Distribution of Power and the UN Security Council

Charts from Wednesday's Class. Click to enlarge. Data are from the Correlates of War Project's Composite Index of National Capabilities data set (version 3.02).

Argo

You may already be aware of the recently released film, Argo, that takes place during the Islamic Revolution and the Iran Hostage Crisis. It debuted to widespread critical acclaim and is playing locally.

In Argo, Ben Affleck plays a CIA operative who launches an undercover operation to extract American consular officials who evaded the student demonstrators that occupied the US Embassy in Tehran.

The story is largely true, although the usual caveats of poetic license apply. Considering our recent class discussion of the Islamic Revolution, as well as the recent attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, the episode is pertinent to both course matter and current events.

Whether or not you intend to see the picture, you might be interested in this article from Wired Magazine that provides a well-written account of the CIA role the operation.

The primary flaw in the article seems to be the same as in the movie: it minimizes the role of Canadian officials who were so instrumental in the safe return of the Americans. That is intentional, however. Whereas journalists blew the cover off the Canadian operation almost immediately--somewhat obviating the novelty of the caper--the CIA documents remained classified for years.

This is the story about which we didn't already know.

If you've seen the movie or would otherwise like to discuss the caper, feel free to share in the comments.

Research Paper Groups

Group 1: The Sino-Soviet-American Triangle
James Fletcher
David Klemperer
Mariafiore Miniussi
Andrew Wallis

Group 2: American Interventionism
Sophia Anderson
Chloe Bootstaylor
Mary Catherine Cadden
Lucy Gregor

Group 3: Demographics and Popular Upheavel
Alexandria Cornwall
Sarah Baumann
Will Gietema

Group 4: The Post-Communist World
Amber Baade
Maria Barnett
Chloe Bryan

Group 5: Nuclear Proliferation
Aaron Banks
Morgan Smathers
Macon Wilson

Group 6: Genocide
Clayton Christian
Kristal Skrmetta
Lizzie Williams

Group 7: Partitioned States
Collin Beach
Andy Chen
Jacky Ullemeyer

Group 8: Political Islam and Related Issues
Rhiannon Mancinelli
Cameron McGarrah
Margit Mikkelsen

Review Questions and Vocabulary for 9/28 - 10/8

The Middle East (9/28 - 10/5)

Vocabulary

• Indivisible Issues

Questions

• What kept the US and USSR from fighting over the Middle East?
• What roles did the US and USSR play in Israel, Egypt and Iran during the Cold War?
• Is US involvement in the Middle East an example of offshore balancing or a hegemonic strategy leading to imperial overstretch?
• (Not discussed in class) What leads some ethnicities or nationalities to fight one another, when others can live together in relative peace?

Vietnam (10/8)

Vocabulary

• Winning Hearts and Minds
• Asymmetrical Warfare
• Guerilla Warfare
• People’s War
• Limited Warfare

Questions

• When did the US first get involved in Vietnam?
• How did the US get involved in Vietnam and why?
• Why was “winning hearts and minds” so important?
• Whom did the US initially put in charge of South Vietnam, and what kind of regime did he impose?
• What’s the difference between the Vietminh and the Vietcong?
• What factors can keep a more powerful actor from defeating a far less powerful one?
• What does it mean to fight a “limited war?” What exactly are you limiting?
• Why were the North Vietnamese so much more resolute than the Americans?
• Why, if LBJ had such doubts about US involvement in Vietnam, did he escalate instead of pulling out?
• What sorts of miscalculations did the US commit in regards to Vietnam?
• What was the aftermath of the US experience in Vietnam?

Will the Arab Spring Come to Jordan?

Jordan's King Abdullah II

Under pressure from domestic Islamists, Jordan's King Abdullah II is offering concessions to devolve power to the parliament and the people. The Muslim Brotherhood says it's not enough.

The party list system favors larger coalitions with an ideological agenda such as the Islamists, while the district-based system tends to return tribal pro-government candidates who muster local support from their particular clan and relatives.

But the Brotherhood and others say...that the elections will result in an ineffective parliament filled with palace loyalists.

This is yet another example of the type of bottom-up pressures that Middle Eastern leaders have faced since the deposition of Shah Pahlavi and, more recently and appropriate to the Arab context, since the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.

The question is, will the reforms lead to any substantive change, and will that change look more like Egypt's revolution or Tunisia's?

Review for First Closed-book Assessment

The First Closed-book Assessment is scheduled for Wednesday's class. Linked below is the review sheet. I will pass out review sheets in class on Friday morning, but I thought some of you might want to get a jump on studying.

Download review sheet for First Closed-book Assessment.

I am currently working on scheduling a review session during my typical office hours on Monday (3-4 PM). Once I do, I will inform you via class, blog and email.

Update: I have reserved 220 Buckman Hall from 3-4 PM on Monday, September 24 for our review session.

If you cannot participate in the review session due to a scheduling conflict, feel free to come to my office hours on Friday or schedule another time with me on Friday, Monday or Tuesday.

During review sessions, I will not typically answer questions directly. I will first ask you or your fellow classmates to try to answer your questions for you. I will fill in any gaps or correct any misconceptions that arise.

Operation: Little Vittles

Recently, in class, we read about the Berlin Blockade and the subsequent Berlin Airlift. The official code name for the Airlift was Operation: Vittles. But there was also a sub-mission that took place within the context of the Airlift called Operation: Little Vittles.

This post in Mental Floss depicts the operation. You should read the whole piece, but the short story is that a USAF pilot, Lt. Gail Halvorsen made the day for some young, starving West Berliners when he dropped a payload of American chocolate candy.

While in doing so he was technically violating regulations, Operation: Vittles' commanding officer recognized the psychological benefit of Halvorsen's mission and initiated a series of daily candy drops.

In the end, the Airlift thwarted Stalin's plans to isolate West Germany via blockade and demonstrated the American commitment to the welfare of West Berlin, thereby making credible the general US commitment to the welfare of all Western Europeans.

What do Operation: Vittles and Operation: Little Vittles say about the Cold War (in specific) and about the sources of power (in general)?