Domestic Politics

My October Diplomat Essay: Was Syria a Bridge-Too-Far for Untrammeled Executive War-Powers? (yes)

Thu, 10/10/2013 - 00:00 — Robert E Kelly

Jump to 1:13: That’s best question asked during the GOP debates last year

This is my monthly essay for the Diplomat web-magazine. The original can be found here.

Walter Russell Mead Defends, Badly, the NSF cuts to Political Science

Wed, 10/02/2013 - 00:00 — Robert E Kelly

I originally put this on Duck of Minerva, an IR theory blog where I also write. But it’s worth putting here too as the US government shuts down over Tea Party intransigence.

My ‘Diplomat’ Essay on whether these Youth Protests will Spread to Asia’s Democracies

Sat, 07/13/2013 - 00:00 — Robert E Kelly

Here is a re-post of my July contribution to the Diplomat web magazine.

What Korea Needs from its New Prez: Liberalization

Mon, 06/10/2013 - 00:00 — Robert E Kelly

Before President Park’s inauguration, the Korea Times asked me to participate in a forum of ‘foreign experts’ (don’t laugh too hard) on her incipient presidency. We were asked to make one direct suggestion for the new president. Here is the section at the KT website. I know several of the authors, and some of the op-eds are pretty good (too many are shameless pandering though). Unfortunately, my accepted submission was not published in this section, published after the inauguration, and edited far too heavily. (They never told me why; maybe this.)

Anyway, below is the original version of the op-ed, where I basically argue that Korean democracy is becoming a Seoul-based oligarchy of wealthy, intermarrying business and political elites – basically the dark side of Kangnam style. Someone in Korean politics needs to turn this around, or under-40s in this country are going to ‘drop out’ Timothy Leary-style. There’s a quiet crisis of youth alienation brewing, but no one in ‘Kangnam world’ seems to care.

Admit it: South Korea President Lee Myung-Bak Was Pretty Good

Fri, 06/07/2013 - 00:00 — Robert E Kelly

My ‘Newsweek Japan’ Cover Story on the post-1979 ‘Asian Peace’ & Economic Miracle

Thu, 05/09/2013 - 00:00 — Robert E Kelly

Newsweek Japan asked me to write an introductory essay for its January 4 special issue on tension in Northeast Asia (cover story to the left). Here is the link in Japanese, but I thought it would be useful to publish the original, untranslated version as well. (If you actually want the Japanese language version, email me for it please.)

Final Iraq Post – from the Archives: My 2007 Essay in Support of the Iraq Surge

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 00:00 — Robert E Kelly

Iraq 10 Years Later (3): Why the Neocon Theory behind the War Failed

Sun, 03/24/2013 - 00:00 — Robert E Kelly

My first post on the Iraq War asked if academic IR had any responsibility to slow the march to war.

Comments on Park GeunHye’s Inauguration

Thu, 02/28/2013 - 18:10 — Robert E Kelly

Despite the fact that Donald Rumsfeld supposedly wanted to bomb al Jazeera during the Iraq War as a jihadi propaganda machine, I have to say I find it a pretty good news source. It’s got a great documentary hustle that lazy incumbents like CNN don’t, and its Middle East coverage is far more balanced and fair than most Americans think.

Anyway, the vid is my quick thoughts on Park Geun Hye’s inauguration as South Korea’s new president. The quick sum: she can’t follow through on making Korea ‘happier’ unless she takes on the vested interests, especially the chaebol, central to her political coalition. I don’t think she can do that, and, honestly, I’m not even sure she wants to. So I would not expect anything big at home in her term; the right, the elderly, and business in Korea like the status quo, and they’re the ones that put her in office. And certainly, the social democratic policies of ‘economic democratization’ kicked around last year won’t happen meaningfully. That’s my prediction at least. I’ll have more in a few days when my contribution to a foreign ‘Korea analyst’ forum on PGH is published in the Korea Times.