Last year at this time, I was at Billy Bishop Airport, glowing from the success of the first CDSN Capstone and then hearing every sniffle and cough in the small airport. the sense of impending doom had changed to the sound of a wave crashing in the beach.
1/x
I called my wife and told her to stock up on food (wasn't thinking tp due to our costco stash) as it was unlikely that we were going to go to Hawaii to the ISA meeting in the weeks to come 2/x
I got home and we talked and started revising plans amid news about Tom Hanks and then the NBA. Somehow, the WHO declaring pandemic didn't resonate as much.

That was my last trip. And we pretty much haven't done anything social since then. Distancing all the way 3/x
I was expecting a harder lockdown than what we got in Canada. Not a Euro-style. When I emerged to go shopping a week later, I was surprised to see a fair amount of folks out.
The masks would come later after the experiments with bandanas
4/x
the first stage did involve buying shirts from local companies to support them in the crisis 5/x
And then baking ensued. But not with bread, but thanks to @journo_dale, with @Nigella_Lawson and her amazing ccc dough pots nigella.com/recipes/chocol…. I will be making some later today to mark the anniversary.
It has been a brutal year so do something that is sweet/fun 6/6
oh and a epilogue to be: I am so looking forward to having beer with anyone and everyone once we can.

Once we are all vaxxed, remind me and let's find some good beer.

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More from @smsaideman

11 Mar
I am late to today's #OttawaConference as I had class and now I can't seem to get in. Sorry to miss @sekreps and @SheenaGreitens. Hopefully I will be able to get into the event for @MercedesGlobal 's panel.
@sekreps @SheenaGreitens @MercedesGlobal Glad to get access and see @sekreps argue against fighting the last war, that we should not apply old lessons. And be wary of giving private sector much of the responsibility to deal with tech threats.
#OttawaConference day 2 2/x
@sekreps @SheenaGreitens @MercedesGlobal SPNET's Kash Khorasani goes next and presents a lot of info that I can't summarize quickly here (I am still in post-class zoom fog).

#OttawaConference 3/x
Read 58 tweets
10 Mar
In between sessions, I guest lectured in @WAndyKnight1 's global governance class to talk NATO stuff. The sharp student asked a lot of great questions. Nice to have them push me to think about stuff.
@WAndyKnight1 Hyten talks about the need for relationships.... once again military folks sounding like Oprah, but the dark side is: better to fight on someone else's territory

#OttawaConference 29/x
@WAndyKnight1 Hyten talks about China's weapons programs as threat to US, inferring that they are up to something.
BUT to be fair, Security Dilemma--maybe China wants a Triad to provide itself some security?

Oh my, what has happened on Wuhan? this has taken a turn

#OttawaConference 30/x
Read 12 tweets
10 Mar
I spending the next few days attending @CDAInstitute 's big Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence. A terrific program this year! I would love to see it in person but don't mind not having to dodge traffic to find parking near the Chateau Laurier. 1/x
@CDAInstitute I will live tweet on and off, depending on my ability to focus (the joy of zoom). I am especially looking forward to @sekreps, @SheenaGreitens and the other Brookings hotshots. Among the other highlights will be Jean Charest, who is a better speaker than most, 2/x
@CDAInstitute @sekreps @SheenaGreitens the Aussie Chief of Defence, as Aussies tend to be more blunt than other folks.

I wonder what @DMDND_SMMDN Jody Thomas will say and be asked as the Vance/McDonald/Sajjan stuff is hanging over all of this. LtG Eyre had to replace McDonald as speaker. 3/x
Read 31 tweets
18 Feb
Back in the day, when I was at Texas Tech, I taught the required course of American and Texas Public Policy.

I started by defining the two ends of the spectrums for a democracy:
nightwatchman state that only focuses on international threats or ... Sweden.

The point? 1/x
That the US and, yes, Texas, would be someplace in between those extremes with lots of choices over different policies.

That markets work in very painful ways if not regulated. Sure, companies that make dangerous products will eventually go out of business as word gets out 2/x
but people have to get hurt for a company to get a reputation for being dangerous, for instance.

oh, and markets also fail and then what?

That collective action problems means that without someone or some group to provide public goods, they don't happen.
3/x
Read 7 tweets
15 Jan
This is a fun tweet but

the US will need to engage in a counter-insurgency campaign against white supremacy
.
.
.
just like it did in the 1990s.
When a counter insurgency is successful, people think of the insurgents as mere criminals and don't really think that hard about the government's ability to sustain itself.
People don't like to securitize things like pandemics or such for a variety of reasons. However, when violent actors threaten to kill politicians, including the 2nd-3rd in line, well, it comes pre-securitized.
Which means we need to think a bit about the war ahead.
Read 7 tweets
10 Jul 18
Why does Trump hate all international cooperation? The Rosetta stone is this: " he doth project too much" /1
He thinks every deal he makes is an effort to cheat the other side AND he thinks everyone else is doing the same /2
So any existing deal the US signed must be unfair and exploitative since that is the only kind of deal.
/3
Read 6 tweets

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