Newsweek 21 Feb 2011
Niall Ferguson: Wanted a Grand Strategy for America
Good article about Obama's foreign policy or lack thereof by Ferguson.
Ferguson argues that Obama has made serious mistakes regarding the situation in Egypt. The choises Obama has made have resulted in bad relations with the Egyptian society and Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Correctly Ferguson points out that the mistakes made in American foreign policy are not entirely Obama's fault. Partly the blame also lies with Obama's advisers. According to Ferguson some of the advisers have not been suitable to work in international relations mostly because they lack adequate diplomatic skills.
Another criticism is that the Obama administration foreign policy team did not take into account that Egypt's Mubarak would be overthrown. Indeed, policy thinkers should be able to think for all eventualities. Why didn't they think this far is anyone's guess.
As Ferguson points out Obama has more pressing issues ahead as the elections are fast approaching and the American electorate is not too bothered with foreign policy.
tiistai 22. helmikuuta 2011
keskiviikko 6. lokakuuta 2010
After the Neocons
Francis Fukuyama
After the Neocons
Fukuyama does his best to show how neoconservatism was used incorrectly by the Bush administration. It is unlikely they understood neoconservatism at all.
The beginning of the book is actually very interesting as Fukuyama goes through the different people who have formulated neoconservatism. It is informative for anyone who doesn't know that much about neoconservatism.
The rest of the book is about Fukuyama's ideas how to improve the international system.
The United Nations is an ineffective organisation that gives the podium to various dictators. There is not much one can do to save the organisation. NATO, on the other hand, is better because its members are liberal democracies. All that is needed to improve the organisation is to make changes in its decision making mechanisms.
Fukuyama is rightly critical of international organisations. However, as he points out the Bush administration and its neoconservative supporters were hostile towards international organisations. But the Bush administration did not offer any options how to improve the situation. Which obviously is not a helpful attitude.
Fukuyama also has this radical idea that development might be a better option than to blast problems away with high explosives. Indeed, why not try to use diplomacy and developmet and try to help less developed states in the road towards democracy.
After the Neocons
Fukuyama does his best to show how neoconservatism was used incorrectly by the Bush administration. It is unlikely they understood neoconservatism at all.
The beginning of the book is actually very interesting as Fukuyama goes through the different people who have formulated neoconservatism. It is informative for anyone who doesn't know that much about neoconservatism.
The rest of the book is about Fukuyama's ideas how to improve the international system.
The United Nations is an ineffective organisation that gives the podium to various dictators. There is not much one can do to save the organisation. NATO, on the other hand, is better because its members are liberal democracies. All that is needed to improve the organisation is to make changes in its decision making mechanisms.
Fukuyama is rightly critical of international organisations. However, as he points out the Bush administration and its neoconservative supporters were hostile towards international organisations. But the Bush administration did not offer any options how to improve the situation. Which obviously is not a helpful attitude.
Fukuyama also has this radical idea that development might be a better option than to blast problems away with high explosives. Indeed, why not try to use diplomacy and developmet and try to help less developed states in the road towards democracy.
George Sand and Islam
On the 28 Sptember the AEC had a lecture on George Sand and also about the influence Islam has on Somali society.
Sand lived at a time when Europe was living the Romantic Era.
She was a controversial figure at the time as she used a man's name and dressed in mens clothing. Obviously these days no one would pay any attention to this side of her personality.
Sand was critical of the fact that it was all right for men to have lovers but not women. She fought this double standard by having lovers while married.
Sand's career can be divided into three parts:
1. 1830s was her Romantic period.
2. 1840s saw her as a social commentator on various themes.
3. From 1840s until her death she wrote about life in the countryside.
The lecturer on Islam told that it is difficult to cover all sides of a religion in one lecture, and he was right. So here are only some interesting bits.
Apparetly the Quran in Arabic is memorised even though few people in Somalia understand Arabic. This leads to the situation where people can recite Quran but they have no idea what they are talking about. In mosques there are people who have a better understanding of Quran and actually know what the book says.
The Somali state had a tight control over religion. When the civil war began, Somalis started to move into countries that have freedom of religion. That is why Somalis seem to be more religious outside Somalia than they were when living in Somalia, according to the lecturer.
