MPSA Paper, Deadly Triangles

For the Midwest Political Science Association annual convention this year, I have only one paper.  I will present a paper co-authored with Sam Bell and Chad Clay looking at the impact rivalry has on dispute escalation in asymmetric dyads.  Friday (4/13) at 4:35 pm, on the panel 18-22 Rivalry and Conflict, we will present the paper "Deadly Triangles: The Implications of Regional Competition on Demands between Asymmetric States."  Our abstract: Asymmetric war continues to be a puzzling occurrence for international relations scholars across multiple theoretical approaches.  According to realists (and other unitary-state rationalists), asymmetric war should not happen as the outcome Continue reading MPSA Paper, Deadly Triangles

The Supreme Court Used the 9/11 Defense?

Yesterday the Supreme Court ruled that jails could strip search any new inmate regardless of their suspected crime. The majority opinion stated that it does not matter if an inmate is arrested for a minor offense such as an outstanding traffic violation, they can be subject to a strip search. Of course the decision was predictably 5-4, with the conservative justices voting in favor of suspicionless strip searches and the liberal judges voting against them.  What I found most striking about the majority opinion is that Justice Kennedy invoked the "9/11 Defense" to support the majority argument. "Justice Kennedy responded Continue reading The Supreme Court Used the 9/11 Defense?

ISA panels

While I am not attending ISA physically this year, I have two different papers being presented by co-authors.  As such, a bit of shameless self-promotion.   The first paper is being presented by Matt DiGiuseppe on Tuesday (4/3) at 8:15 AM in Hospitality Suite 2201 on the Economics in International Processes panel. Our paper, "Austere Alliances: Sovereign Credit and Asymmetric Alliance Formation," is a continuation of a research project that we had accepted at ISQ  recently (expected 12/2013) and seeks to understand how sovereign credit relates to defense budgets and alliance formation.  The abstract: The funding of military ventures through borrowed money has Continue reading ISA panels