terminal brain cancer. He ends up on a journey through time and urbanity to find out about (and find) the mother who abandoned him at birth. The acting is just right, the cinematography stark. I recommend it.
The Trip Home Part II
Almost three weeks have passed since I returned from Iraq and I still haven't finished telling the tale of my trip back. As you can imagine, catching up on being away for two months, not to mention changing jobs and careers, has taken up what would other be prime blogging time. Even as bloggable material has never been better.
Ah well, when I started this thing I promised myself that I would not let it make me feel guilty about not writing. My other writing tasks (professional work, op-eds, a book proposal, etc.) already do enough of that and I don't want this to become another concern in the back of my mind. Nevertheless, when I have something to say in this space, I'll say it.
So, about the trip home... Kuwait is basically worse than Iraq if you don't count the security risk. It's a few degrees hotter, a few grains sandier, and just generally more austere. My billet was the upper bunk -- with no sheets -- of a super-air-conditioned tent that sleeps 16. There are hundreds of these tents sprawling across the desert at Ali Al Salem Airbase. Actually, "sprawl" is the wrong term, because it would not be possible to lay them out in a more orderly grid.
Beside the rows of tents are trailers containing showers and bathrooms, segregated by sex. Behind all the trailers are the MWR facilities (two gyms, a basketball court, a beach volleyball court, two recreation rooms with multiple movie/video game consoles) and outdoor "mall." The latter is pretty impressive, housing not only a McDonald's, KFC, and Green Beans Coffee, but a jewelry store, Middle Eastern bazaar, laundry/dry cleaner, and a couple of other establishments I'm forgetting. All the comforts of home, more or less. Then beside that complex is the DFAC. Standard fare there, just like Baghdad.
After passing out on my bunk (and somehow not freezing to death), I awoke in time to make the 0900 stand-by manifest for the R&R flight. They found me a seat! Which meant I had exactly four hours to PT, eat, re-pack my gear, and show up in the "big tent" to begin the travel process to Atlanta. All this I did, and began reading Randy Barnett's Restoring the Lost Constitution.
The remaining process was drawn-out but fairly painless. Scanning out my CAC card, unpacking and re-packing both my duffels (security check), sitting down to read and watch a movie on the big-screen TV in a "departure lounge," and then making the final formation of my "army career," as the chaplain wished us godspeed and we boarded a series of buses that would take us to Kuwait International Airport (about 75 minutes away).
We boarded a "World Airlines" jet, which seemed to have the same interior design and features as the ATA plane I came in on, and were wheels up in no time. After a brief layover in Leipzig (my first time in the former East Germany), we uneventfully arrived in Atlanta airport.
Ah well, when I started this thing I promised myself that I would not let it make me feel guilty about not writing. My other writing tasks (professional work, op-eds, a book proposal, etc.) already do enough of that and I don't want this to become another concern in the back of my mind. Nevertheless, when I have something to say in this space, I'll say it.
So, about the trip home... Kuwait is basically worse than Iraq if you don't count the security risk. It's a few degrees hotter, a few grains sandier, and just generally more austere. My billet was the upper bunk -- with no sheets -- of a super-air-conditioned tent that sleeps 16. There are hundreds of these tents sprawling across the desert at Ali Al Salem Airbase. Actually, "sprawl" is the wrong term, because it would not be possible to lay them out in a more orderly grid.
Beside the rows of tents are trailers containing showers and bathrooms, segregated by sex. Behind all the trailers are the MWR facilities (two gyms, a basketball court, a beach volleyball court, two recreation rooms with multiple movie/video game consoles) and outdoor "mall." The latter is pretty impressive, housing not only a McDonald's, KFC, and Green Beans Coffee, but a jewelry store, Middle Eastern bazaar, laundry/dry cleaner, and a couple of other establishments I'm forgetting. All the comforts of home, more or less. Then beside that complex is the DFAC. Standard fare there, just like Baghdad.
After passing out on my bunk (and somehow not freezing to death), I awoke in time to make the 0900 stand-by manifest for the R&R flight. They found me a seat! Which meant I had exactly four hours to PT, eat, re-pack my gear, and show up in the "big tent" to begin the travel process to Atlanta. All this I did, and began reading Randy Barnett's Restoring the Lost Constitution.
The remaining process was drawn-out but fairly painless. Scanning out my CAC card, unpacking and re-packing both my duffels (security check), sitting down to read and watch a movie on the big-screen TV in a "departure lounge," and then making the final formation of my "army career," as the chaplain wished us godspeed and we boarded a series of buses that would take us to Kuwait International Airport (about 75 minutes away).
We boarded a "World Airlines" jet, which seemed to have the same interior design and features as the ATA plane I came in on, and were wheels up in no time. After a brief layover in Leipzig (my first time in the former East Germany), we uneventfully arrived in Atlanta airport.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
An Alternative History of the Global War on Terror
On Monday I went to AEI's first Bradley Lecture of the season, where Lynne Olson gave a talk on her book, Troublesome Young Men, about the backbenchers' rebellion that ousted Neville Chamberlain and installed Winston Churchill as PM in May 1940.
Equally interestingly, earlier that day Newt Gingrich gave a fascinating speech with his vision of what the last six years might have looked like had the administration (and rest of the government and country) taken the Islamofascist threat as seriously as is deserves to be taken. The above link has video, audio, and an as-prepared draft of the speech. Ah, Newt, if only your style of governance had been a little smarter -- you coulda still been the Speaker during 9/11.
Equally interestingly, earlier that day Newt Gingrich gave a fascinating speech with his vision of what the last six years might have looked like had the administration (and rest of the government and country) taken the Islamofascist threat as seriously as is deserves to be taken. The above link has video, audio, and an as-prepared draft of the speech. Ah, Newt, if only your style of governance had been a little smarter -- you coulda still been the Speaker during 9/11.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Petraeus/Crocker Testimony
Today is my second day at my new job at Cato. Yesterday I was too busy getting settled and such to follow the big hearings on the Hill but today I'm happy as a clam with live streaming video on cnn.com. (I brought in the TV I had in my old office, but the cable connection in my office is covered so i haven't been able to hook up yet.)
It's a unique feeling to have witnessed some of the lead-up and prep for this testimony during my time in Iraq -- and now to see the results. I feel privileged, humbled, and a part of history.
It's a unique feeling to have witnessed some of the lead-up and prep for this testimony during my time in Iraq -- and now to see the results. I feel privileged, humbled, and a part of history.
Dinner at Dino's
Last night I met a friend -- a reporter planning to embed in Iraq at some point -- for dinner at Dino, the famous Cleveland Park eatery. It was really nice. Because we met right at 7:30, we were able to order the three-courses-for-$24 deal (good Sun-Thurs if you order before 7:30). I had this bulgur wheat and bean salad, followed by lamb pasta. Scrumptious. And some nice Malbec, with ants crawling across the bottle ("Hormigas"). Cheese in lieu of dessert as third course. Wonderful. This type of food, combined with the PT regime I've combined since returning from Iraq, has me feeling quite healthy.
Friday, September 7, 2007
The Trip Home Part I
It has now been a week since I arrived back in the good ol' U.S. of A. At this time last week I was hurtling in my rental car from Atlanta airport to Fort Benning, where I would spend all of three hours (turning in my body armor and having lunch with my escort from that first week at Benning).
The journey began late Tuesday night, August 28. I was told to show up at the Rhino station an hour ahead of "manifest call," which was supposed to be at midnight. (Rhinos are those armor-plated RVs that lumber down the road in convoys with support from Humvees.) So, after having one final cigar with my boss, I took my duffels (with the aid of a naval petty officer and Aussie sergeant), and walked over. At midnight they took down our names, eventually filling seven Rhinos.
Then we waited. And waited. At one point I caught myself watching most of "Turner & Hooch," the Tom Hanks/canine comedy from the 80s on the TV conveniently set up there for all of us "loiterers" at the "bus station." Finally at about 2:30am we boarded the Rhinos and set off for Camp Victory, whence I would be whisked to BIAP (Baghdad International Airport, pronounced "bi-op").
