Today, Luke Bozier, a former Labour Party web guru who recently defected to the Tories, has an op-ed up at the Huffington Post recommending "intervention 2.0" as an international strategy for responding to the bloodshed in Syria. Here's how it works: 

Instead of invasion, the new paradigm is to support and encourage grassroots movements inside the borders of countries whose regimes we seek to change. At an opportune moment, Western powers would utilise their unique military assets to ensure a swift, relatively happy ending.[...]

Direct intervention is off the table, thanks to Russia and China's obstinate position at the UN. So countries like ours have to find ways to support the uprising, without directly engaging the Syrian military. Options include the covert supply of weapons, the promise of exile to senior figures willing to abandon Assad, training, strategic and tactical support to the armed resistance, and the de-recognition of the Ba'athist regime as the government of Syria.

There's an argument to be made for intervention of this kind, but it's not exactly a paradigm-shattering approach. The idea of providing tactical support to rebels in countries whose governments we want to overthrow wasn't even that new when Dwight Eisenhower was doing it.  And Bozier's notion that "Previously, oppressed people didn't have a voice or the tools needed to stand up, thanks to the Internet they now do," would have been news to Mahatma Gandhi or the crowds at the Bastille.

This is just the latest example of the rampant "2.0" abuse that has swept through the media and policymaking circles in the years since web 2.0 first became a buzzword. We have Wael Ghonim's recent book Revolution 2.0. The State Department touts "Civil Society 2.0". (This is admittedly less cumbersome that P2P2G.)

It's hard to find a political concept that hasn't been 2.0'd these days. There's public diplomacy 2.0, counterinsurgency 2.0, Jihad 2.0, war 2.0, Islam 2.0, Christianity 2.0, Judaism 2.0, communism 2.0 and capitalism 2.0, feminism 2.0, Europe 2.0, India 2.0, conservatism 2.0, Obama 2.0, Putin 2.0, Tories 2.0democracy 2.0, energy 2.0, nuclear 2.0, Zionism 2.0, al Qaeda 2.0, multilateralism 2.0, IMF 2.0, NATO 2.0, and environmentalism 2.0.

Mea culpa: FP has indulged in this with pieces exploring authoritarianism 2.0, Libya 2.0, reset 2.0, development 2.0, Tahrir Square 2.0 and more.

The problem with "2.0" is that, in additional quickly becoming a tiresome cliché, it's often used to dress up not-particularly-original concepts as high-tech, paradigm-shattering developments. Pretending that the rules have completely changed because of the advances in information technology seems like a very easy way to avoid learning from the still pertinent historical examples of the pre-networked world.

As Rebecca McKinnon writes in her new book, Consent of the Networked, "Contrary to what some people may have hoped and believed, the Internet does not change human nature. "It generally doesn't change the basic rules of global politics either. The basic merits and flaws of an idea like humanitarian intervention still apply -- even in a post-Facebook world.

 

S HENDRICKS

7:50 PM ET

February 21, 2012

Funny

Neil Postman 2.0

In the case of Bozier/HuffPo piece, would more appropriately be called R2P 0.5 Beta.

 

GRANT

10:10 AM ET

February 22, 2012

Frankly Mr. Bozier, stick to

Frankly Mr. Bozier, stick to the web*. Unless you're going to look in depth at the communal nature of the conflict, the impossibility of the 'Western powers' using force to 'ensure a swift, relatively happy ending'** and the fact that you are not actually saying anything new I see no reason to listening to you.

Also is Mr. Bozier seriously suggesting that we 'offer' exile to senior government officials who defect? He earnestly thinks that these men, who probably see the Syrian government as standing between their people and the Sunni massacring them, would do this? Why was he published?

Please note that is not an outright denunciation of the idea of providing arms to Syrian rebels, simply irritation at how simple it is made to sound by a man who, if he really believes it is a new way of doing things, doesn't seem to have paid much attention in history class. We can't get even a basic resolution through the Security Council condemning the violence, the Syrian government (despite what people like to think about dictators) is far more than a single man, the Syrian military has not splintered despite defections and the Syrian state is fairly powerful. By comparison Libya was simple.

*And thank you Rebecca McKinnon, whoever you may be!
** I can't believe he actually created that sentence.

 

NO FRONTIER TO PICTURES

10:13 AM ET

February 22, 2012

power of versioning virtual items

That's demonstrate the power of repackaging and fake versioning. It's well known in Web-marketing and classic marketing.

How to sell again whitout make anithing.

voeux

 

KBC

11:54 AM ET

February 22, 2012

web 3.0

I think the FP should start the new suffix 3.0. Though it is difficult to define web 3.0, making it another cliche will make the definition redundant.

