Tag: Congress
The Senator needs to go deeper
Senator Murphy of Connecticut is just back from a quick trip to the still troubled parts of the Balkans (Belgrade, Sarajevo, and Pristina). He has written a literate and interesting account of the trip. Would that all Codels could do likewise.
The Bosnia mistake
That said, I think he makes serious mistakes. Jasmin Mujatovic has pointed out one on Twitter:
Very specifically, Sen. Murphy frames the scene in the Bosnian presidency as a kind of war of each against all. Clearly, not the case, as it’s Dzaferovic & Komsic attempting to hold the line vs. Dodik’s constant provocations & threats, as D’s own subsequent comments make clear. Bosnia is not a land on intractable, tribal feuds. It’s a place where a decades-long attempt to break up the country along sectarian lines by extremist actors, backed by Belgrade primarily but now also Russia, is being necessarily opposed. Let’s be clear about the politics of it.
Jasmin is also concerned that the Senator is too chummy with Serbian President Vucic.
The Kosovo mistake
The root of that chumminess is clear in the Senator’s account: Vucic often dines with Murphy when the President is in Washington. It would be hard for Murphy to have the same relationship with Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti, who is Vucic’s functional equivalent in Kosovo. Kurti has not been permitted an official visit to Washington since taking office. This is because Washington blames him for the lack of progress in the dialogue with Belgrade. The Senator seems to agree with that characterization.
I don’t. The only obstacle to achieving what the Senator identifies as the main objective of the dialogue–mutual recognition by the two sovereign and independent states–is Serbia’s refusal to consider the proposition. The dialogue would just be a normal conversation between neighbors except for that.
Irredentism in the Balkans is just as bad as in Ukraine
Serbia has offered only one alternative to mutual recognition: Belgrade de jure control (either through a land swap or through an Association of Serb Municipalities with executive powers) over the Serb-majority population north of the Ibar river in Kosovo. This irredentist ambition is just as dangerous in the Balkans as Russia’s comparable ambition to control the Luhansk and Donetsk provinces of Ukraine. And Serbia’s irredentism is less well-founded. The pre-war population of the largest and most important municipalilty north of the Ibar was not majority Serb. Most Serbs in Kosovo still live south of the Ibar.
There is no sign in the Senator’s account of his visit to Belgrade that he admonished Vucic for his territorial ambitions in Kosovo or his support for Milorad Dodik’s secessionism in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I hope that when he convenes his task force in the Congress, the Senator will ensure that these issues are top priority in the discussion. They should also be on the menu when he next dines with President Vucic. The Senator needs to go deeper.
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Stevenson’s army, April 29
-WaPo notes new anti-NATO group in GOP.
– Axios sees disagreement in Biden administration over China tariffs.
– Semper fighting: former top Marines disagree over commandant’s plans.
– Time has big piece on Zelensky
– Old Soviet weapons going to Ukraine.
– RollCall doesn’t find pay increases on Hill, despite new law.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army, April 28
– WSJ says Russia making slow progress in southern Ukraine.
– Microsoft says Russia has been hacking Ukraine.
– Moldova events raise fears of wider war.
– Axios says pro-Israel groups have been involved in primary fights.
– RollCall notes that the Senate has been having only 1/3 as many votes on amendments as 30+ years ago. Only in passing does it mention what I think is the cause — repeated filling of the amendment tree.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army, April 21
– Putin claims victory in Mariupol.
– Taiwan TV apologizes for false attack report.
– NYT analyzes Solomon Islands pact with China.
– Analysts warn of long Ukraine war.
– Foreign Affairs article describes new warfare in Africa.
– House will vote next week on Senate-passed bill labeled “Lend-Lease.” In fact, it merely waives some sections of existing arms sales laws.
Dan Drezner joins crowd drawing on Thucydides, but adds this less-often-quoted section on what happens during war: Words had to change their ordinary meaning and to take that which was now given them. Reckless audacity came to be considered the courage of a loyal ally; prudent hesitation, specious cowardice; moderation was held to be a cloak for unmanliness; ability to see all sides of a question, inaptness to act on any. Frantic violence became the attribute of manliness; cautious plotting, a justifiable means of self-defense….. The fair proposals of an adversary were met with jealous precautions by the stronger of the two, and not with a generous confidence. Revenge also was held of more account than self-preservation.
Charlie added this later in the day:
Prof. Cohen has a new article in Foreign Affairs urging less concern about grand strategy and more about statecraft, how we do what we want. I couldn’t help thinking about our course when he writes:
More than one might think, sound foreign-policy making rests on the basics of bureaucratic behavior: clear and concise memorandums, crisply run meetings, well-disseminated conclusions, succinct and unambiguous guidance from above. Good process does not guarantee good policy, but it increases the odds of it. With that in mind, the U.S. government should pay renewed attention to the training and career management of security professionals.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army, April 18
– Chicago Council poll shows continued strong support for help to Ukraine.
– AP reports GOP demands on COMPETES act.
– NYRB reviews Yovanovitch, Vindman and Hill books on Trump and Ukraine. Note well the quotes from Max Weber.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army, March 29
As you know all presidential budgets are wishlists sent to Congress, cloaked in bright political messages. WaPo summarizes those messages and mentions some of the political goals. The real details are at OMB and the various departments.
I’m surprised at how much the administration wants to increase defense and pleased by the additions for international affairs. I’m awaiting analyses of how it proposes to deal with issues like Army vs Air Force and the unknown Ukraine costs.
I’m sure there are budget gimmicks, but haven’t seen any good analyses of them.
Other interesting news: WSJ reports the generational divide among Russian speakers in Latvia.
– NYT recount the history of restraint in attacking enemy sanctuaries.
In preparation for our week 12 discussions of the media, it’s useful to see Columbia Journalism Review’s comment on coverage of Ukraine, including Politico’s Jack Shafer’s column saying journalists love war.
And to correct fake history, proof that W.R. Hearst never told Frederic Remington in Cuba in 1898 to furnish the pictures and he would furnish the war.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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