The trio down Route Irish (named after Notre Dame) was uneventful except for two rounds of tracer fire that were shot been the lead Humvee and first Rhino. Well, not exactly between, more like over. It was odd, and a bit frightening, but in the end did not seem aimed. After picking up my bags at our destination -- all passengers formed bucket-brigades to get them off the tractor-trailer -- I was taken to BIAP for some more waiting.
It turns out the first formation was at 10:35am, so I had a long and fitful night of "sleep" on the airport gate-style chairs set up in a hangar-style tent (which was air conditioned, thank God). After showing up at formation, I managed to grab a standby seat on a flight that would be departing "sometime after 1." So I went over to the DFAC, had my last meal in Iraq, then came back and... waited.
At 3:15 they called our flight, so we put on our body armor and marched over and onto the C-130. This flight was manned by a Japanese crew for some reason, and said crew didn't like people have ammunition magazines on them. So everyone, including and especially soldiers, surrendered their ammo into a sort of lost and found box for safekeeping.
As expected, it was HOT in the plane, and it seemed that everything I was wearing was soon drenched in sweat. The flight down to Kuwait was uneventful -- though this was about 24 hours after the Congressional delegation, flying the same route, was fired upon.
Upon arrival at Ali al Salem Airbase in Kuwait, I couldn't believe that it was somehow hotter and brighter than Iraq. Nevertheless, I was able to quickly shed my body armor, pack it into my spare duffel, and leave all that by the bunk I was assigned in another large air conditioned tent (capacity: 16 bunks). I found out that the "Freedom Flight" to Benning on which I was booked wouldn't be leaving till Saturday Sept.1, but that if I showed up the next morning (Aug.30) at 9, I could maybe get a standby seat on the "R&R" (because soldiers were going home for 15 or 18 days of R&R) flight to Atlanta. This I planned to do. After a quick shower and some food (and a change into shorts from my ACUs!) I felt like a new man.
The journey began late Tuesday night, August 28. I was told to show up at the Rhino station an hour ahead of "manifest call," which was supposed to be at midnight. (Rhinos are those armor-plated RVs that lumber down the road in convoys with support from Humvees.) So, after having one final cigar with my boss, I took my duffels (with the aid of a naval petty officer and Aussie sergeant), and walked over. At midnight they took down our names, eventually filling seven Rhinos.
Then we waited. And waited. At one point I caught myself watching most of "Turner & Hooch," the Tom Hanks/canine comedy from the 80s on the TV conveniently set up there for all of us "loiterers" at the "bus station." Finally at about 2:30am we boarded the Rhinos and set off for Camp Victory, whence I would be whisked to BIAP (Baghdad International Airport, pronounced "bi-op").
The trio down Route Irish (named after Notre Dame) was uneventful except for two rounds of tracer fire that were shot been the lead Humvee and first Rhino. Well, not exactly between, more like over. It was odd, and a bit frightening, but in the end did not seem aimed. After picking up my bags at our destination -- all passengers formed bucket-brigades to get them off the tractor-trailer -- I was taken to BIAP for some more waiting.
It turns out the first formation was at 10:35am, so I had a long and fitful night of "sleep" on the airport gate-style chairs set up in a hangar-style tent (which was air conditioned, thank God). After showing up at formation, I managed to grab a standby seat on a flight that would be departing "sometime after 1." So I went over to the DFAC, had my last meal in Iraq, then came back and... waited.
At 3:15 they called our flight, so we put on our body armor and marched over and onto the C-130. This flight was manned by a Japanese crew for some reason, and said crew didn't like people have ammunition magazines on them. So everyone, including and especially soldiers, surrendered their ammo into a sort of lost and found box for safekeeping.
As expected, it was HOT in the plane, and it seemed that everything I was wearing was soon drenched in sweat. The flight down to Kuwait was uneventful -- though this was about 24 hours after the Congressional delegation, flying the same route, was fired upon.
Upon arrival at Ali al Salem Airbase in Kuwait, I couldn't believe that it was somehow hotter and brighter than Iraq. Nevertheless, I was able to quickly shed my body armor, pack it into my spare duffel, and leave all that by the bunk I was assigned in another large air conditioned tent (capacity: 16 bunks). I found out that the "Freedom Flight" to Benning on which I was booked wouldn't be leaving till Saturday Sept.1, but that if I showed up the next morning (Aug.30) at 9, I could maybe get a standby seat on the "R&R" (because soldiers were going home for 15 or 18 days of R&R) flight to Atlanta. This I planned to do. After a quick shower and some food (and a change into shorts from my ACUs!) I felt like a new man.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Also, The Sky Is Blue
An apparently serious article -- on CNN.com, not The Onion -- reports that men place a high value on good looks when choosing a mate.
Gosh I hope that study wasn't funded with taxpayer money.
Gosh I hope that study wasn't funded with taxpayer money.
Best. Law Firm Recruiting Site. Ever.
I've heard of Choate, Hall & Stewart, but only obliquely because their only office is in Boston. Nevertheless, they've come up with the best recruiting presentation I've ever seen -- better than I imagined possible. Almost makes me regret my imminent departure from legal practice and want to apply for a job there. Almost.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
TCS Column: What A Civilian Reserve Corps Would Look Like
With my last article filed from Baghdad, I shockingly argue for the creation of a new governmental entity. It must have been heat stroke -- or actually just the least worst option.
There's No Place Like Home
Sorry for the lack of blogging this week; Tuesday was my last day of work and Tuesday night I started the long journey home -- which actually took less time than I thought it would so I got in last night. Blogging will resume shortly.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Friedman's Blind Spot
Lest my last post be taken as too much of a softening on my hard line against what I consider to be Tom Friedman's formulaic writing -- "When I was recently in [foreign city], I spoke to [high official/man-on-the-street-with-exotic-background], and he told me that [clever sound bite that seems to revolutionize international relations theory but not really]. -- I should mention one glaring slip of his tongue. Or rather an omission of the tongue.
At one point during his presentation, Friedman ran through a long list of agents of change regarding the end of the Cold War and changing the former Soviet Union from going in a negative direction to going in a positive one. "George Bush, Jim Baker, Brent Scowcroft, Helmut Kohl, Francois Mitterand, [Mikhail] Gorbachev, [Eduard] Shevardnadze." Um... Reagan?
At one point during his presentation, Friedman ran through a long list of agents of change regarding the end of the Cold War and changing the former Soviet Union from going in a negative direction to going in a positive one. "George Bush, Jim Baker, Brent Scowcroft, Helmut Kohl, Francois Mitterand, [Mikhail] Gorbachev, [Eduard] Shevardnadze." Um... Reagan?
Iraq is Flat
Tom Friedman, in the course of gallivanting around the Middle East on one of his periodic travels to discover his Next Big Idea, just spent about an hour in a discussion with me and 50 of my closest friends on his thoughts on Iraq, the world, and everything.
Now, I've never been shy in expressing my long-held belief that he is vastly overrated and his insights vastly underwhelming. Part of this may be envy -- does anyone who has inclinations toward the written word not want to be a New York Times columnist? -- but I just think he's formulaic, doing diligent research and reporting but producing pablum. It's the Bob Woodward school of journalism: He's a fabulous reporter with incredible access and a decent (if somewhat cloying) writer, but a mediocre thinker.
Nevertheless, he made several good observations in a little impromptu talk that began the meeting:
Now, I've never been shy in expressing my long-held belief that he is vastly overrated and his insights vastly underwhelming. Part of this may be envy -- does anyone who has inclinations toward the written word not want to be a New York Times columnist? -- but I just think he's formulaic, doing diligent research and reporting but producing pablum. It's the Bob Woodward school of journalism: He's a fabulous reporter with incredible access and a decent (if somewhat cloying) writer, but a mediocre thinker.
Nevertheless, he made several good observations in a little impromptu talk that began the meeting:
- We'll only win (the war on terrorism) if we get them to fight all of us (the civilized world).
- If we leave, Iraq will collapse into itself in about 10 minutes, but if we stay 10 years, the outcome will still be uncertain -- so how do you make policy given this reality?