Sand lived at a time when Europe was living the Romantic Era.
She was a controversial figure at the time as she used a man's name and dressed in mens clothing. Obviously these days no one would pay any attention to this side of her personality.
Sand was critical of the fact that it was all right for men to have lovers but not women. She fought this double standard by having lovers while married.
Sand's career can be divided into three parts:
1. 1830s was her Romantic period.
2. 1840s saw her as a social commentator on various themes.
3. From 1840s until her death she wrote about life in the countryside.
The lecturer on Islam told that it is difficult to cover all sides of a religion in one lecture, and he was right. So here are only some interesting bits.
Apparetly the Quran in Arabic is memorised even though few people in Somalia understand Arabic. This leads to the situation where people can recite Quran but they have no idea what they are talking about. In mosques there are people who have a better understanding of Quran and actually know what the book says.
The Somali state had a tight control over religion. When the civil war began, Somalis started to move into countries that have freedom of religion. That is why Somalis seem to be more religious outside Somalia than they were when living in Somalia, according to the lecturer.
keskiviikko 22. syyskuuta 2010
Pushkin and Somalia
Last night there were lectures at the AEC about Pushkin and Somalia.
The lecture on Pushkin was more an overview of the times he lived in. It covered the intellectual climate of the time and what the political situation was. The lecturer admitted he is not a literature critic and is not familiar with everything Pushkin wrote.
Pushkin was not a great thinker nor did he create any grand philosophical ideas. However, his use of language was exceptional and he brought original ideas into poetry. Pushkin is also known to have written naughty texts which were popular among gentlemen. But these are not popular these days as Pushkin has a special place among the giants of literature and naughty texts do not fit into this image.
Pushkin got into trouble because of his womanizing and he was not popular with the powers that be. He was not allowed to travel outside Russia. However, Pushkin was not against a strong central government and he was skeptical of liberal ideas which were popular in Western Europe. He certainly was no dissident.
After the above lecture there was the third lecture on Somalia. This time the lecturer covered the period after 1960.
Like many parts of Africa, Somalia was the scene of Cold War action. It was the usual story of both superpowers supplying an unlimited amount of weapons to the area.
Then in the early 1990s the proverbial manure really hit the fan with the well-known consequences. Of the neighboring countries Ethiopia has been the keenest to get involved in the internal affairs of Somalia. The lecturer was optimistic that the current political developments might yield positive results. In his opinion at least some advancement in the political sphere is better than nothing at all.
Because of the civil war there is no functioning central government in Somalia. This has been a great opportunity for the private sector. Apparently it is easy to get a telephone line in a house and there is good internet coverage in the country. There are TV-channels and newspapers. If one has the financial means one can choose an airline from the fifteen available and do some traveling.
Among the audience there was one eager civil servant from the Finnish Immigration Service who wanted to impress others with his knowledge of Somalia. He had these long monologues which were focused on the topic but he wasn’t the main speaker. Why couldn’t he just wait until the lecture ends and then have a conversation with the lecturer? But no, he had to have his moment in the spotlight.
The lecture on Pushkin was more an overview of the times he lived in. It covered the intellectual climate of the time and what the political situation was. The lecturer admitted he is not a literature critic and is not familiar with everything Pushkin wrote.
Pushkin was not a great thinker nor did he create any grand philosophical ideas. However, his use of language was exceptional and he brought original ideas into poetry. Pushkin is also known to have written naughty texts which were popular among gentlemen. But these are not popular these days as Pushkin has a special place among the giants of literature and naughty texts do not fit into this image.
Pushkin got into trouble because of his womanizing and he was not popular with the powers that be. He was not allowed to travel outside Russia. However, Pushkin was not against a strong central government and he was skeptical of liberal ideas which were popular in Western Europe. He certainly was no dissident.
After the above lecture there was the third lecture on Somalia. This time the lecturer covered the period after 1960.
Like many parts of Africa, Somalia was the scene of Cold War action. It was the usual story of both superpowers supplying an unlimited amount of weapons to the area.
Then in the early 1990s the proverbial manure really hit the fan with the well-known consequences. Of the neighboring countries Ethiopia has been the keenest to get involved in the internal affairs of Somalia. The lecturer was optimistic that the current political developments might yield positive results. In his opinion at least some advancement in the political sphere is better than nothing at all.
