The Devil Made Me Do It

Do you know why Latinos are coming to America? It is not because of the jobs, schools, or great tv shows like Grey's Anatomy, but because the devil made them do it. It is all part of his insidious plan to bring down America from the inside. Nevermind that most Latinos are devoutly religious...And students ask why I study International Relations instead of internal domestic politics, I present exhibit number one.

Satan behind illegal immigration, Utah County Republican claims
"In order for Satan to establish his 'New World Order' and destroy the freedom of all people as predicted in the Scriptures, he must first destroy the U.S.," his resolution states. "The mostly quiet and unspectacular invasion of illegal immigrants does not focus the attention of the nations the way open warfare does, but is all the more insidious for its stealth and innocuousness."

RIP David Halberstam

David Halderstam just died and I wanted honor and support the work of a man who wrote on two subjects close to my heart, politics and sports. I will never forget reading the Fifties as an undergrad, one of the first 'textbooks' I ever enjoyed reading.

New Approach to Diversity in Faculty Hires

Typically when we seek to hire diverse candidates, a hiring committee adds a name to the short list of someone who might be a minority. This new approach sounds like the best option, instead department should seek to hire any minority they deem of suitable quality, regardless of field. In this way departments might be able to increase the numbers of minority profs (which is important if the student pool is diverse) who have a better chance at tenure.

New Approach to Diversity

"Which is more important — that a department have all of its disciplinary subfields represented or that it diversify its faculty?...But as a small liberal arts university in a rural setting, Colgate has a hard time holding on to minority professors — and so needs to keep hiring them as well as trying to encourage more of them to make their careers at the university. Roelofs has asked departments to flop the second and third criteria. Excellence will stay on top, but diversity would generally trump subfield choice."

Last time I picked on France so I guess its fair I pick on England now. I happen to like the country since lately I have been hooked on English tea, Manchester United, and the Kaiser Chiefs. In any case, I am definitely going to read this book.

The Evil Empire: 101 Ways England Ruined the World
"They invented slums. They invented child labor. They put Saddam Hussein in power. They burned Joan of Arc at the stake, and they enslaved the globe to get their tea fix. We're talking about England, of course, and the terrible evils they've set loose on the world. In The Evil Empire, American author Steven Grasse documents the 101 worst atrocities of Mother England everything from foxhunting to the invention of the concentration camp. With an irreverent mix of historical facts, smart commentary, and red-blooded American arrogance, Grasse offers a devastating critique of the country that gave us the machine gun, factory labor, and the metric system. Publishing just in time for the Queen's birthday (April 21), The Evil Empire is essential reading for true-blue Americans and others oppressed by the English throughout history."

Chomskey and Zinn on Vietnam, Iraq, and History

Seems like an interesting interview. Conservatives probably should not read this for fear of heart attacks.

In Rare Joint Interview, Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn on Iraq, Vietnam, Activism and History

Miss Mexico

I don't even know where to begin with this one.

Reading for Rivalry

Leskiw and Valeriano reading for next week is located here

The Hensel, Diehl, and Goertz article can be found here

Intro to IR Schedule

Here is our schedule for the rest of the semester:
April 19: International Law
April 24: Balance of Power
April 26: Democratic Peace
May 1: Concerts and Collective Security
May 3: Diplomacy

Final Exam: Thursday, May 10 10:30-12:30

Russia!

Russia threatening new cold war over missile defence

Mr Bean!

If you call me Mr. Bean, I swear I won't cry...maybe.

I'm sorry for selling my story, says Iran hostage Mr Bean

"Seaman Batchelor's claim that he cried himself to sleep after his Iranian captors likened him to the comedy character Mr Bean made him a laughing stock.
One serving soldier posted: "Batchelor didn't do the reputation of servicemen much good either! Being broken by being called Mr Bean FFS! - that must be on a par with Monty Python's Spanish Inquisition and the comfy cushions."

"Another angry contributor wrote: "They should be expelled from the Armed Forces. Maybe HMS Cornwall could make a series like The Loveboat or be used for Big Brother? The Royal Navy seems intent on becoming a complete laughing-stock."

Diplomat Event

Careers in International Affairs

Anthony Benesch

Diplomat in Residence

Come listen to the U.S. State Department’s Diplomat in Residence discuss career opportunities in government service. Internship programs and fellowship opportunities (language programs) will be also be discussed.

April 17^th

Noon, BSB 140

Presented by the UIC Political Science Department

Pizza will be served!

Next?

What goes up, must come down. But who will be the next world power. Cracked.com has a few ideas.

"Now, several other countries are poised to snag the title of “International Big Dog” from the reigning champ, so we've compiled an “it” list of the contenders. Only time—and World War III—will tell!"

War for Oil?

It is pretty hard to argue that the United States went to war in Iraq to grab oil if the United States fails to get any oil out of the deal. Also, don't forget the price of oil has jumped considerably because of the conflict in Iraq.

And Iraq's big oil contracts go to ...

"Despite claims by some critics that the Bush administration invaded Iraq to take control of its oil, the first contracts with major oil firms from Iraq's new government are likely to go not to U.S. companies, but rather to companies from China, India, Vietnam, and Indonesia."

Why did Iran take the British hostage?

There is always a reason why things are done in the world of international politics. Apparently Iran was upset with American attempts to take a few Iranians hostage so they retaliated.

The botched US raid that led to the hostage crisis

"Better understanding of the seriousness of the US action in Arbil - and the angry Iranian response to it - should have led Downing Street and the Ministry of Defence to realise that Iran was likely to retaliate against American or British forces such as highly vulnerable Navy search parties in the Gulf. The two senior Iranian officers the US sought to capture were Mohammed Jafari, the powerful deputy head of the Iranian National Security Council, and General Minojahar Frouzanda, the chief of intelligence of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, according to Kurdish officials."

South Park Rivalry

Last week South Park covered rivalry in that the British were behind the 'snuke' (suitcase nuke) that was, ummm, placed in Hilary. The point being that American's tend to forget their oldest enemy, British (which was an enduring rivalry.)

"An episode of South Park featuring the Queen committing suicide is provoking outrage. But if the show is famous for anything, it's for going too far."

Lecture on India-U.S.

I am delighted to invite you to an upcoming event that is part of our series, The Global Affairs Forum. Our guest speaker will be Indian Consul General, Arun Kumar. Consul General Kumar’s topic will be The Indo-US Relationship in the 21st Century. The event will consist of a presentation by Consul General Kumar, followed by a question and answer session with UIC students and faculty.

Consul General Kumar has served India as a career diplomat for more than 30 years. He has served in Italy, Tunisia, Ghana, Zaire, Dubai, and Yugoslavia. Mr. Kumar served as Joint Secretary in the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and has conducted international policy research in India and abroad. Consul General Kumar has always advocated building strong connections between the next generation of leaders in India and their counterparts in the United States.

This program will take place on Wednesday, April 18, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in the Fort Dearborn Room, on the 3rd floor of UIC’s Student Center East building at 750 S. Halsted Street. Light refreshments will be served.

Kindly confirm your attendance at The Global Affairs Forum by responding via e-mail by Wednesday, April 11th. Please address your e-mail to Katya Nekrasova at enekraso@uic.edu. Space is limited and reservations are required.