It's 2.30p.m and I'm killing time (where did that phrase come from; why killing?) waiting to attend a talk on political conscience that starts at 3.00. Made me remember one of my favourite songs by Echo and the Bunnymen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX1PwkgwsG0).
Yesterday I went to the Lowy Institute in Sydney CBD. It was an interesting talk by Andy Mack on the declining level of casualties as a result of war. It was a reasonable argument, and I'm in no position to challenge the data, which comes from the project Andy runs (http://www.hsrgroup.org/press-room/press-kits/20092010-press-kit.aspx). Conceptually, however, Andy seemed to be placing a lot of faith in the trend continuing due to the presence of nuclear weapons. Underpinning most of his arguments, however, was a problematic assumption re state rationality. State rationality after Iraq? Pull the other one.
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