- The surge is not an unmitigated 100% success, but there are some very "interesting" things going on with the Sunni tribes and other formerly hostile groups.
And here are some choice quotes and points raised during the Q & A:
- When we leave, it won't be a clear-cut win for Iran because they'll have to deal with the ancient intra-Shia Persian v. Arab divide.
- Our differing treatment of Saudi Arabia and Iran is a problem. For too long our Middle East policy consisted of three dictates to Arab governments: keep the oil pumps open, keep prices low, and don't bother the Jews too much (but do whatever you want with women, civil rights, religious extremism, etc.). On 9/11 and since, we're reaping the back-end results of that front-end policy.
- We have to get Arab leaders to condemn Muslim-on-Muslim violence. "When Christians kill Muslims it's a big deal. When Jews kill Muslims it's a Security Council meeting. When Muslims kill Muslims... it's a fucking weather report."
- Quoting senior Israeli officials whom he was with, coincidentally, the day after 9/11, "we have to change the village." "When the village is silent, look what happens." Meaning no matter how good you are at stopping suicide bombers, one will eventually get through unless you change attitudes at their source.
- "If I were President Bush, I would go on a global apology tour" and then ask world leaders what they're going to do now. "London, Paris, and Moscow are a lot closer to the Middle East than Minnesota [where Friedman is from]."
- The Middle East is the only part of the world/Third World/developing world afflicted with all the obstacles to development: the curse of oil, a legacy of colonialism, a religion antithetical to modernity, and a legacy of authoritarianism.
- "We're gonna have to keep coaching these guys [referring to the Iraqi leadership]."
- "We're not doing nation-building -- that would be easy -- we're doing nation-creating."
- "This is indeed Germany after the war -- 1648, not 1948." We're creating institutions wholesale.
- "The young people [of the Middle East] wanted us to succeed."
- When asked by a reporter for a pan-Arab newspaper that prints his column about his stance on a supporter of the war at its start, Friedman said, somewhat sarcastically, "I'm sorry. I thought Arabs wanted democracy and peace. Next time I'll be a better Frenchman."
A lot of interesting stuff there, though, as he said, he's still digesting it all. I thought on the last one he was gonna add some sort of smoothing punchline, but he didn't, which certainly gains him credit from these quarters. Maybe I'll take a look at his next few Iraq columns, see if he comes up with anything useful from this "eye-opening" trip.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Stay Classy, Baghdad
Every Sunday night at 2000, the good folks at MWR screen a movie outdoors by the pool -- at the same venue where they have weekly karaoke, beside the ping-pong tables. Tonight's feature was Anchorman.
While not a huge WIll Ferrell fan -- I think Old School to be unworthy of the Animal House genre, and Ferrell's George Bush on SNL mainly left one pining for Chevy Chase -- I really enjoyed Anchorman the one time I saw it. I would've watched tonight, but sitting in long pants (I was coming from work and then dinner) in 100+ degree heat is just not my cup of tea, even without the blazing sun.
While not a huge WIll Ferrell fan -- I think Old School to be unworthy of the Animal House genre, and Ferrell's George Bush on SNL mainly left one pining for Chevy Chase -- I really enjoyed Anchorman the one time I saw it. I would've watched tonight, but sitting in long pants (I was coming from work and then dinner) in 100+ degree heat is just not my cup of tea, even without the blazing sun.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Mi Gente
I'm gonna ask my next employer for a day off to procreate. I figure they'll have to give it to me -- it being a national holiday of (one of) my people.
Hat tip: Rachel Hoff
Hat tip: Rachel Hoff
Friday, August 24, 2007
Can I Get a Challah!
Tonight, it being my last Friday in the IZ, I went to shabbat services. This is the first time in... a while. Just as in Mississippi -- the first time I ever went to shul was in Jackson -- I was curious and had nothing better to do at 1830. Also, my hoochmate's colleague, a Navy JAG reservist commander who works at AIPAC in his civilian life, told him to tell me to go.
It turns out that we set some sort of record for the Embassy minyan. Or, rather, it was apparently the first time they had a minyan (there were 11 -- but only if you count the two women and the two goys who showed up to "check it out," which I guess those who care about minyans wouldn't).
I actually liked the service. It was in English for one thing -- other than the songs that the lay leader, an Army public affairs officer, sang -- and wasn't heavy on the God bit. But, of course, because it was all military folks, it wasn't all lovey-dovey kumbaya free-for-all either. I wish I could believe in God so as to have a deeper connection to all this stuff. (As it is, I kinda like the meditative environment -- how hippie of me.)
Anyway, after it was over, the JAG poured the Manischewitz and sliced the "kosher salami" (made of cured beef) that his office back in San Francisco had sent. The wine, of course, was too sweet and disgusting. The meat product was just right.
Then we retired to the DFAC for our "shabbat dinner" -- including little baby challah (the knotted egg-bread) -- which for many of us included the delicious Louisiana-style gumbo they have on Fridays (complete with shrimp, crab, and pork sausage, of course). Appropriately, many of us felt guilty or at least a little odd about this -- but not enough to refrain. Oy vey!
It turns out that we set some sort of record for the Embassy minyan. Or, rather, it was apparently the first time they had a minyan (there were 11 -- but only if you count the two women and the two goys who showed up to "check it out," which I guess those who care about minyans wouldn't).
I actually liked the service. It was in English for one thing -- other than the songs that the lay leader, an Army public affairs officer, sang -- and wasn't heavy on the God bit. But, of course, because it was all military folks, it wasn't all lovey-dovey kumbaya free-for-all either. I wish I could believe in God so as to have a deeper connection to all this stuff. (As it is, I kinda like the meditative environment -- how hippie of me.)
Anyway, after it was over, the JAG poured the Manischewitz and sliced the "kosher salami" (made of cured beef) that his office back in San Francisco had sent. The wine, of course, was too sweet and disgusting. The meat product was just right.
Then we retired to the DFAC for our "shabbat dinner" -- including little baby challah (the knotted egg-bread) -- which for many of us included the delicious Louisiana-style gumbo they have on Fridays (complete with shrimp, crab, and pork sausage, of course). Appropriately, many of us felt guilty or at least a little odd about this -- but not enough to refrain. Oy vey!
Saddamland, Featuring Flintstoneworld and Rustedtankistan
After lunch and a quick stop at the PX -- where I bought a patch that says U.S. Attorney/Operation Iraqi Freedom and another that has "Baghdad" scripted as the Coca-Cola logo -- our guide, a young navy JAG lieutenant, took us to a place where four old rusted-out hulks of Iraqi tanks lie semi-buried in the sands/ground. It reminded me of this Monument Park outside of Budapest where all the city's old Communist statuary had been towed for a final burial in a sort of kitsch amusement park. Ah, Iraqi -- nee Soviet/French -- technology...
Eventually we went home, past sniper alley and more bleached out palm trees, buildings, and... well, pretty much everything is bleached out around here. After a quick nap at the JVB, we somehow managed to miss our Rhino (aromored RV convoy) back to the IZ and ended up hurry-up-and-waiting for a Blackhawk to take us back under cover of night.
A fruitful 24 hours.
Then we proceeded to what is known as "Flintstone Village," an elaborate stucco construction that looks kinda like caves, if Antonio Gaudi designed caves that is. Now graffitied by visiting troops of soldiers -- interesting to see Polish, Georgian, and Aussie interspersed among the usual American "X wuz here" -- nobody knows its original purpose.
The leading guess is that it was a sort of party grotto for Uday and Qusay. "Hey, baby, what's your sect?"
"Do you really love me or are you just saying that because if you don't I'll have you tortured and left to die and excriciating death?"
Eventually we went home, past sniper alley and more bleached out palm trees, buildings, and... well, pretty much everything is bleached out around here. After a quick nap at the JVB, we somehow managed to miss our Rhino (aromored RV convoy) back to the IZ and ended up hurry-up-and-waiting for a Blackhawk to take us back under cover of night.
A fruitful 24 hours.
