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Will Quinn

@wc_quinn

Jan 28

I would like to read a piece that enumerates how dramatically reduced Russian military capacity due to the war in Ukraine should effect U.S. posture in Europe with an eye towards the Western Pacific and a Taiwan Strait scenario. 1/

Unfortunately, the current debate over tradeoffs in security assistance between Ukraine and Taiwan and posture in Europe vs. the Indo-Pacific in some defense circles seems overdrawn, especially when the positions of the two main camps focus what will best deter Beijing. 2/

One camp insists that any provision of assistance and commitment of resources to Europe rather than the Indo-Pacific with a focus on a Taiwan scenario will produce a zero-sum cost to the effort to deter China. Yet this ignores questions of probability, timing, and perception. 3/

Read 9 tweets

Will Quinn

@wc_quinn

Dec 30, 2022

As ever, I didn't get through nearly as many books this year as I'd like. But here's the wrap-up on some of my favorites for 2023 and some of what I look forward to reading in 2024. 1/x

@LaurentBinetH

@LaurentBinetH's CIVILIZATIONS (2019), translated by @SamTayl66360996, left a big impression: a revisionist novel in which the Incan emperor Atahualpa arrives in Europe, displacing Charles V, converting Henry VIII, and upending history in the process. 2/x bit.ly/3GwmmF2

@hoyer_kat

@hoyer_kat's BLOOD AND IRON (2021) was a superb, briskly told history of the rise and fall of the Second Reich and Wilhemine Germany. I'm really looking forward to her forthcoming BEYOND THE WALL (June 2023) which will tell the story of the DDR. 3/x bit.ly/3WRQIqH

Read 23 tweets

Will Quinn

@wc_quinn

Dec 31, 2021

THREAD. I got through a lot of books this year -- and am hoping to finish at least one more before we ring in 2022. But here are a few that stood out in particular. 1/x

@peterbakernyt

THE MAN WHO RAN WASHINGTON by Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) and Susan Glasser (@sbg1) -- a fascinating portrait of politics, world order, and how DC works (worked?) through the life of James Baker. Despite having read much about his heyday, I learned a ton. bit.ly/3qGxCFk

@colsonwhitehead

THE NICKEL BOYS by Colson Whitehead (@colsonwhitehead) -- a slim, heartbreaking novel that demonstrates how a few well-chosen words can reveal history, places, and people better than a profusion of them. Hard to forget his Tallahassee or Nickel Academy. bit.ly/3Hks8H8

Read 17 tweets

Will Quinn

@wc_quinn

Nov 11, 2021

There’s a complex set of historical debates about why the atomic bombs were dropped and moral debates about whether it was justified. This explanation is far closer to fact-free “propaganda” than pretty much any of those arguments.

Ironically, of course, this “explanation” also robs the Japanese leadership of agency and doesn’t really reckon with the aspects of the decision-making around the bomb and war termination that warrant reflection.

The nuances of this debate are taught in college classes and are part of PhD comprehensive exams for a reason. Lots of hard-to-parse evidence. Fierce arguments with moral significance. Robust counterarguments. This explanation doesn’t appear anywhere because it’s nonsense.

Read 25 tweets

Will Quinn

@wc_quinn

Nov 10, 2021

Counterfactual exercise: what was the most important *close* U.S. presidential election? 1/x

The 1876, 2000, and 2016 elections are obvious contenders. 1960 and 1976 are also worth consideration. Perhaps the 1796 and 1800 elections too. But I'll put in a qualified plug for 1916. 2/x

The 1916 election pitted President WoodrowWilson against former NY governor and Supreme Court justice (and future Secretary of State and chief justice) Charles Evans Hughes, whose distinct whiskers and demeanor led Teddy Roosevelt to refer to him as "the bearded iceberg." 3/x

Read 19 tweets

Will Quinn

@wc_quinn

Aug 28, 2020

@thomaswright08

@thomaswright08's piece on the future of Republican foreign policy is an excellent read that captures many of the major strains in a necessary and long-deferred debate. 1/x

theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…

He sees three camps:

- Nationalists, focused on great power competition, mainly w/ China;

- Internationalists, holding to the verities of the post-war system (whether realist/neocon/other); and

- Neo-isolationists, whose concerns vary.

(All vexed terms but bear with me) 2/x

In my view, each camp has its own challeges, either risking overcorrection or undercorrection. I'll pose a question for each to tease those challenges out. 3/x

Read 12 tweets

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