1/4 The issuing of a State Department Dissent Cable directed directly at the US government itself is, to my knowledge, unprecedented. The Dissent Channel was created in 1971 to give diplomats the ability to voice unpopular views about US policy elsewhere without retaliation.
2/4 Here is the full text of the cable itself.
3/4 @lizzyshackelfor, a former diplomat who resigned in protest in 2017, has written a definitive history of the dissent channel in an important book: publicaffairsbooks.com/titles/elizabe…
4/4 Hannah Gurman has also written a terrific book on the history of the Dissent Channel and dissent in US foreign policy more generally: cup.columbia.edu/book/the-disse…
5/6 Here is the State Department's definition of the scope and use of the dissent channel: fam.state.gov/fam/02fam/02fa…).
6/6 As usual, the National Security Archive has a terrific primer on the Dissent Channel and examples of dissent cables: nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/…

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More from @bradleyrsimpson

7 Jan
Lou Dobbs referring to “enthusiastic Trump supporters who tried to gain entry to the Capitol,” but says it’s basically Antifa who did all of the bad things. Image
Calls this a “rare and tragic exception” to Trump supporters normally peaceful and nonviolent nature. John Solomon, his guest, calls them patriotic, loving Americans. They have no idea how to cover this.
Now Dobbs is denouncing teachers and other representatives of socialism, while he and his guest discuss how to meet the grievances of the armed thugs who stormed the Capitol.
Read 6 tweets
10 Dec 20
1/11 A short thread on the US and Western Sahara, which Donald Trump has never heard of and could never have found on a map until one of his advisers showed him. Morocco and Mauritania invaded Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1975: un.org/Depts/Cartogra…
2/11 After Spanish dictator Franco stepped down in 1974, Spain began decolonizing Spanish Sahara. Morocco and Mauritania both threatened to invade. They rejected self-determination for its mostly nomadic, indigenous people, and coveted it resources, especially phosphate.
3/11 The US also rejected self-determination for Western Sahara. Henry Kissinger told Algerian officials in late 1974 "I want it to go away! I can’t get excited about 40,000 people who probably don’t know they’re living in Spanish Sahara." Read more here: history.state.gov/historicaldocu…
Read 12 tweets
8 Dec 20
1/10 If the Pentagon Budget were a country it would rank 20th in terms of world GDP, right behind Saudi Arabia and ahead of Switzerland and 191 other countries. worldpopulationreview.com/countries/coun…
2/10 Focusing on the connections between the latest Def Sect nominee and military contractors misses the forest for the trees. The US has had a political economy of war since 1950, with bases and military contractors in every one of 435 Congressional districts.
3/10 Any serious discussion about ending US militarism, as @mbrenes1 new book shows, must envision a reorganization of the US economy, and not just an end to Forever War, overseas base closures or troop redeployments. umasspress.com/9781625345219/…
Read 10 tweets
18 Sep 20
1/6 An interesting article about conservative activist Christopher Rufo, who seemingly inspired Trump's bizarre war on "critical race theory." yahoo.com/news/the-man-b…
2/6 A glance at Rufo's website christopherrufo.com tells a familiar grifter story. BA from Georgetown (School of Foreign Service, natch), zero academic background in anything related to critical race theory, and affiliated with the right wing Discovery Institute think tank.
3/6 Rufo has been churning out essays since 2018 denouncing urban policy in cities like Seattle for city-journal.org, published by the right wing Manhattan Institute. Here is a sample of his deep thoughts on the Antifa takeover of Seattle: christopherrufo.com/antifa-makes-i…
Read 6 tweets
18 Sep 20
1/ What movies will President Trump’s #1776Commission recommend as part of his “Patriotic Education” program, and for which period? @HerbertHistory? American Revolution (a gimme):
2/ Civil War? Come on.
3/ Reconstruction? Hello?
Read 12 tweets
18 Sep 20
Free job hunting advice from a tenured professor.
1. save your CV in multiple places. I save mine on a floppy disk and print out copies on my dot matrix printer. 2. Make sure the little tape in your answering machine is rewound in case you get called with an offer. 1/4
3. Give yourself plenty of time to mail in all of your application materials.
4. Keep the white out handy in case you have to edit your cover letter on the typewriter.
5. Mention the latest trends in your field (“social history,” “gender,” “culture,”) in your interviews. 2/4
6. Ladies, dress modestly! This is the 90s, not the 60s! 7. Demonstrate your familiarity with technology. Include your Netscape or AOL electronic mail address in your CV. 8. Since there are lots of jobs this year, be choosy! 3/4
Read 4 tweets

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