Because of the civil war there is no functioning central government in Somalia. This has been a great opportunity for the private sector. Apparently it is easy to get a telephone line in a house and there is good internet coverage in the country. There are TV-channels and newspapers. If one has the financial means one can choose an airline from the fifteen available and do some traveling.
Among the audience there was one eager civil servant from the Finnish Immigration Service who wanted to impress others with his knowledge of Somalia. He had these long monologues which were focused on the topic but he wasn’t the main speaker. Why couldn’t he just wait until the lecture ends and then have a conversation with the lecturer? But no, he had to have his moment in the spotlight.
lauantai 18. syyskuuta 2010
Teresa of Ávila and Somalia
Last Tuesday the AEC had two interesting lectures. The first was about Teresa of Ávila and the second was a continuation of the Somalia topic.
Teresa had quite an interesting life with all her visions of Jesus. Some argue that she encouraged people to enjoy sensual pleasures. This obviously caused some friction with the church. However she was a faithful follower of the church. She was allowed to reform the Carmelite Order and she was given permission to establish the Discalced Carmelites. She was also a prolific writer and published many books.
Then there was the second lecture about Somalia. This time the lecture covered the period from early years until Somali independence. Recently some cave paintings have been discovered in Somalia that date back to 9000-8000BCE. The caves are called Laas Geel. The Egyptians brought back from the area of present day Somalia various raw materials. Around the year 1000 the first mosques were built along the coast. The Chinese explorer Zheng He visited Somalia in the 1400s. Then in the year 1900 Mohammed Abdullah Hassan started a war against the British rule. Independence was gained in 1960 and then nine years later came the military coup.
The lecturer also mentioned the Xeer legal system that was used in Somalia before the Europeans came in the 19th century.
So all in all both lectures were very informative.
Teresa had quite an interesting life with all her visions of Jesus. Some argue that she encouraged people to enjoy sensual pleasures. This obviously caused some friction with the church. However she was a faithful follower of the church. She was allowed to reform the Carmelite Order and she was given permission to establish the Discalced Carmelites. She was also a prolific writer and published many books.
Then there was the second lecture about Somalia. This time the lecture covered the period from early years until Somali independence. Recently some cave paintings have been discovered in Somalia that date back to 9000-8000BCE. The caves are called Laas Geel. The Egyptians brought back from the area of present day Somalia various raw materials. Around the year 1000 the first mosques were built along the coast. The Chinese explorer Zheng He visited Somalia in the 1400s. Then in the year 1900 Mohammed Abdullah Hassan started a war against the British rule. Independence was gained in 1960 and then nine years later came the military coup.
The lecturer also mentioned the Xeer legal system that was used in Somalia before the Europeans came in the 19th century.
So all in all both lectures were very informative.
perjantai 10. syyskuuta 2010
Khaijam and Somalia
Public lectures have once again started at the Adult Education Centre of the City of Helsinki. As always there is a wide selection of lectures to satisfy curious minds.
The first lecture where yours truly went discussed Omar Khaijam, a Persian poet, mathematician and astronomer. The lecture was given by Juha Olavinen who apparently has lectured at the AEC many times. He knew what he was talking about and this ensured that it was easy to listen to him.
The lecture gave a good overview of the life and achievements of Omar Khaijam (1048-1131). During his long life Khaijam achieved many things in different fields. He is best remembered as a poet. His poems were brought to public knowledge in the West by Edward Fitzgerald. In 1850 Fitzgerald published a collection of Khaijam’s works. Though some of the poems are erotic love poems, which explain their popularity, there are also philosophical poems. Khaijam’s relaxed views on wine drinking and views on religion have made him unpopular among those who take the teachings of Quran seriously.
In the field of science Khaijam also achieved a lot. One of his achievements was the invention of ‘x’ in mathematics to describe an unknown factor. Khaijam spent a lot time working in mathematics and he had an important role in the development of the field. Another achievement was the creation of an almanac based on his careful astronomical observations. Apparently it is very accurate and can be used even today.