 

QAISARA RAMZAN

5:53 PM ET

March 4, 2012

good

A host of medical problems can lead your dog to eliminate indoors. I’ll mention a few examples, but many more exist. And those I do describe may have symptoms I don’t mention here. The short version is, suspect a medical problem if your dog’s behavior has changed suddenly, if she’s old, or if you’re sticking to a regular, careful housetraining schedule and your puppy is having frequent accidents anyway.
Sudden, urgent digestive upset may come on too strong for even the best-housetrained dog. Possible causes include rich or spoiled food and certain parasites. A dog with a urinary tract infection may need to go much more often than usual and may dribble small amounts of urine. If you have a spayed female dog who leaks urine in her sleep, a possible cause is estrogen incontinence, which is usually treatable with inexpensive medication. Elderly dogs who develop canine cognitive disorder, a doggy analogue of Alzheimer’s disease, may lose their housetraining as the condition progresses. Pain from arthritis, an injury, or illness can leave a dog reluctant to take a walk or make it hard for her to get into position to pee or poop. The bladder and bowels may wind up overfull and impossible to control.
Increased water intake accompanies some illnesses, diabetes among them; if you don’t happen to notice that your dog is filling up more than normal and supply extra toilet breaks to compensate, he may be unable to hold his urine until his next walk. Certain medications may make animals feel thirsty, too -- steroids are famous for this. If your dog’s indoor pees coincide with a new medication or an increased dose of an old one, it’s well worth asking your vet whether thirst or incontinence is a possible side effect. Malformations of the rectum and sphincter or of the urinary tract can make it impossible for a dog to control eliminations. My older dog’s anal sphincter has lost muscle tone. Result: sometimes when she springs up with joy at going for a walk, she drops a few little items from behind. Oh, well.
Behavioral Causes of Peeing or Pooping Indoors
Inappropriate elimination can signal certain behavior problems. The commonest might be separation anxiety, which in its more intense forms could be called separation panic. One sign of true separation anxiety is that the dog may chew and claw at doors and windows, apparently trying to escape; another is that he may let go of urine and stool. Thunderstorm phobia can produce the same result, as can terror in other contexts. It’s not unheard of for a dog to let loose during severe punishment. I’m tempted to say that in that case the behavior problem isn’t in the dog, but harsh, ill-informed advice is everywhere and even the best and kindest people can be misled into following it.A host of medical problems can lead your dog to eliminate indoors. I’ll mention a few examples, but many more exist. And those I do describe may have symptoms I don’t mention here. The short version is, suspect a medical problem if your dog’s behavior has changed suddenly, if she’s old, or if you’re sticking to a regular, careful housetraining schedule and your puppy is having frequent accidents anyway.
Sudden, urgent digestive upset may come on too strong for even the best-housetrained dog. Possible causes include rich or spoiled food and certain parasites. A dog with a urinary tract infection may need to go much more often than usual and may dribble small amounts of urine. If you have a spayed female dog who leaks urine in her sleep, a possible cause is estrogen incontinence, which is usually treatable with inexpensive medication. Elderly dogs who develop canine cognitive disorder, a doggy analogue of Alzheimer’s disease, may lose their housetraining as the condition progresses. Pain from arthritis, an injury, or illness can leave a dog reluctant to take a walk or make it hard for her to get into position to pee or poop. The bladder and bowels may wind up overfull and impossible to control.
Increased water intake accompanies some illnesses, diabetes among them; if you don’t happen to notice that your dog is filling up more than normal and supply extra toilet breaks to compensate, he may be unable to hold his urine until his next walk. Certain medications may make animals feel thirsty, too -- steroids are famous for this. If your dog’s indoor pees coincide with a new medication or an increased dose of an old one, it’s well worth asking your vet whether thirst or incontinence is a possible side effect. Malformations of the rectum and sphincter or of the urinary tract can make it impossible for a dog to control eliminations. My older dog’s anal sphincter has lost muscle tone. Result: sometimes when she springs up with joy at going for a walk, she drops a few little items from behind. Oh, well.
Behavioral Causes of Peeing or Pooping Indoors
Inappropriate elimination can signal certain behavior problems. The commonest might be separation anxiety, which in its more intense forms could be called separation panic. One sign of true separation anxiety is that the dog may chew and claw at doors and windows, apparently trying to escape; another is that he may let go of urine and stool. Thunderstorm phobia can produce the same result, as can terror in other contexts. It’s not unheard of for a dog to let loose during severe punishment. I’m tempted to say that in that case the behavior problem isn’t in the dog, but harsh, ill-informed advice is everywhere and even the best and kindest people can be misled into following it.A host of medical problems can lead your dog to eliminate indoors. I’ll mention a few examples, but many more exist. And those I do describe may have symptoms I don’t mention here. The short version is, suspect a medical problem if your dog’s behavior has changed suddenly, if she’s old, or if you’re sticking to a regular, careful housetraining schedule and your puppy is having frequent accidents anyway.
