Our Problem

The Gulf oil spill is a stark reminder that we (as a species) are poor long term planners. A great deal of attention has fallen on the shortcomings of BP and the other companies involved. They, of course, should come under scrutiny for what happened, but I think that as a society, so should we. There appears to be little in the way of soul searching at a critical moment in history. How are we to proceed? We almost worship our inventiveness, advances in technology, and ability to 'push the envelope', but why push like this for a resource that we should be turning away from? Why not push for solar, wind, or even nuclear? Time to wake up!

Maine

I have been thinking quite frequently of Maine lately:

I remember the feel of pine needles under my feet and the way they covered the ground in a carpet of soft prickliness, the sun twinkling on the lake in the morning, running to the outhouse from my room, the bone chilling early morning cold even in summer, the moose that snuck up on me while juggling a soccer ball, first hearing 'Band on the Run' on a trip up I95 with my parents, the ripples as the lure hit the crystal clear water, food co-ops before they were fashion, lobster rolls and ice cream at the 'Barn', Perry's Nut House, the night so black I could not see my hand, square dancing, ping pong, writing on the wall, the smell of Maine blueberry pancakes and coffee in the morning at the dining hall, chopping firewood, cleaning septic tanks and working on the roof of the lodge, the day Elvis died.

So, after dealing with contaminated toothpaste, dog food, and infant formula from China, we get our own scandal with the Peanut Corporation of America potentially shipping Salmonella contaminated peanuts and peanut butter after multiple positive tests for the bacteria. What else can I say except, I hope they did NOT do this knowingly.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/business/07peanut.html?hp

From Political Realism (Morgenthau) to Interdependence (Keohane and Nye)

I had to read both 'Power Among Nations' and 'Power and Interdependence: World Politics in Transition' in college. Here are synopses of both ideas. The first from Morgenthau (realism), and the second an entry from wikipedia on interdependence. I had a theory about US history in college that emanated directly from these proposals. It stated that despite a given historical course, events from multiple disciplines could alter its trajectory. It basically argued that interdependence played an important role in the shaping of historical events. The professor hated the idea, but I still think it has validity. I am wondering if President Obama thinks similarly, on some level.

Morgenthau

Complex interdependence in international relations is the idea put forth by Robert Keohane and Joseph Nye that states and their fortunes are inextricably tied together. The concept of economic interdependence was popularized through the work of Richard Cooper. With the analytical construct of complex interdependence in their critique of political realism, “Robert Keohane and Joseph Nye go a step further and analyze how international politics is transformed by interdependence” (Crane & Amawi 1997: 107-109). The theorists recognized that the various and complex transnational connections and interdependencies between states and societies were increasing, while the use of military force and power balancing are decreasing but remain important. In making use of the concept of interdependence, Keohane and Nye (1997: 122-132) also importantly differentiated between interdependence and dependence in analyzing the role of power in politics and the relations between international actors.

From the analysis, complex interdependence is characterized by three characteristics, involving (1) the use of multiple channels of action between societies in interstate, transgovernmental, and transnational relations, (2) the absence of a hierarchy of issues with changing agendas and linkages between issues prioritized and the objective of (3) bringing about a decline in the use of military force and coercive power in international relations. Respectively, complex interdependence is based on specific characteristics that critique the implicit and explicit assumptions of traditional international politics; ^[1] (i.e., the superiority of the state and a hierarchy of issues with military force and power the most important leverages in international relations, which traditionally defines political realism in political science).

Nye and Keohane thus argue that the decline of military force as a policy tool and the increase in economic and other forms of interdependence should increase the probability of cooperation among states. The work of the theorists surfaced in the 1970s to become a significant challenge to political realist theory in international politics and became foundational to current theories that have been categorized as liberalism, neoliberalism and liberal institutionalism. Traditional critiques of liberalism are often defined alongside critiques of political realism, mainly that they both ignore the social nature of relations between states and the social fabric of international society. With the rise of neoliberal economics, debates, and the need to clarify international relations theory, Keohane (2002: 2-19) has most recently self-described himself as simply an institutionalist, nothing purpose for developing sociological perspectives in contemporary international relations theory. Liberal, neoliberal and neoliberal institutional theories continue to influence international politics and have become closely intertwined with political realism.