Southern Fried Politician Meets Young Jihadis, Story at 11
After the dinner Wednesday, a group of us geared up and took a pair of Blackhawks deep into the night. Well, not that deep, just west across Baghdad to Camp Victory, the sprawling headquarters of American military operations in Iraq. Those of us not based there checked into the JVB (something Visitors' something) to spend a restful night in one of Saddam's smaller palaces that had been converted into VIP housing. (It was nice, but still not quite those Distinguished Visitor Quarters at Fort Benning -- I hope to someday own a house that nice.)
In the morning I joined my colleagues and Sen. Graham for breakfast, in an unassuming room overlooking the usual unassuming man-made lake ringed by unassuming palaces. Some soldiers were fishing off the "veranda" as we took some pictures of -- surprise, surprise -- another surreal scene from Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Then we drove to the Al-Faw Palace, took some more pictures, met with the JAGs based there, and continued on to meet Marine Maj. Gen. Stone, the Deputy CG for Detainees and his team. Maj. Gen. Stone escorted Sen. Graham around the facility where Saddam Hussein spent his last days. No photographs allowed.
Next we toured a remarkable operation, the juvenile detention facility at Camp Cropper (the smaller U.S.-run detention facility, dwarfed by Camp Bucca's 20,000 detainees). We saw Iraqis aged 10-17 playing soccer -- in orange uniforms, barefoot or in sandals, though they'd been offered shoes. Then we entered a classroom full of 13-14-year-olds learning algebra, followed by a dormitory. Sen. Graham said a few words through an interpreter, and the kids sat there with varying expressions of interest, boredom, and cynicism -- the typical adolescent attitude.
Most of the kids held here -- in a place many don't want to leave (and whose parents want them to stay, to be educated and gain skills) --were detained for planting IEDs and serving as lookouts for IED plots. Maj. Gen. Stone has some remarkable ideas about detainee ops -- some of which I was privy to as I again played human-sized fly on the wall of the SUV driving him and Sen. Graham.
After the Cropper tour, we bid adieu to Sen. Graham and others who were journeying down south to Camp Bucca, grabbing chow at the DFAC and beginning an off-the-beaten-path tour of Camp Victory.
I Was the Fly on the Wall
Wednesday night I had the privilege of being invited to the farewell dinner that Gen. Petraeus hosted for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who had been visiting the previous week or so. Also attending were the US Ambassador, Ryan Crocker; the Deputy CG, British Lt. Gen. Bill Rollo; my boss, the Staff Judge Advocate, Col. Mark Martins; the Embassy's Rule of Law Coordinator Jim Santelle; and other assorted high-ranking military and civilian personnel.
It was the sort of occasion you for would do anything to be a fly on the wall. And there I was, between a three-star general and a navy captain, a human-sized fly on the wall.
The dinner started auspiciously, as the guests filed into the room and waiters appeared with our "cocktails" (soft drinks). I had a fascinating conversation with Lt. Gen. Rollo -- whom I had met a few weeks earlier during my tour of the Rusafa ROLC -- and concluded that the British forces are in fine hands indeed.
After being seated, Gen. Petraeus welcomed us and Sen. Graham made brief remarks about how quickly the time had gone, etc. We were served a very nice cucumber and tomato salad, followed by stuffed lobster with wax beans and potatoes -- sounds ostentatious, but KBR gets a discount on lobster; I've eaten it far more often here than anywhere short of Maine or the Canadian Maritimes -- and finally vanilla ice cream with fruit. It was a simple meal, and good.
Then, in the absence of brandy snifters (and brandy), Sen. Graham held forth on a number of subjects, which I obviously can't go into here. Amb. Crocker, whom I hadn't heard speak much before, also contributed mightily to the discussion. Gen. Petraeus presented Sen. Graham with a memento of his visit, and then also awarded Charlie Abner, the LAOTF Chief of Staff, with a medal honoring his tireless civilian service in Iraq.
Following the dinner, Gen. Petraeus asked me how I had enjoyed my time here and whether they could convince me to come back. It's been fascinating, I said, and I'd be happy to be back if the appropriate arrangements can be made. (Because of my lack of citizenship, I can't be paid by the government nor receive any sort of security clearance -- both of which inhibit the viability of my future service here.)
Then I went off to change from my suit into my uniform, as we were taking a helicopter out to Camp Victory to do some touring the next day (yesterday).
It was the sort of occasion you for would do anything to be a fly on the wall. And there I was, between a three-star general and a navy captain, a human-sized fly on the wall.
The dinner started auspiciously, as the guests filed into the room and waiters appeared with our "cocktails" (soft drinks). I had a fascinating conversation with Lt. Gen. Rollo -- whom I had met a few weeks earlier during my tour of the Rusafa ROLC -- and concluded that the British forces are in fine hands indeed.
After being seated, Gen. Petraeus welcomed us and Sen. Graham made brief remarks about how quickly the time had gone, etc. We were served a very nice cucumber and tomato salad, followed by stuffed lobster with wax beans and potatoes -- sounds ostentatious, but KBR gets a discount on lobster; I've eaten it far more often here than anywhere short of Maine or the Canadian Maritimes -- and finally vanilla ice cream with fruit. It was a simple meal, and good.
Then, in the absence of brandy snifters (and brandy), Sen. Graham held forth on a number of subjects, which I obviously can't go into here. Amb. Crocker, whom I hadn't heard speak much before, also contributed mightily to the discussion. Gen. Petraeus presented Sen. Graham with a memento of his visit, and then also awarded Charlie Abner, the LAOTF Chief of Staff, with a medal honoring his tireless civilian service in Iraq.
Following the dinner, Gen. Petraeus asked me how I had enjoyed my time here and whether they could convince me to come back. It's been fascinating, I said, and I'd be happy to be back if the appropriate arrangements can be made. (Because of my lack of citizenship, I can't be paid by the government nor receive any sort of security clearance -- both of which inhibit the viability of my future service here.)
Then I went off to change from my suit into my uniform, as we were taking a helicopter out to Camp Victory to do some touring the next day (yesterday).
Thursday, August 23, 2007
The Other Shoe Drops?
It seems that while I was blogging about Sen. Levin's comments, his traveling companion Sen. Warner decided to twist the knife some more into the Maliki government by urging the start of a US pullout by Christmas.
You'll notice that Warner's statement was very carefully crafted. It is meant to put pressure on the Maliki government to produce results while not really committing the US government to much. Note that the first surge troops are meant to redeploy (i.e., leave) in March-April.
Well played, Senator. Let's see how the Iraqis react.
You'll notice that Warner's statement was very carefully crafted. It is meant to put pressure on the Maliki government to produce results while not really committing the US government to much. Note that the first surge troops are meant to redeploy (i.e., leave) in March-April.
Well played, Senator. Let's see how the Iraqis react.
Daily Standard Piece: A New Sheriff's in Town
My thoughts on LAOTF (the Law and Order Task Force) and the work the "Laotians" and others are doing at Baghdad's Rule of Law Complex.
TCS Column: Who Should Take the Rule of Law Lead?
In my latest theoretical disquisition on rule of law in Iraq, I discuss whether civilian or military actors should be responsible for American rule of law operations.
Levin v. Maliki
I know all of you are dying to hear my take on the two-day-old news that Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) suggested that Prime Minister Maliki has failed and it's time to replace him with a new government. President Bush then pointedly avoided endorsing Maliki in comments about the situation in Iraq.
Makiki fired back from Damascus (!) that it was up to the Iraqi people to choose their government, not American politicians. Then Bush, chastened in turn, gave halfhearted support to Maliki in further comments -- which have been overshadowed by the new gambit to compare withdrawal from Iraq to the disasters that befell Southeast Asia after American withdrawal from Vietnam.
I think all of this is positive for Iraq. Levin was essentially right in his assessment of the current Iraqi political situation, and Maliki did what any statesman in that situation had to. Maybe this whole episode will force Maliki and the current Iraqi coalition government to actually make political hay.
Incidentally, I saw Levin with Sen. John Warner (R-VA) smoking cigars by the embassy pool when they were here visiting last week.
