A Flawed Feminist Test

Link


The "Women in Politics" reading reminded me of this Maureen Dowd op-ed piece from a few days ago about the current presidential race and the prospect of the first female president. I wonder how much of an impact articles like the ones in the reading and in women's magazines throughout the 1950s have on the politics of today.

Putin Again

It's only been a couple of days since Putin recalled Cold War tensions.

Now, he is threatening to point nuclear weapons at Ukraine. The issue is NATO membership and, again, anti-missile defenses.

Also on the issue of anti-missile systems, there is speculation that the Pentagon is shooting down one of our own spy satellites not so much because of the danger the satellite might pose, but to do a test of our anti-missile system.

Can We Uninvent Suburbia?

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/can-we-uninvent-suburbia/
This dotearth article is really interesting- and it relates to one of next week's topics- suburbia.

Report Warns of Threat to Campus Reactors

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/12/us/12nuclear.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin

I had not known about a lot of things mentioned in this article... It also mentions the Union of Concerned Scientists- a group founded in 1969 to "initiate a critical and continuing examination of governmental policy in areas where science and technology are of actual or potential significance" and "devise means for turning research applications away from the present emphasis on military technology toward the solution of pressing environmental and social problems."

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_of_concerned_scientists)

Castro, McCain Spar Over Cuban Torture in Vietnam

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/washington/politics-cuba-castro-mccain.html

Though we haven't talked about Vietnam or the Cuban missle crisis yet.. it could be interesting to follow this. The politics of the past few decades seems to continue to resurface, especially during election times.

A Return to Cold War Tensions?

Anyone have thoughts on this? Is Putin on target in arguing that missile defense an aggressive act?

'A new phase in the arms race is unfolding' says Putin

Vladimir Putin has used one of the last major speeches of his presidency to deliver a defiant message to the West, accusing it of unleashing a new arms race that left Moscow no choice but to retaliate in kind.
...
It's clear that a new arms race is unfolding in the world," said Mr Putin, one that Russia did not start.

...

Mr Putin went into overdrive yesterday, painting Russia as the victim of Western aggression and expansion, and promised a Russian response. He said Western countries spent far more on defence than Russia, and also returned to a theme he has raised many times before – that of Nato enlargement towards Russian borders. "We pulled out of bases in Cuba and Vietnam," he said. "And what did we get? New American bases in Bulgaria and Romania."

He also complained about US plans to build elements of a missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic. "They try to persuade us that all these actions are not aimed against Russia," he said, "but they have no constructive answers to our well-founded concerns."

New Weight in Army Manual on Stabilization

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/08/washington/08strategy.html?hp

I know it's completely different, but was anyone else reminded of some of the U.S. stabilization policy post-World War II? Of course the goals and intention are very different and unique... but after just having read about stabilizing war torn nations after World War II (to prevent the spread of communism, etc), it seemed relevant to wonder what all the goals and intentions are this time around. Maybe this is reading into it too much and maybe both times the U.S. did have the best interest of the other countries in mind (as defined by the U.S.) but it will be interesting to find out what happens with this policy. Hopefully it will more successful for the countries the U.S. is trying to help than the policies that fought the leftwing uprisings in Greece.

U.S.-Backed Russian Institutes Help Iran Build Reactor

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/07/washington/07nuke.html

How far / or not have we come since the Cold War? Also what role does the government still play in science?

Release of 1950s US Grand Jury Transcripts Is Sought in Rosenberg Atomic Spy Case

This article is interesting both in terms of our class and also in talking about how historians often disagree. What do you think about the release of the Rosenberg documents?

The Cold War as Ancient History

I thought this New York Times op-ed piece might be an interesting way to generate a first discussion for this blog. Roger Cohen talks about the idea that what high school students learn about communism and the cold war is very limitted but that at the same time it is all available at their fingertips through the internet. I am curious about what people think in terms of how high school students learn about the Cold War in American history class (if you can remember back to then) and maybe what was left out that you have learned so far in this class at Wesleyan? What was left out and why? Also interesting is the impact of technology on the availablity of knowledge to students. Do you think they use the technology wisely?