The other lecture’s topic was Somalia. This was the first lecture in a series of lectures about Somalia. The AEC made a good choice in their selection of the speaker. It would have been terrible had they chose some 22 year old second year university student who had backpacked for three months in Africa and now considers him/herself an expert on Africa. In fact AEC had asked Finland-Somalia society to give the lectures and the first lecture was given by the chairman Yusuf M. Mubarak.
The first lecture was a general overview of Somalia’s history and society. It covered the time before Somalia’s independence and the events after 1960 when Somalia became independent. A recurring theme was the fact that most of its history Somalia has suffered from internal squabbles between different segments of the society. Interesting detail regarding society in general is the fact that the old poetry tradition has suffered as the young have scattered around the world and the old cannot pass on the ancient tradition.
For a more detailed account of Somali history the chairman recommended a book called ‘The scramble in the Horn of Africa’ by Mohamed Osman Omar.
The first lecture where yours truly went discussed Omar Khaijam, a Persian poet, mathematician and astronomer. The lecture was given by Juha Olavinen who apparently has lectured at the AEC many times. He knew what he was talking about and this ensured that it was easy to listen to him.
The lecture gave a good overview of the life and achievements of Omar Khaijam (1048-1131). During his long life Khaijam achieved many things in different fields. He is best remembered as a poet. His poems were brought to public knowledge in the West by Edward Fitzgerald. In 1850 Fitzgerald published a collection of Khaijam’s works. Though some of the poems are erotic love poems, which explain their popularity, there are also philosophical poems. Khaijam’s relaxed views on wine drinking and views on religion have made him unpopular among those who take the teachings of Quran seriously.
In the field of science Khaijam also achieved a lot. One of his achievements was the invention of ‘x’ in mathematics to describe an unknown factor. Khaijam spent a lot time working in mathematics and he had an important role in the development of the field. Another achievement was the creation of an almanac based on his careful astronomical observations. Apparently it is very accurate and can be used even today.
The other lecture’s topic was Somalia. This was the first lecture in a series of lectures about Somalia. The AEC made a good choice in their selection of the speaker. It would have been terrible had they chose some 22 year old second year university student who had backpacked for three months in Africa and now considers him/herself an expert on Africa. In fact AEC had asked Finland-Somalia society to give the lectures and the first lecture was given by the chairman Yusuf M. Mubarak.
The first lecture was a general overview of Somalia’s history and society. It covered the time before Somalia’s independence and the events after 1960 when Somalia became independent. A recurring theme was the fact that most of its history Somalia has suffered from internal squabbles between different segments of the society. Interesting detail regarding society in general is the fact that the old poetry tradition has suffered as the young have scattered around the world and the old cannot pass on the ancient tradition.
For a more detailed account of Somali history the chairman recommended a book called ‘The scramble in the Horn of Africa’ by Mohamed Osman Omar.
keskiviikko 8. syyskuuta 2010
U.S. and Europe
The IHT (6 Sep 2010) had an interesting article by Thomas L. Friedman about how America does not have the financial means to support an all encompassing foreign policy. The United States will have to scale back its presence in the world. Obviously some people will welcome this development. However, this will have serious implications for Europe, for example. Friedman quotes Michael Mandelbaum who argues that when the United States no longer is a large presence on the world stage problems will escalate and disorder becomes more prevalent. Hopefully the EU will have an effective foreign policy in place when serious problems arise in the future. This is an important goal should the U.S. be in a situation where it is unable to give assistance to Europe.
The next day the IHT (7 Sep 2010) published another interesting article which relates to the one mentioned above. The article is by Roger Cohen and it discusses how the US is neglecting Europe at the moment. Because the United States is preoccupied dealing with Al Qaeda and the economic problems (to name but a few issues) Europe has not received much attention from the country. However, as Cohen correctly points out, in the long run this might not be good policy. It would be prudent policy if the US gave Europe more attention because in several areas Europe can be a useful ally.
The next day the IHT (7 Sep 2010) published another interesting article which relates to the one mentioned above. The article is by Roger Cohen and it discusses how the US is neglecting Europe at the moment. Because the United States is preoccupied dealing with Al Qaeda and the economic problems (to name but a few issues) Europe has not received much attention from the country. However, as Cohen correctly points out, in the long run this might not be good policy. It would be prudent policy if the US gave Europe more attention because in several areas Europe can be a useful ally.
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