Makiki fired back from Damascus (!) that it was up to the Iraqi people to choose their government, not American politicians. Then Bush, chastened in turn, gave halfhearted support to Maliki in further comments -- which have been overshadowed by the new gambit to compare withdrawal from Iraq to the disasters that befell Southeast Asia after American withdrawal from Vietnam.
I think all of this is positive for Iraq. Levin was essentially right in his assessment of the current Iraqi political situation, and Maliki did what any statesman in that situation had to. Maybe this whole episode will force Maliki and the current Iraqi coalition government to actually make political hay.
Incidentally, I saw Levin with Sen. John Warner (R-VA) smoking cigars by the embassy pool when they were here visiting last week.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Just Play Me That Ol' Time Country Music
Last night when I went back to my office after dinner, I noticed that the tall doors leading to the south ballroom where my office is located were closed. (They're never closed.) Then I noticed a weird sound coming from down a hallway not too far away, across from the copy center and beside the clinic. It was... banjo music!
It turns out that periodically an army duo sets up their musical gear in this nook and plays bluegrass in front of an audience that ranges from 0 to a baker's dozen. I didn't stay for long, but it certainly made me chuckle.
So the closed doors were to stop the music from entering our vault of labors. I guess not everyone's partial to the sounds of a harmonica echoing off marble...
It turns out that periodically an army duo sets up their musical gear in this nook and plays bluegrass in front of an audience that ranges from 0 to a baker's dozen. I didn't stay for long, but it certainly made me chuckle.
So the closed doors were to stop the music from entering our vault of labors. I guess not everyone's partial to the sounds of a harmonica echoing off marble...
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
How to Join Al Qaeda
Here's the application form (translated) for an Al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan.
Hat tip: NRO's Steve Schippert on The Tank blog.
Hat tip: NRO's Steve Schippert on The Tank blog.
The Dream Palace of the Arabs
The latest book I consumed is Lebanese scholar Fouad Ajami's hauntingly masterful The Dream Palace of the Arabs. As one would expect from this author, this memoirish account of Arab intellectuals' attempt (and failure) over many years to bridge the gap between their native lands and the modern world is beautifully written and conceived. It tells of a generation's frustration at the stagnation and regress evident in the Arab world -- and the inability to come to grips with modernity and secularism.
Ajami paints the sad picture of Beirut's descent from the jewel of the Mediterranean to war-torn sect-ridden redoubt to home of a failed/puppet state. He showcases the Egyptian promise that keeps getting frustrated by the various false prophets of socialism, nationalism, and Islamism. He lingers over the disappointment of relations with the only successful country in the Middle East, Israel. (Think about it: In 60 years, Israel has come from literally nothing to a higher standard of living than much of the West, and done it on a tiny sliver of land boasting no natural resources.)
The overwhelming theme is disappointment and lost opportunities.
Ultimately, I am not deserving of this book. Not because it's too high brow, but because Arab culture just does not appeal to me in a way that, say, Mediterranean or Latin American culture does. I recognize and appreciate Ajami's lament, but don't identify with it as I do the equivalent refrains from a Borges or a Tornatore.
The Arabs have nobody to blame for their problems but themselves and, as with Operation Iraqi Freedom, they will ultimately have to solve them themselves, with the West (i.e., the civilized world) playing a role no greater than consigliere.
Ajami paints the sad picture of Beirut's descent from the jewel of the Mediterranean to war-torn sect-ridden redoubt to home of a failed/puppet state. He showcases the Egyptian promise that keeps getting frustrated by the various false prophets of socialism, nationalism, and Islamism. He lingers over the disappointment of relations with the only successful country in the Middle East, Israel. (Think about it: In 60 years, Israel has come from literally nothing to a higher standard of living than much of the West, and done it on a tiny sliver of land boasting no natural resources.)
The overwhelming theme is disappointment and lost opportunities.
Ultimately, I am not deserving of this book. Not because it's too high brow, but because Arab culture just does not appeal to me in a way that, say, Mediterranean or Latin American culture does. I recognize and appreciate Ajami's lament, but don't identify with it as I do the equivalent refrains from a Borges or a Tornatore.
The Arabs have nobody to blame for their problems but themselves and, as with Operation Iraqi Freedom, they will ultimately have to solve them themselves, with the West (i.e., the civilized world) playing a role no greater than consigliere.
A Good Night's Sleep
Running with the Colonel is good, but it throws off my already tenuous sleeping schedule. Sometimes you forget how much your mood is affected by the amount of sleep you get, and when your sleep cycle is interrupted.
Also, getting woken up by an exploding Katyusha rocket sobers and focuses the mind.
Also, getting woken up by an exploding Katyusha rocket sobers and focuses the mind.
Monday, August 20, 2007
100th Blog Post
It's been a month since I left Fort Benning for Iraq, and what a month it's been. It's been educational, inspirational, frustrating, HOT, active, and, above all, fascinating. It's been a steep learning curve -- especially the first couple of weeks -- and now I'm reaching a point where the marginal returns (both to and from me) are slowing in their rate of growth, if not quite diminishing. (So I suppose they are diminishing by the math the government uses when talking about spending "cuts" for bloated programs.)
I'm leaving here middle of next week, however, and arriving home the week of Labor Day via Kuwait, Fort Benning, and an undisclosed location or two. Have to stay focused until that time.
I'm leaving here middle of next week, however, and arriving home the week of Labor Day via Kuwait, Fort Benning, and an undisclosed location or two. Have to stay focused until that time.
The War as They See It
Yesterday seven NCOs (non-commissioned officers) published an op-ed in the NYT, essentially saying the war is lost because we're still playing whack-a-mole with the insurgency and the Iraqi people will never trust us. Blackfive fisks it.
Running with the Colonel Redux
This morning at 0530, for the third time now, I did the standard 3-mile loop around the IZ with my boss in the 90-degree pre-dawn heat. For the second time, I completed it without hitting a wall. For the first, I kept up my side of the conversation up to the very end. Now, I can't vouch that the pace of each of the three runs was the same -- though I think it was based on rough glances at my watch -- but I think we're making progress.
Which is good because, apparently, exercise makes you smarter.
Which is good because, apparently, exercise makes you smarter.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Iraq, Inc.
It took me but a few hours to polish off a book that had much promise and was filled with dense, heavily reported detail, but was ultimately unsatisfying. Iraq, Inc., by Pratap Chatterjee of the anti-business watchdog group CorpWatch, purports to tell the tale of how nobody gained from the Iraq "occupation" except military contractors like Halliburton and Bechtel. (And how, surprise surprise, Dick Cheney ultimately profited/masterminded it all.)
It begins with a bizarre morality tale about Iraqi (or is it Indian/Pakistani) workers' lack of union rights -- so why were these people clamoring for the jobs again? -- and ends up in a dry litany of cost-overruns and inefficiencies.
OK, we get it: Halliburton, etc., engaged in some shady accounting practices. DoD turned a blind eye through a combination of incompetence and cronyism. And after it was all over (or as of the writing of the book), Iraq was still not rebuilt.
Problem is, all the bad stuff this conspiracy theorizing reveals -- and, to be sure, there was some unlawful accounting, as well as harm done by letting the perfect get in the way of the good -- pales in comparison to the policy mistakes detailed in the likes of Cobra II. If Paul Bremer hadn't disbanded the Iraqi army or disqualified all former Baathists from office, for example, would we really be complaining that Halliburton's subsidiary KBR (which still runs the DFACs here) double-billed for meals a couple of times? Or that it serves pork, which is, of course, offensive to Muslim sensibilities? (Actually, the latter I'm not sure we should care about even now.)
No, the book had promise, and some of its charges are perfectly valid, but its shrillness and obvious bias detracts from the point it's trying to make.
It begins with a bizarre morality tale about Iraqi (or is it Indian/Pakistani) workers' lack of union rights -- so why were these people clamoring for the jobs again? -- and ends up in a dry litany of cost-overruns and inefficiencies.
OK, we get it: Halliburton, etc., engaged in some shady accounting practices. DoD turned a blind eye through a combination of incompetence and cronyism. And after it was all over (or as of the writing of the book), Iraq was still not rebuilt.
