post-thanksgiving reflection

Now that I have finally digested all of that thanksgiving food, it seems time to reflect on the past week of class. First of all, I really enjoyed reading the text Ethical Realism, as it was well-written and the information was presented in a way that was accesible and easy to understand (unlike Todorov, for example). It enjoyed reading about the works of past presidential administrations as compared to today. It really offered a stark view of what's gone awry with American foreign policy in the 21st century. I also felt that I had a leg up on the material being discussed because I had already read the national security briefing that was referred to in the text. As we discussed in class, the ideas of the Great Capitalist Peace may be just as idealist as any but to me they really make sens. I disagree with the views of Gunperi and others who say that states need enemies in order to move forward with their policy. Call me a crazy liberal, but I like to belive that at some fundamental level all states want to do is get along and not have to worry about security from one another. After all, if you take away that threat, imagine all the other areas that money could go to (just look at the US federal budget and military spending...that's a lot of cash right there). All in all the book was quite interesting and I made my holiday traveling much more pleasurable.
Also, the simulation so far has been a good experience. I enjoyed the filming process and getting the chance to use imovie (I'm pretty much a pro now, after four hours of editing). It was interesting to watch the other groups' films and I thought the question and answer peroids were effective. I just can't wait until we are able to "let loose" and take some shots on the other groups. Needless to say I'm looking forward to tuesday's class and really getting down into this simulation. It's like a good old fashion debate and it's been a while since I've done that.