Sudden, urgent digestive upset may come on too strong for even the best-housetrained dog. Possible causes include rich or spoiled food and certain parasites. A dog with a urinary tract infection may need to go much more often than usual and may dribble small amounts of urine. If you have a spayed female dog who leaks urine in her sleep, a possible cause is estrogen incontinence, which is usually treatable with inexpensive medication. Elderly dogs who develop canine cognitive disorder, a doggy analogue of Alzheimer’s disease, may lose their housetraining as the condition progresses. Pain from arthritis, an injury, or illness can leave a dog reluctant to take a walk or make it hard for her to get into position to pee or poop. The bladder and bowels may wind up overfull and impossible to control.
Increased water intake accompanies some illnesses, diabetes among them; if you don’t happen to notice that your dog is filling up more than normal and supply extra toilet breaks to compensate, he may be unable to hold his urine until his next walk. Certain medications may make animals feel thirsty, too -- steroids are famous for this. If your dog’s indoor pees coincide with a new medication or an increased dose of an old one, it’s well worth asking your vet whether thirst or incontinence is a possible side effect. Malformations of the rectum and sphincter or of the urinary tract can make it impossible for a dog to control eliminations. My older dog’s anal sphincter has lost muscle tone. Result: sometimes when she springs up with joy at going for a walk, she drops a few little items from behind. Oh, well.
Behavioral Causes of Peeing or Pooping Indoors
Inappropriate elimination can signal certain behavior problems. The commonest might be separation anxiety, which in its more intense forms could be called separation panic. One sign of true separation anxiety is that the dog may chew and claw at doors and windows, apparently trying to escape; another is that he may let go of urine and stool. Thunderstorm phobia can produce the same result, as can terror in other contexts. It’s not unheard of for a dog to let loose during severe punishment. I’m tempted to say that in that case the behavior problem isn’t in the dog, but harsh, ill-informed advice is everywhere and even the best and kindest people can be misled into following it.A host of medical problems can lead your dog to eliminate indoors. I’ll mention a few examples, but many more exist. And those I do describe may have symptoms I don’t mention here. The short version is, suspect a medical problem if your dog’s behavior has changed suddenly, if she’s old, or if you’re sticking to a regular, careful housetraining schedule and your puppy is having frequent accidents anyway.
Sudden, urgent digestive upset may come on too strong for even the best-housetrained dog. Possible causes include rich or spoiled food and certain parasites. A dog with a urinary tract infection may need to go much more often than usual and may dribble small amounts of urine. If you have a spayed female dog who leaks urine in her sleep, a possible cause is estrogen incontinence, which is usually treatable with inexpensive medication. Elderly dogs who develop canine cognitive disorder, a doggy analogue of Alzheimer’s disease, may lose their housetraining as the condition progresses. Pain from arthritis, an injury, or illness can leave a dog reluctant to take a walk or make it hard for her to get into position to pee or poop. The bladder and bowels may wind up overfull and impossible to control.
Increased water intake accompanies some illnesses, diabetes among them; if you don’t happen to notice that your dog is filling up more than normal and supply extra toilet breaks to compensate, he may be unable to hold his urine until his next walk. Certain medications may make animals feel thirsty, too -- steroids are famous for this. If your dog’s indoor pees coincide with a new medication or an increased dose of an old one, it’s well worth asking your vet whether thirst or incontinence is a possible side effect. Malformations of the rectum and sphincter or of the urinary tract can make it impossible for a dog to control eliminations. My older dog’s anal sphincter has lost muscle tone. Result: sometimes when she springs up with joy at going for a walk, she drops a few little items from behind. Oh, well.
Behavioral Causes of Peeing or Pooping Indoors
Inappropriate elimination can signal certain behavior problems. The commonest might be separation anxiety, which in its more intense forms could be called separation panic. One sign of true separation anxiety is that the dog may chew and claw at doors and windows, apparently trying to escape; another is that he may let go of urine and stool. Thunderstorm phobia can produce the same result, as can terror in other contexts. It’s not unheard of for a dog to let loose during severe punishment. I’m tempted to say that in that case the behavior problem isn’t in the dog, but harsh, ill-informed advice is everywhere and even the best and kindest people can be misled into following it.
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MAXIMB

12:40 PM ET

March 19, 2012

Most of the decade was given

Most of the decade was given over to solving the problem of the Great Depression. So, the US concentrated on domestic policy. Trade and other commercial activities continued but on a lesser amount than before the Depression. Toward the end of the decade, the unrest in Europe caused by Mussolini and Hitler began to focus US attention on foreign policy. FDR followed some of Hoover's policies dealing with Latin America. Some of our troops were pulled out but we did not intervene in Cuba due to the Platt Amendment. The Stimson Doctrine was an attempt to maintain our influence in China via the Open Door Policy. FDR did recognize the Soviet Union and we exchanged Ambassadors. Check the site below..

"Is rio orange war always forfait b and you inevitable ?"
MaximB

 

MAXIMB

7:54 AM ET

March 22, 2012

I can think of one issue. The

I can think of one issue. The Cubans in Florida that immigrated from...Cuba(duh), don't like Castro to much, so they will not support any presidential candidate that will be hoping to trade with Cuba. Florida is a swing state so they hold the power. It wouldn't be a wise to do anything to upset them..

"Is rio orange war always forfait sosh inevitable ?"
MaximB

 

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