The Past Eight Years

A nice op-ed by Paul Krugman of the NYTimes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/16/opinion/16krugman.html?ref=opinion

Family and Friends

My last post was long ago; just life getting in the way, I assume. My New Year's resolution is to be more consistent. This post, like my first, will involve a topic that we rarely want to discuss - loss. The Christmas holidays have become bitter sweet for me these past few years. Essentially, over the course of the 12 days of Christmas, an uncle (colon cancer), my best friend's mother (uterine cancer), and my grandfather all passed away in the winter of 2001 just after the 9/11 attacks. It had been a somber fall and it only got worse. I had only 4 uncles, and 3 have now had cancer, two of whom have passed away. I would have to say that the few adult men in my life growing up were an exceptional group. Maybe this is just the haze of a happier youth. Everyone has his/her issues, and my uncles were no different. But, they provided me, along with my father, the basis for how I approach my life in so many respects today. My friend's mother might as well have been my second mother. I spent virtually every day at his house in high school. She never, ever in my memory, had a cross word to say about anyone or anything. She very much enjoyed a creative spirit. She was one of the most beautiful people I have ever known. My grandfather lived a long life, but his death was actually somewhat unexpected. These people hang with me in the background, for the most part, with the occasional event that reminds me how strongly embedded within each other we all are. This year, however, they have been with me all too clearly.

A patient of mine died just before Christmas. He was 5 years old and had many medical problems. He had had an infection as an infant and so he was very developmentally delayed. He could not see or talk or walk. He also had a seizure disorder and more than one endocrine issue. One would think that his death was inevitable. That may have been true, but at this point it was very unexpected. I went to his wake. I have been to the wakes or funerals of all of the patients who have died in my clinic since I became an attending. This is, happily, not as big a task as one might think. My clinic is small and very specialized, and there have only been three deaths since I started almost 8 years ago. The first two were very much expected.

The funeral home was full. It was like any other, reminding me of scenes from David Lynch's 'Twin Peaks'. It was of some comfort to me that there were so many people there to help his mother. Despite the fact that he could not communicate or interact as most of us do, he had shaped her life for the past five years. She was distraught. There was no indication that he would die at this point, but I also detected that feeling of guilty relief, that only someone who has taken care of a person with a chronic, debilitating illness would understand. The service was largely in Spanish, and the Priest spoke so quickly that I understood very little. My mind wandered through the years and the time that I had spent in such places. What emerged was a reaffirmation of a principle that I had become fond of long ago in a different context - interdependence.

Our connections are strong. Call it love, call it the God within, call it whatever is comfortable, but the truth is, we need human contact and relationships to thrive. That is interdependence. I used to enjoy the books of Carlos Castaneda, but there came a moment when he advocated removing oneself entirely from the world. I found this proposition uncomfortable, for no matter how much time I need to spend on my own, I always go back to others. Maybe I took his premise too literally at the time. He could have meant that one needed to shut out the distractions to truly experience the divine, but this is not how the prose was written. So, my patient reminded me not of the inevitability of death, but of the enduring nature of our connections and the need to foster them. Maybe, in this time of 'change', we should renew our relationships and re-invest in the people who have helped make us who we are.

World Events And The UN

It has been awhile. I guess that you could say that I am a recreational blogger. World events should remain an important focus of any US administration. Nothing seems more timely than the results of the independent commission formed by Kofi Annan to address changes to the structure of the United Nations. While I have not read the report yet, it is an extremely important document. I believe that a truly strong and effective UN would act as a gatekeeper to a globally based set of foreign policy initiatives. Let's hope that their recommendations are taken seriously.

Ukraine - This is just such an unbelievable story! Who would have thought that there would be a return to 19th century intrigue with the poisoning of Yuschenko prior to the runoff election. Despite this attempt to emasculate him, he will win the election on the 26th.

Africa - Let's hope that the movie Hotel Rwanda will focus some attention on the atrocities that are occurring daily in Darfur and the Congo.

EU - Congratulations to the European Union for approving Turkey's application for membership despite widespread negative feelings by many of the Union's constituents. Only good can come from their full membership.

Middle East - I am almost afraid to say it, but there appears to be the possibility of fruitful negotiations occurring between Israel and Palestine. One can only hope for peaceful coexistence between these two peoples.

Chile - The supreme court of Chile has taken the extremely important step of holding Pinochet accountable for what has been termed state sponsored torture. The families of the victims during his time in power will be thankful for any justice they can receive.

Iran - The disturbing events in Iran relating to the production of fissile material needs the strongest possible diplomatic response not only form the United States but from the EU and Middle Eastern governments as well.

N. Korea - Let's hope that the stalled six party talks will resume soon so that this serious regional and potentially international threat can be addressed.

Well, that's all for now. There is so much more to mention, but it will have to wait for future postings. Enjoy the holidays, and don't forget to make a contribution to your favorite charity.

PEACE - M