Problem is, all the bad stuff this conspiracy theorizing reveals -- and, to be sure, there was some unlawful accounting, as well as harm done by letting the perfect get in the way of the good -- pales in comparison to the policy mistakes detailed in the likes of Cobra II. If Paul Bremer hadn't disbanded the Iraqi army or disqualified all former Baathists from office, for example, would we really be complaining that Halliburton's subsidiary KBR (which still runs the DFACs here) double-billed for meals a couple of times? Or that it serves pork, which is, of course, offensive to Muslim sensibilities? (Actually, the latter I'm not sure we should care about even now.)
No, the book had promise, and some of its charges are perfectly valid, but its shrillness and obvious bias detracts from the point it's trying to make.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Ali Baba and the 40 Insurgents
Interesting tidbit: When US forces ask locals for the whereabouts of insurgents, they inquire about Ali Baba.
Wearing Sweaters in an Oven
In true American fashion, the air conditioning system at the embassy is blasted so high that, even though it's typically 120 degrees outside, it's positively cold inside. Especially the Green Bean coffee shop/lounge area: I just can't spend any time there unless I'm wearing a long-sleeve shirt and/or two layers.
This micro-climate is enhanced on Fridays and Saturdays, the "weekend" days when many civilian embassy employees don't work (or work less time), leaving fewer warm bodies to counteract the effect of the AC. Yesterday at one point I had to step outside and read some briefs in a shaded area by the pool just to warm up a bit.
It's faintly ridiculous, but I suppose provides incentive for me to either wear a suit or my ACU (All-purpose Combat Uniform) rather than the typical civilian "uniform" of khakis and a polo shirt.
This micro-climate is enhanced on Fridays and Saturdays, the "weekend" days when many civilian embassy employees don't work (or work less time), leaving fewer warm bodies to counteract the effect of the AC. Yesterday at one point I had to step outside and read some briefs in a shaded area by the pool just to warm up a bit.
It's faintly ridiculous, but I suppose provides incentive for me to either wear a suit or my ACU (All-purpose Combat Uniform) rather than the typical civilian "uniform" of khakis and a polo shirt.
Hockey Night in Baghdad
The other day I joked with my boss that what the embassy complex was lacking was an ice rink. "Gotta get my hockey fix," I said.
He reminded me about the 4-on-4 street hockey that took place by the gym. And, indeed, street hockey was one of the sports activities organized by the MWR folks. Every other Friday evening at dusk, the hoopsters are ushered off the court, to be replaced by a bunch of rangy guys with plastic sticks and a rubber ball.
I had so much fun playing last night, and didn't realize when it was all over that I had had almost an hour and a half of exercise that was a heckuva lot more than going running (with or without my boss). Most of the guys were enlisted soldiers, with a few civilians thrown in. As the night went on, we felt a growing camraderie, and it's unfortunate that by the time the next hockey night rolls around, I'll be on a plane going home.
He reminded me about the 4-on-4 street hockey that took place by the gym. And, indeed, street hockey was one of the sports activities organized by the MWR folks. Every other Friday evening at dusk, the hoopsters are ushered off the court, to be replaced by a bunch of rangy guys with plastic sticks and a rubber ball.
I had so much fun playing last night, and didn't realize when it was all over that I had had almost an hour and a half of exercise that was a heckuva lot more than going running (with or without my boss). Most of the guys were enlisted soldiers, with a few civilians thrown in. As the night went on, we felt a growing camraderie, and it's unfortunate that by the time the next hockey night rolls around, I'll be on a plane going home.
Meeting of the Mind-Sets
Former Pentagon historian John M. Rosenberg had a piece in the Stars & Stripes on Thursday about the different mentalities that State Department officials and military folks bring to the table here at the Embassy. More specifically, he details the rather obvious clash of cultures and attitudes. (Sample: "the preppy young functionaries of State occasionally murmur their displeasure over having to occupy the same space with what they consider as the boorish, tobacco-dipping soldiers; while the young enlisted are prone to deride the soft, whiney civilians.")
It's a fascinating issue, and the crucible-forged accentuation of inter-agency conflicts typical to any complex government operation. I will no doubt have my own thoughts to share once I return Stateside and can begin to process some of these larger-picture themes of my time here.
It's a fascinating issue, and the crucible-forged accentuation of inter-agency conflicts typical to any complex government operation. I will no doubt have my own thoughts to share once I return Stateside and can begin to process some of these larger-picture themes of my time here.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Regrets I've Had a Few
I've gotten a bit of flak for my Daily Standard piece, specifically for making it seem that the MNFI (or all Embassy) leaders are living a life of detached luxury while personnel are suffering, sacrificing, and dying in the field.
Nothing could be further from the truth, of course, and I apologize for any such implication. I just meant to convey the surrealism of life in the IZ -- with people dying out there and helicopters flying at all hours while we go back and forth between trailer and office.
People work long hours here: 12-16 hours/day is the norm, on both the military and civilian side. And everyone appreciates the sacrifices of the men in the field, and their families.
I thus apologize for any "friendly fire" my piece may have caused.
Nothing could be further from the truth, of course, and I apologize for any such implication. I just meant to convey the surrealism of life in the IZ -- with people dying out there and helicopters flying at all hours while we go back and forth between trailer and office.
People work long hours here: 12-16 hours/day is the norm, on both the military and civilian side. And everyone appreciates the sacrifices of the men in the field, and their families.
I thus apologize for any "friendly fire" my piece may have caused.
The Lock & Load
Another bar available to those not constrained by General Order #1 (those serving in the military may not drink alcohol) is the "Lock & Load," a drinking establishment operated by/benefiting the RSO -- the embassy's security office. Apparently they'd previously been busted for unspecified offenses and are now open by invitiation only, and cannot charge for drinks (just "donations"). According to the patrons of the "Off-Site," the Lock & Load is the "working class bar."
Weel call me Joe and get me a six-pack, 'cause I always have a great time at the L&L. It was only my second time there, but they treat me right... Tonight I met a recovering Mormon from Utah who voted (twice) for Ralph Nader. (Apparently has a tshirt that says "Bush and Kerry make me Ralph.") And now he's working on the mission here in Baghdad. What a country!
I also bumped into a girl who shared my CRC experience back at Fort Benning. Good times.
Weel call me Joe and get me a six-pack, 'cause I always have a great time at the L&L. It was only my second time there, but they treat me right... Tonight I met a recovering Mormon from Utah who voted (twice) for Ralph Nader. (Apparently has a tshirt that says "Bush and Kerry make me Ralph.") And now he's working on the mission here in Baghdad. What a country!
I also bumped into a girl who shared my CRC experience back at Fort Benning. Good times.
Daily Standard Piece: Club Med Baghdad
The Weekly Standard's online publication, The Daily Standard, just ran a piece collecting my initital observations of life here behind the wire. It's about two weeks dated because they held it for a Friday run so it would stay on top of the webpage through the weekend.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Iran & Al Qaeda
That's who takes over if we leave, the former on the Shia side, the latter on the Sunni. Forgetting all that's gone on before, that's why this mission is important going forward.
The Iraqi Government
Here is a list of the Iraqi President, two Vice-Presidents, Prime Minister, two Deputy Prime Ministers, and Cabinet, as well as the Governor of the Central Bank and Ambassadors to the US and UN. It is current as of May 17 -- so does not reflect the walkout of the Sunni bloc (which resignations were never formally accepted anyway) or other developments of the last three months. Note that there are 26 Ministers, plus 11 "Ministers of State" (akin to Britain's junior ministers).
Iraqi Civil Courts
I should mention that, by all accounts, the country's civil (as opposed to criminal) courts are up and running fine -- and Iraqis are comfortable going to lawyers and filing claims for, e.g., contract claims, disputes with neighbors, divorces, etc. In the cities more so than in the country, of course, with tribal councils and unofficial sharia courts being more prevalent outside major centers.
Of course, I'm sure there are fewer inter-sectarian suits -- wrongful death claims and the like -- or at least less enforcement of resulting judgments. But in terms of a small business suing its supplier for providing shoddy product, for example, that seems to be covered.
