After rejections from fellowships this year, I'm back to the drawing board regarding research topics. Hopefully I can turn the "Politicization of North Korea" topic into at least a paper.
Peter Katzenstein's address at the Rising Powers Initiative project launch was the first time in a while I felt my intellectual brain ticking. Anyway, here are 2 possible topics I might explore:
1) Social Movements in International Relations: this would extend out of my first book project on anti-base movements. Lately, we've seen protests/riots/social mvts around: Kyrgyzstan, Thailand, Iran just to name a few. Do these movements have any implications for international relations? If so, it's not apparent. I'd like to come up with a theory which helps us evaluate the impact of social movements in IR. A domestic-int'l linkage type argument if you well. One think PK argued was that revolutions don't come from below, but are top-down. The storming of the Bastille and people power come to mind when we hear revolution. But by then, it's too late.
2) Let's Talk (International conferences and forums). We've seen a proliferation of global summits (the nuclear summit, Copenhagen, etc...). Are they effective, or a waste of time? Have western diplomats adopted eastern practices of talking about talks. Has process become valued as much as outcomes for Western diplomats - an adoption of the ASEAN way?
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