Foreign Policy Blogging at OTB

I’ve just published a couple of foreign policy-related posts at Outside the Beltway:

Evacuations Ordered in Hawaii

Not really a foreign policy story but an international one. The tsunami produced by the massive earthquake that struck Japan last night is making its way across the Pacific. If the energy models are correct the brunt of the force will miss the mainland U. S. but Chile may be in for some rough times.

Kerry Supports Libyan No-Fly Zone

John Kerry has an op-ed in the Washington Post supporting the U. S. take a leadership position in establishing a no-fly zone in Libya. I continue to be skeptical of such a move. The EU’s are stakeholders in Libya to a much greater degree than are we. Shouldn’t they be growing a pair and taking on more responsibility?

6 comments… add one
  • steve Link

    Absolutely. Let the French and Italians, who should have a vested interest, bear the brunt, especially in manpower. If you read Exum’s bit about the origins of foreign fighters in Iraq, I would be leery of sending the rebels significant arms. Wasnt it Pat Lang who said we really dont understand as much as we think we do about what goes on in these countries?

    Steve

  • john personna Link

    We received an “advisory” here in OC but not a “warning.” Beaches will be closed for an hour but no homes will be evacuated.

  • john personna Link

    BTW, I’m really surprised that anyone supports a no-fly zone. Though, I realize that is fractionally “intervention fatigue,” though in a sense I fatigued before most. I gave Afghanistan a moral approval but opposed on practical grounds – ones that looked wrong for a few years before looking right again. I thought the British experience proved Afghanistan unmanageable in occupation. I opposed Iraq on all grounds, moral, pragmatic, geopolitical.

    (The irony of Kerry supporting intervention is of course, noted.)

  • Drew Link

    jp –

    Was wondering when you would show up. So you are in safe position? IDK where MR is, but assume he is sufficiently inland.

  • john personna Link

    Actually, this is kind of funny. The safe height in this area for general tsunamis is judged to be 45ft. According to my GPS, my front stoop is at 45ft. So if their math is right, I’ll be fine ;-). There is a hill in the park out back that I could run up ….

    Most areas of Irvine are higher and behind some big hills.

  • john personna Link

    When I woke up I heard very light damage reports from Japan. It seems things are much worse than I thought. No joking about tsunamis as the death toles rise …

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