Of course, I'm sure there are fewer inter-sectarian suits -- wrongful death claims and the like -- or at least less enforcement of resulting judgments. But in terms of a small business suing its supplier for providing shoddy product, for example, that seems to be covered.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
A Meeting with the Minister (Justice)
I already blogged about my meeting with the Minister of Justice. We discussed detention facilities, the need to process detainees faster, keep better arrest records, etc. Unfortunately, the Minister went on vacation for most of August, but things seem to be progressing without him. Just yesterday, the Iraqis released over 80 detainees from Khadamiya, one of the overcrowded prisons that had become a political embarassment to the governent. So things are moving, if slowly...
Below are some pictures from outside the Minister's office, in front of the Monument to the Unknown Soldier. There used to be one where I appear beside an Iraqi Army colonel -- just promoted to brigadier general -- who has done a workmanlike job in investigating atrocities by Iraqi police. I took it down for security reasons.
America's Empire Deficit
I finally finished Colossus, and highly recommend it. Niall Ferguson is both provocative and well-researched, timely and fundamental. The point is that when America gets involved in overseas adventures -- for whatever reason, from the most realist to the most humanitarian -- it inevitably acts like an empire. The sooner it admits this and takes on the role unapologetically, the greater its success can be.
The question, then, is how to organize the "nation-building" -- or, to avoid using the somewhat loaded word "nation," the reconstruction/development work. One view argues for expanding the military, developing more "civilian affairs" capacity. After all, we already have engineers of all sorts, lawyers, doctors, and all sorts of other professionals in the military. Building that capacity would take advantage of the military's existing command and control structure, and recognize that in this brave new world the army exists to run a place, not just make war.
I think that's a stop-gap, and an answer that perhaps works in Iraq's unique environment at this point in time (during a counterinsurgency when we don't have a large enough civilian capacity), but is not the correct structural solution. In fact, this is an easier call than the decision about the circumstances under which we should nation-build or whether to be in the business at all.
The British India Civil Service (ICS) is a good model for what we need, I think -- a civilian body ready to be mobilized as needed, a Peace Corps with teeth that would work in conjunction with the military. More on such a Civilian Response Readiness Corps (as was proposed in legislation sponsored last term) in future as I develop my thinking in consultation with the folks around me.
But one final point: Ferguson diagnoses three deficits "that together explain why the United States has been a less effective empire than its British predecessor." These deficits are 1) economic, 2) manpower, and 3) attention. Ferguson discounts the economic deficit (foreign debt, growing entitlement liabilities as Baby Boomers age, trade imbalance, etc.) because all other pretenders to the American throne would be harder hit if America falters. For example, it is the Chinese who are financing our consumption, and the Europeans are in much worse shape in terms of a graying population and unsustainable welfare state. I don't completely buy this, because the disturbing trend toward populism and protectionism could certainly plunge us into serious economic troubles, yielding even less taste for empire -- and who cares if the rest of the world comes with us?
To cure the manpower deficit Ferguson proposes enlisting immigrants, foreigners, and the unemployed. As I've said before, with somewhat of a bias given my own immigration situation, I'm all for creating a foreign legion. As for the other two categories, I think we're pretty much maxed out. The armed forces have already lowered their recruitment standards, and are offering quite attractive enlistment bonuses, so we're sopping up as much "excess labor capacity" as we can.
I agree with Ferguson, however, that the attention deficit, America's lack of will -- caused in part by the unforgiving political cycle -- restricts long-term strategic thinking. We are impatient for quick results and unwilling to engage in a long slog. That is, the Bush administration theory on transformation of the Middle East may be sound when considered over a minimum 50-year period, but short-term dynamics prevent us from engaging in the steps that would allow us to bear those long-term fruit. (This is perhaps similar to the Social Security debate, among others.)
As Ferguson puts it, the trouble with "an empire in denial" is that it makes two mistakes when it intervenes in troubled states' affairs. "The first may be to allocate insufficient resources to the nonmilitary aspects of the project. The second, and more serious, is to attempt economic and political transformation in an unrealistically short time frame." These two points help explain why our vastly powerful economy and extraordinary military capability has had such a disappointing record of regime change/restructuring.
Think about it: Of our interventions of the past century, only Germany, Japan, and Korea can be considered successful. What do those three engagements have in common? American troops are still there over 50 years later. Put another way, in 1945 who would you rather be, America's Third World ally (like the Philippines) or its enemy (Japan).
As Nietzsche said, it's all about the "will to power." Post-modern Europe has long lacked it; has America gone the same way?
The question, then, is how to organize the "nation-building" -- or, to avoid using the somewhat loaded word "nation," the reconstruction/development work. One view argues for expanding the military, developing more "civilian affairs" capacity. After all, we already have engineers of all sorts, lawyers, doctors, and all sorts of other professionals in the military. Building that capacity would take advantage of the military's existing command and control structure, and recognize that in this brave new world the army exists to run a place, not just make war.
I think that's a stop-gap, and an answer that perhaps works in Iraq's unique environment at this point in time (during a counterinsurgency when we don't have a large enough civilian capacity), but is not the correct structural solution. In fact, this is an easier call than the decision about the circumstances under which we should nation-build or whether to be in the business at all.
The British India Civil Service (ICS) is a good model for what we need, I think -- a civilian body ready to be mobilized as needed, a Peace Corps with teeth that would work in conjunction with the military. More on such a Civilian Response Readiness Corps (as was proposed in legislation sponsored last term) in future as I develop my thinking in consultation with the folks around me.
But one final point: Ferguson diagnoses three deficits "that together explain why the United States has been a less effective empire than its British predecessor." These deficits are 1) economic, 2) manpower, and 3) attention. Ferguson discounts the economic deficit (foreign debt, growing entitlement liabilities as Baby Boomers age, trade imbalance, etc.) because all other pretenders to the American throne would be harder hit if America falters. For example, it is the Chinese who are financing our consumption, and the Europeans are in much worse shape in terms of a graying population and unsustainable welfare state. I don't completely buy this, because the disturbing trend toward populism and protectionism could certainly plunge us into serious economic troubles, yielding even less taste for empire -- and who cares if the rest of the world comes with us?
To cure the manpower deficit Ferguson proposes enlisting immigrants, foreigners, and the unemployed. As I've said before, with somewhat of a bias given my own immigration situation, I'm all for creating a foreign legion. As for the other two categories, I think we're pretty much maxed out. The armed forces have already lowered their recruitment standards, and are offering quite attractive enlistment bonuses, so we're sopping up as much "excess labor capacity" as we can.
I agree with Ferguson, however, that the attention deficit, America's lack of will -- caused in part by the unforgiving political cycle -- restricts long-term strategic thinking. We are impatient for quick results and unwilling to engage in a long slog. That is, the Bush administration theory on transformation of the Middle East may be sound when considered over a minimum 50-year period, but short-term dynamics prevent us from engaging in the steps that would allow us to bear those long-term fruit. (This is perhaps similar to the Social Security debate, among others.)
As Ferguson puts it, the trouble with "an empire in denial" is that it makes two mistakes when it intervenes in troubled states' affairs. "The first may be to allocate insufficient resources to the nonmilitary aspects of the project. The second, and more serious, is to attempt economic and political transformation in an unrealistically short time frame." These two points help explain why our vastly powerful economy and extraordinary military capability has had such a disappointing record of regime change/restructuring.
Think about it: Of our interventions of the past century, only Germany, Japan, and Korea can be considered successful. What do those three engagements have in common? American troops are still there over 50 years later. Put another way, in 1945 who would you rather be, America's Third World ally (like the Philippines) or its enemy (Japan).
As Nietzsche said, it's all about the "will to power." Post-modern Europe has long lacked it; has America gone the same way?
A Meeting with the Minister (Human Rights)
Monday afternoon I went out to the helo pad to go back across the river to Rusafa, home of the Rule of Law Complex (ROLC) and the Law & Order Task Force (LAOTF) that assists it. Had to wait there in the searing heat -- the season having changed back to oven -- for some time because the Minister of Human Rights, Mrs. Wijdan Mikhail Salim, was running late. As it turned out, the National Director of Prisons (I believe that was his title) was even later, and we had to leave without him. (The Blackhawk crew was not amused by our tardiness, indicating to me several times that they were "fuel critical.")
