The (Ex) Washington Realist

This roundtable with Devin Stewart and David Andelman was written largely prior to the Russo-Georgian-Ossetian conflict, but I think the discussion touches very much on some of the fundamental issues. Andelman, in particular, makes the case that self-determination is the critical point to consider, and that "this concept, more than any other, that I believe will become the gold standard for understanding what constitutes a nation in the future." He ends up concluding, "every nation, every people, if left to their own devices (and this is critical, especially with superpowers or would-be superpowers poised to send troops in at the slightest provocation), winds up with a government that they deserve and that suits them. This should be our watchword, and what we teach our students as they return to their classrooms just as the tectonic plates of the world have begun to shift yet again."

An interesting debate and discussion, for your consideration.