The Tyler Cowen

1. I can't imagine it will do much but surprising nonetheless.
2. US-China relations taking a hit.
3. Great infographic about how to use which type of sunscreen depending on your skin tone.
4. Fantastic essay by Barbara Ehrenreich on the future of war with a subtle but convincing undercurrent of war, itself, as the catalyst for our evolving social structures. Via The Browser.
5. Our Earth continues to terrify and amaze. 
6. ...To say nothing of our universe...
   

Assassins

Foreign Policy has an article discussing the legality of targeting Qaddafi, begging the question: why aren't leaders targeted more frequently?

The article shrewdly points out that no leader is particularly interested in crossing that line, leading, as it would, to reprisals and increasing the threat felt by all leaders. But pop culture and entertainment (and, depending on how far into conspiracy theories one ventures, history) is full of stories of shadowy organizations and figures who play the game of diplomacy using rather direct measures. The term 'assassin' itself is derived from the Arabic term hashishi, roughly translated to 'rabble'. It was adopted to describe the first group of assassins, famously lead by Hasan-i Sabbah, or The Old Man of the Mountain.

The Tyler Cowen

1. Last.fm getting us to do their work them. Thankfully, their work is really cool. Via Infosthetics.
2. The future, via Gizmodo. I'm saving up for this bad boy if he can get some decent gyroscopes to keep me from flipping over.
3. Depressing but unavoidable realities of humanitarian aid and the numbers they use to ask for support.
4. Two amazing videos from Gizmodo. One of base-jumping (it's a watch ad yes, but still breathtaking), the other of a funny, scary TED Talk. (Second is after the break.)

The Tyler Cowen

1. A photo essay on North Korea and an accompanying article about the unlikelihood of its imminent collapse.
2. Music video. Via Infosthetics.
   

The Tyler Cowen

1. Hilarious review of Wing Commander. Via Kotaku.
   
2. Trials for deposed leaders.
3. The story of economics. Via Marginal Revolution.
   
   

The Tyler Cowen

1. More of the worst video game voice-overs from the best guy to do them.
   
2. OECD infographic from lots of different places on the internet. 
3. The complicated state of Pakistan.
4. Before Bungie was famous.
5. Another wide-spread splash on the internet today, women like men who don't smile.
6. Another massive panorama photo, this one of Wembly Stadium.

The Tyler Cowen

1. Technology continues to amaze. Via Kotaku.
   
2. The Arab Spring continues to confuse.
3. Jon Stewart summarizes Newt's rough week.
4. 13 technologies in need of an upgrade.
5. Long novels and why we like them. Via Marginal Revolution.
6. You think your commute is tough?
   

The Tyler Cowen

Apologies for the sudden disappearance fans, our senior editor was called away to Japan on short notice. He has returned this morning, happy to report that, despite doomsaying articles to the contrary, Japan seems to be doing well. He is also happy to report that he has not yet grown a third arm.

1. Two articles on North Korea. One on their relationship with Burma and the other continuing the adventures of Inspector O.
2. Portents of future conflict.
3. Best cities to live in. Via Marginal Revolution.
4. A photo that is rapidly becoming famous.

The Tyler Cowen

Well, they got Osama, effectively covering our normal internet watering holes in a deluge of redundancy. But here are some nice things (only one of which is about Mr. Bin Laden).

1. Redneck carrier landing. Via The Awesomer.
   
2. Just the facts regarding Bin Laden.
3. Realists being realists. Numbers 7 and 8 are important bits of fresh air. But it is worth remembering that, without a degree of wishful thinking, nothing would ever get done. In other words, we need to think some good will come of an action for us to take that action in the first place.

The Tyler Cowen - Global Affairs Edition

We're back after some sun on the beaches of Puerto Galera. There is a lot of news to catch up on and articles to recommend. As such, we're breaking today's edition of links into pieces. The Global Affairs Edition summarizes the best writing of the past five days on global issues.

1. Great insight on North Korea from Russia. I need to dig deeper into the Cheonan incident. 
2. Pacifism. Via Marginal Revolution. 
3. The resurgence of the veil and the broader implications of Islamism not as a religious force but a socio-political one.
4. Another article questioning the widely-accepted connection between prosperity and democratization. I still think they're conflating revolution and democratization. 
5. A sweepingly comprehensive overview of The Arab Spring. Ranging from a summary of the Tunisian tipping point to the historical comparisons to Communism and 'Common Sense' to the role of technology in revolutions. The picture it paints for the Middle East's future is not a rosy one but it is far more realistic than most analyses which look only forward. As always, a Maslow's Pyramid understanding of what's needed strikes me as the most obvious. 

"The truth of the matter is that Europe's requirements for the next three or four years of foreign food and other essential products -- principally from America -- are so much greater than her present ability to pay that she must have substantial additional help or face economic, social, and political deterioration of a very grave character."

The Tyler Cowen

1. iPhone owners...you're being watched. 
2. Genetic modification promises to save us all. Not to be a cold-hearted pragmatist, but effectively stopping 1M human deaths a year isn't going to help our over-population problem now is it?
3. OKCupid parses through it's wealth of information. Via Marginal Revolution.
4. How to talk to a North Korean.