The trip across the river only takes a few minutes, and so within no time we were touching down beside the "Olympic Stadium" that Saddam had built before the Gulf War in a deluded attempt to bring the Olympics to Baghdad. It would become one of his son Uday's favorite torture grounds. And now it's next to the Baghdad Police College and the jail and court complex we had built.
All elements of the rule of law complex are directly responsible to the chief judge of the CCCI (the court I visited yesterday), the Ministry of Interior, and the Ministry of Justice. The Iraqi government -- by hiring a sophisticated international contractor -- is providing all security for the complex, and is fully funding it from the state budget. The Ministry of Interior is surging every available investigator there, as the Maliki government, rejecting a proposal to establish martial law, instead called upon the CCCI to sit in emergency session to process the ballooning population of security detainees. There are plans to expand the number of judges, and of course plans are in the works to open similar compounds in Ramadi and Baquba (capital of Diyala province).
After being greeted by LAOTF's director, Mike Walther, the Minister first toured the detainee holding cells (see pictures above). Both the indoor and outdoor facilities meet humane international standards regarding space allotment, hygiene, etc. The indoor facilities hold 15 detainees to a cell, and all the detainees we spoke with raved at being there rather than other places from which they'd been transferred (including the infamous Abu Ghraib). The outdoor facilities -- large, air conditioned, tented cages -- similarly meet world standards, even if the set-up seems strange at first.
This was my second time at the ROLC, and I have yet to hear a detainee complain about the Rusafa facilities or the treatment they receive there. (For example, the complex receives 2000 male visitors and 500 female per week, and there are two doctors and five nurses on staff.) The Rusafa detention complex currently houses 5600 detainees, and is being expanded to a maximum capacity of over 7000. The hope, however, is that the number of detainees will go down and/or keep changing as people are moved through the system (more on this issue later).
Both the LAOTF Director and the Minister spent a considerable amount of time talking with the detainees, taking note of claims that certain folks were being held for no reason, or had been in detention in various places for 2-3 years without a hearing. "Nobody in prison is ever guilty," of course, but we know that a not insignificant number of detainees are held in pre-trial detention longer than the maximum sentence for their crimes, while others just got caught in a sweep at the wrong place at the wrong time.
The problem is a lack of records on so many people (80%). They've even resorted at times to asking the detainees themselves whether they know what they're in for as a preliminary record. There are just not enough capable judicial investigators (JIs), and even if there were, the police investigators (PIs) just have not done a thorough enough job of documenting arrestees. Eventually, insufficient evidence will get detainees released even when the security forces who detained them have no doubts of their guilt. The message to the Iraqi police is: if you don't want to see the most dangerous criminals back on the street in short order, you better be very thorough in the collection of evidence, and in maintaining records about the suspects you arrest. But they aren't, and so many of the most dangerous end up right back on the street to sabotage and kill again. The flipside, again, is that innocents or those picked up for light offenses languish in detention while their "no records available" files are investigated.
The Minister requested an office at the complex to monitor detainee issues, and was instantly given approval by the LAOTF chief of staff, a retired military officer and judge.
After the tour of the detention facilities, we made our way to the court and then to the office of the chief trial (as opposed to investigative) judge there. The Minister had a spirited discussion with the judge. First over jurisdiction. There is an institutional dispute over whether the ROLC would deal with only detainees from Rusafa, rather than the estimated 80% who have been brought from overcrowded jails elsewhere in Baghdad and even surrounding provinces. Just that morning, however, an agreement was reached that all detainees at the Rusafa complex would be under the Rusafa court's jurisdiction, wherever their original (and usually undocumented) provenance. The Minister insisted that more detainees be processed and either released or tried/sentenced, with the judge promising to do his best given the institutional/manpower limitations. She also asked to watch some of the trials -- which invitation was again instantly extended by the Chief of Staff.
At this point, our work being done, we were escorted back to the helipad by our very professional security detail (the guy in charge of my SUV was a South African, clearly former special forces of some kind), and made the short flight back to the IZ. (See pictures below.)
The trip across the river only takes a few minutes, and so within no time we were touching down beside the "Olympic Stadium" that Saddam had built before the Gulf War in a deluded attempt to bring the Olympics to Baghdad. It would become one of his son Uday's favorite torture grounds. And now it's next to the Baghdad Police College and the jail and court complex we had built.
All elements of the rule of law complex are directly responsible to the chief judge of the CCCI (the court I visited yesterday), the Ministry of Interior, and the Ministry of Justice. The Iraqi government -- by hiring a sophisticated international contractor -- is providing all security for the complex, and is fully funding it from the state budget. The Ministry of Interior is surging every available investigator there, as the Maliki government, rejecting a proposal to establish martial law, instead called upon the CCCI to sit in emergency session to process the ballooning population of security detainees. There are plans to expand the number of judges, and of course plans are in the works to open similar compounds in Ramadi and Baquba (capital of Diyala province).
After being greeted by LAOTF's director, Mike Walther, the Minister first toured the detainee holding cells (see pictures above). Both the indoor and outdoor facilities meet humane international standards regarding space allotment, hygiene, etc. The indoor facilities hold 15 detainees to a cell, and all the detainees we spoke with raved at being there rather than other places from which they'd been transferred (including the infamous Abu Ghraib). The outdoor facilities -- large, air conditioned, tented cages -- similarly meet world standards, even if the set-up seems strange at first.
This was my second time at the ROLC, and I have yet to hear a detainee complain about the Rusafa facilities or the treatment they receive there. (For example, the complex receives 2000 male visitors and 500 female per week, and there are two doctors and five nurses on staff.) The Rusafa detention complex currently houses 5600 detainees, and is being expanded to a maximum capacity of over 7000. The hope, however, is that the number of detainees will go down and/or keep changing as people are moved through the system (more on this issue later).
Both the LAOTF Director and the Minister spent a considerable amount of time talking with the detainees, taking note of claims that certain folks were being held for no reason, or had been in detention in various places for 2-3 years without a hearing. "Nobody in prison is ever guilty," of course, but we know that a not insignificant number of detainees are held in pre-trial detention longer than the maximum sentence for their crimes, while others just got caught in a sweep at the wrong place at the wrong time.
The problem is a lack of records on so many people (80%). They've even resorted at times to asking the detainees themselves whether they know what they're in for as a preliminary record. There are just not enough capable judicial investigators (JIs), and even if there were, the police investigators (PIs) just have not done a thorough enough job of documenting arrestees. Eventually, insufficient evidence will get detainees released even when the security forces who detained them have no doubts of their guilt. The message to the Iraqi police is: if you don't want to see the most dangerous criminals back on the street in short order, you better be very thorough in the collection of evidence, and in maintaining records about the suspects you arrest. But they aren't, and so many of the most dangerous end up right back on the street to sabotage and kill again. The flipside, again, is that innocents or those picked up for light offenses languish in detention while their "no records available" files are investigated.
The Minister requested an office at the complex to monitor detainee issues, and was instantly given approval by the LAOTF chief of staff, a retired military officer and judge.
After the tour of the detention facilities, we made our way to the court and then to the office of the chief trial (as opposed to investigative) judge there. The Minister had a spirited discussion with the judge. First over jurisdiction. There is an institutional dispute over whether the ROLC would deal with only detainees from Rusafa, rather than the estimated 80% who have been brought from overcrowded jails elsewhere in Baghdad and even surrounding provinces. Just that morning, however, an agreement was reached that all detainees at the Rusafa complex would be under the Rusafa court's jurisdiction, wherever their original (and usually undocumented) provenance. The Minister insisted that more detainees be processed and either released or tried/sentenced, with the judge promising to do his best given the institutional/manpower limitations. She also asked to watch some of the trials -- which invitation was again instantly extended by the Chief of Staff.
At this point, our work being done, we were escorted back to the helipad by our very professional security detail (the guy in charge of my SUV was a South African, clearly former special forces of some kind), and made the short flight back to the IZ. (See pictures below.)
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