ZenPundit
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
 
A SLAP AT THE MAP

Federalist X at Amendment Nine has an interesting ( though in my view, completely wrongheaded) interpretation of the possible consequences of trying to "shrink the Gap". A vigorous debate in the comment section has ensued in which Dan of tdaxp has been caught up.

My impression of the discussion was of honest concern and skepticism, perhaps in a few cases deriving from what commenters have heard about PNM and Tom Barnett secondhand. I always encourage people to find things out for themselves, so here is one source.

And here is another:
 
Comments:
I wouldn't even dignify his post with the term "interpretation." In fact, with all the hyperbole I read there, I'm surprised you and Dan even continued arguing.
 
Hyperbole often comes from not reading the books in the first place :O) It was a classic staw man argument being presented which is why I would not get pulled into the sad tale of Pequots and the history of the Great Plains.

Perhaps, now that they have their need to argue out of their system, my post will tweak them to do so.
 
Long live the Great Plains of the Dakotas!

(And curses upon the Central Plains of Illinois!)

;-)
 
great day, that's a big picture!

next html lesson for Mark: img height and width ;-)
 
Oh my. I just read about halfway through the comments and gave up reading the rest of them.

However.

Genocide and the "hard kill" method of incorporation -- or, really, call it the "hard expansion" of the Core -- is always a possibility, though a somewhat unlikely scenario. I mean, if genocide can be performed, it works.

I'd really rather see the ideas of "hard expansion" and "soft expansion" expressed as a continuum. Federalist X actually refused to see the continuum in colonial America, preferring to view only a dichotomy. For instance, lots of missionary work and economic integration actually performed a "soft expansion" of the then-Core: something he seems to have ignored.

Barnett actually applies both methods, vis-a-vis the Leviathan and the SysAdmin force, right?

I think it's good to look at the most negative interpretation and seemingly-wrongheaded interpretation of PNM theory, since Barnett's theory really does appear to require a perfect balance or near-perfect balance of modes of operation (at least, a proper mix) and, failing the use of the full Barnettian theory, things could devolve into those worst-case scenarios...especially if the implementors also interpret the process incorrectly.
 
I.e., there's more than one way to skin a Gap...
 
CGW: i actually deliberately left out discussion of the missionary work, frontier trade, and other "soft" approaches used to great effect by colonists. i did so because i was starting from barnett's starting point: "core" / "gap'. then relating this back to a period in time where vocabulary was similarly dichotomous: "frontier" / "settled".

my goal was to bring this up in a second post. using the moravian mission projects with the cherokee as a foil (we have plenty of their letters to use, which are quite detailed).

but since it seems so few are capable, or willing, to discuss this without getting either upset or very closed minded, perhaps i should let it die.
 
A real question here guys. Will the PNM survive Iraq?
 
A real question here guys. Will the PNM survive Iraq?

As long as it embraces defeat.

(The same point is made, through pop songs, with Guerrillaz).

A somehwat more serious answer is that because PNM Theory is a form of Marxism, it's materiallistically determinant and teleological. You can blow up the world, but you can't kill the forces of history.
 
If economic determinalism is the paradigm, then why bother doing anything?
 
Post a Comment

<< Home
Zenpundit - a NEWSMAGAZINE and JOURNAL of scholarly opinion.

My Photo
Name:
Location: Chicago, United States

" The great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances as though they were realities" -- Machiavelli

Determined Designs Web Solutions Lijit Search
ARCHIVES
02/01/2003 - 03/01/2003 / 03/01/2003 - 04/01/2003 / 04/01/2003 - 05/01/2003 / 05/01/2003 - 06/01/2003 / 06/01/2003 - 07/01/2003 / 07/01/2003 - 08/01/2003 / 08/01/2003 - 09/01/2003 / 09/01/2003 - 10/01/2003 / 10/01/2003 - 11/01/2003 / 11/01/2003 - 12/01/2003 / 12/01/2003 - 01/01/2004 / 01/01/2004 - 02/01/2004 / 02/01/2004 - 03/01/2004 / 03/01/2004 - 04/01/2004 / 04/01/2004 - 05/01/2004 / 05/01/2004 - 06/01/2004 / 06/01/2004 - 07/01/2004 / 07/01/2004 - 08/01/2004 / 08/01/2004 - 09/01/2004 / 09/01/2004 - 10/01/2004 / 10/01/2004 - 11/01/2004 / 11/01/2004 - 12/01/2004 / 12/01/2004 - 01/01/2005 / 01/01/2005 - 02/01/2005 / 02/01/2005 - 03/01/2005 / 03/01/2005 - 04/01/2005 / 04/01/2005 - 05/01/2005 / 05/01/2005 - 06/01/2005 / 06/01/2005 - 07/01/2005 / 07/01/2005 - 08/01/2005 / 08/01/2005 - 09/01/2005 / 09/01/2005 - 10/01/2005 / 10/01/2005 - 11/01/2005 / 11/01/2005 - 12/01/2005 / 12/01/2005 - 01/01/2006 / 01/01/2006 - 02/01/2006 / 02/01/2006 - 03/01/2006 / 03/01/2006 - 04/01/2006 / 04/01/2006 - 05/01/2006 / 05/01/2006 - 06/01/2006 / 06/01/2006 - 07/01/2006 / 07/01/2006 - 08/01/2006 / 08/01/2006 - 09/01/2006 / 09/01/2006 - 10/01/2006 / 10/01/2006 - 11/01/2006 / 11/01/2006 - 12/01/2006 / 12/01/2006 - 01/01/2007 / 01/01/2007 - 02/01/2007 / 02/01/2007 - 03/01/2007 / 03/01/2007 - 04/01/2007 / 04/01/2007 - 05/01/2007 / 05/01/2007 - 06/01/2007 / 06/01/2007 - 07/01/2007 / 07/01/2007 - 08/01/2007 / 08/01/2007 - 09/01/2007 / 09/01/2007 - 10/01/2007 / 10/01/2007 - 11/01/2007 / 11/01/2007 - 12/01/2007 /



follow zenpundit at http://twitter.com
This plugin requires Adobe Flash 9.
Get this widget!
Sphere Featured Blogs Powered by Blogger StatisfyZenpundit

Site Feed Who Links Here
Buzztracker daily image Blogroll Me!