The Tyler Cowen

1. Problems in Pakistan.
2. The origin of all language. Via Marginal Revolution. And a skeptic's rebuttal. 
3. Teleportation is now a reality for packets of information. Now all we need is to get far enough away from each other where this means a damn. 

The Tyler Cowen

1. The uniquely American phenomenon of government shutdowns.
2. Some quake-related stuff in the wake of Japan's umpteenth aftershock. Why they are hard to predict and what's going to happen to the debris from March 11th's disaster. 
3. Revisionist alternative energy history.

The Tyler Cowen

1. Funny recap of the Half Life story thus far.
   
2. Breaking down how hard it is to connect the Deepwater Horizon to the oil cap 5,000 feet below the ocean's surface. 
3. A not-so-rosy future for Libya.

The Tyler Cowen

Foreign Policy-heavy focus of today's links.

1. Wonderful article on Japan. 
2. Eye-opening article on Qaddafi. This sort of buck-the-trend thinking is one of the things I miss most about college, even if it has some serious soft spots. 
3. The demographic shift in global wealth by 2025 points to the importance of cities, particularly those from the developing world. It's a pretty dry article but successfully hammers home the point that investors and entrepreneurs should be paying better attention to these shifts. 
4. Short, compelling article on the imperial nature of Obama's presidency, at least in the last month. Are we witnessing the demise of American democracy as it really starts to crumble in earnest? And, if so, does it not speak to the failure of democratic government at large? Probably not but it's still scary. 

The Tyler Cowen

1. Couldn't have said it better myself. When will the world's policy-makers realize that nothing is done in a vacuum. Strategies must be crafted with an eye not only for the immediate impact but also the message it sends the other players. 
2. Excellent interview regarding the status of women in North Korea. 
3. Finally, an overview of the tangled mess of politics and diplomacy on the Korean peninsula. 
4. And, turning to the Middle East, a series of essays supporting and condemning the international intervention in Libya. 

The Tyler Cowen

1. Secret video from inside North Korea. Lots of haircut footage included. Via Gizmodo.
   Pyongyang Style - North Korean Haircut from Steve Gong on Vimeo.
2. A series of interesting articles on Japan, ranging from the culture of disaster to the culture of practicality to the government's attempts to downplay the current radiation problem. 
3. New article from 38 North regarding economic engagement with North Korea. 

Homefront is a Joke

IGN recently published an interview with some of the advisors for THQ's upcoming video game Homefront. The game, set roughly fifteen years in the future, envisions a United States occupied by North Korean forces. In the interview, the advisors detail some of their theoretical assumptions which pave the way for such a situation. While both the advisors and the author dutifully pepper their ideas with caveats and reminders that this is all for the sake of entertainment and shouldn't be taken seriously, the article's title ("Is Homefront Possible?") irks me enough to deconstruct their theories in order.

The article relies on two basic fear-mongering facts: 1) historical precedent and 2) economic decline. The first basically follows the logic that no one predicted the inflation-ravaged Germany would sweep through Europe in the late 1930's, so it might happen again. The second falls back on the current cries of American economic and military decline thanks to a volatile Middle East and our reliance on oil. In unpacking each step of North Korea's hypothetical expansion, we will attack each of these parts as they crop up.

The Arab Spring

Foreign Policy has a post regarding the importance of recession on democratic agitation here. In the post, Charles Kenny attempts to turn conventional wisdom on its head by pointing out that it was actually economic hardship that prompted the regime changes sweeping the Middle East. Not to be a turd in the punch-bowl but it seems a little early for these sorts of grandiose, theory-changing statements. What has transpired so far across most of the Middle East are revolutions. History has shown that revolutions are commonly sprung from hardship, economic or otherwise. These revolutions may be clothed in the rhetoric of democracy but that does not imply that a functional democracy requires economic recession. Kenny conflates revolution with democracy for the sake of sensationalist journalism.

There is a good reason why scholars have long accepted the importance of economic progress in democratic development: it is a logically sound theory that is supported by available evidence. As illustrated in Maslow's Pyramid, political self-expression is a luxury afforded by the achievement of more basic needs. A populace has little concern for democracy when their primary concerns are food and shelter. While higher levels of the pyramid can be achieved on a weak base, fundamental institutions must be in place to ensure the continued enjoyment of attributes such as democracy. Institutions like the rule of  law, the right to private property, etc. are vital for a healthy democratic system to thrive. The reality of any society is that the establishment of such institutions is better served by non-democratic governments. It is only when these basic structures have been cemented that democratic revolution can take place, resulting in a lasting democracy. And these institutions are facilitated by economic prosperity, not recession. Recession may be the spark for regime change but prosperity is the environment for long-term democratic stability.

Kenny rightly notes that the changes sweeping the Middle East are the products of economic recession. However, there is no assurance that these revolutions will lead to sustainable democracies. Furthermore, the link between economic recession and democratic change is not causal because Kenny conflates democracy with revolution. Revolutions sprung from hardship are nothing new but sustainable democracies will require economic prosperity to last.

The Tyler Cowen

1. The importance of solitude. Via The Browser. 
2. Which states have the most passports? Via Marginal Revolution. 
3. Does the Arab Spring promise to push the US closer to Israel? 
4. Why apples are better than oranges. Via Cool Infographics.