My Bad Conscience: International Security's Most Downloaded Articles

The net serves great purposes ... like making life more efficient. That too, for bad conscience. See e.g. this list over the most downloaded articles from the International Security site:

This list is updated each day based on the volume of full text downloads.

Track Citation for selected articles

1.

Why Terrorism Does Not Work (2882 times) Max Abrahms International Security Fall 2006, Vol. 31, No. 2: 42-78. Abstract | PDF (205 KB) | PDF Plus (219 KB) | Add to Favorites

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Osirak Redux? Assessing Israeli Capabilities to Destroy Iranian Nuclear Facilities (2674 times) Whitney Raas, Austin Long International Security Spring 2007, Vol. 31, No. 4: 7-33. Abstract | PDF (122 KB) | PDF Plus (124 KB) | Add to Favorites

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3.

The Future of U.S.-China Relations: Is Confict Inevitable? (2552 times) Aaron L. Friedberg International Security Fall 2005, Vol. 30, No. 2: 7-45. Abstract | PDF (191 KB) | PDF Plus (205 KB) | Add to Favorites

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4.

The Unipolar Illusion Revisited: The Coming End of the United States' Unipolar Moment (2180 times) Christopher Layne International Security Fall 2006, Vol. 31, No. 2: 7-41. Abstract | PDF (150 KB) | PDF Plus (161 KB) | Add to Favorites

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5.

How al-Qaida Ends: The Decline and Demise of Terrorist Groups (1987 times) Audrey Kurth Cronin International Security Summer 2006, Vol. 31, No. 1: 7-48. Abstract | PDF (175 KB) | PDF Plus (185 KB) | Add to Favorites

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6.

The Strategies of Terrorism (1984 times) Andrew H. Kydd, Barbara F. Walter International Security Summer 2006, Vol. 31, No. 1: 49-80. Abstract | PDF (154 KB) | PDF Plus (165 KB) | Add to Favorites

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7.

The End of MAD? The Nuclear Dimension of U.S. Primacy (1458 times) Keir A. Lieber, Daryl G. Press International Security Spring 2006, Vol. 30, No. 4: 7-44. Abstract | PDF (240 KB) | PDF Plus (245 KB) | Add to Favorites

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8.

Who "Won" Libya? The Force-Diplomacy Debate and Its Implications for Theory and Policy (1279 times) Bruce W. Jentleson, Christopher A. Whytock International Security Winter 2005/06, Vol. 30, No. 3: 47-86. Abstract | PDF (164 KB) | PDF Plus (171 KB) | Add to Favorites

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9.

Regime Insecurity and International Cooperation: Explaining China's Compromises in Territorial Disputes (1223 times) M. Taylor Fravel International Security Fall 2005, Vol. 30, No. 2: 46-83. Abstract | PDF (169 KB) | PDF Plus (178 KB) | Add to Favorites

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10.

Building a Republican Peace: Stabilizing States after War (1070 times) Michael Barnett International Security Spring 2006, Vol. 30, No. 4: 87-112. Abstract | PDF (118 KB) | PDF Plus (127 KB) | Add to Favorites

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11.

Warlordism in Comparative Perspective (953 times) Kimberly Marten International Security Winter 2006/07, Vol. 31, No. 3: 41-73. Abstract | PDF (137 KB) | PDF Plus (141 KB) | Add to Favorites

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12.

Getting Religion? The Puzzling Case of Islam and Civil War (830 times) Monica Duffy Toft International Security Spring 2007, Vol. 31, No. 4: 97-131. Abstract | PDF (198 KB) | PDF Plus (203 KB) | Add to Favorites

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13.

Fostering Stability or Creating a Monster? The Rise of China and U.S. Policy toward East Asia (717 times) Thomas J. Christensen International Security Summer 2006, Vol. 31, No. 1: 81-126. Abstract | PDF (184 KB) | PDF Plus (194 KB) | Add to Favorites

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14.

Success Matters: Casualty Sensitivity and the War in Iraq (544 times) Christopher Gelpi, Peter D. Feaver, Jason Reifler International Security Winter 2005/06, Vol. 30, No. 3: 7-46. Abstract | PDF (256 KB) | PDF Plus (261 KB) | Add to Favorites

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15.

Governance without Government in Somalia: Spoilers, State Building, and the Politics of Coping (542 times) Ken Menkhaus International Security Winter 2006/07, Vol. 31, No. 3: 74-106. Abstract | PDF (341 KB) | PDF Plus (162 KB) | Add to Favorites

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16.

Soft Balancing against the United States (529 times) Robert A. Pape International Security Summer 2005, Vol. 30, No. 1: 7-45. Abstract | PDF (185 KB) | PDF Plus (196 KB) | Add to Favorites

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17.

Is China a Status Quo Power? (503 times) Alastair Iain Johnston International Security Spring 2003, Vol. 27, No. 4: 5-56. Citation | PDF (271 KB) | PDF Plus (279 KB) | Add to Favorites

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18.

China Engages Asia: Reshaping the Regional Order (447 times) David Shambaugh International Security Winter 2004/05, Vol. 29, No. 3: 64-99. Citation | PDF (164 KB) | PDF Plus (170 KB) | Add to Favorites

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19.

Structural Realism after the Cold War (415 times) Kenneth N. Waltz International Security Summer 2000, Vol. 25, No. 1: 5-41. Citation | PDF (257 KB) | PDF Plus (264 KB) | Add to Favorites

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20.

Human Security: Paradigm Shift or Hot Air? (412 times) Roland Paris International Security Fall 2001, Vol. 26, No. 2: 87-102. Citation | PDF (135 KB) | PDF Plus (139 KB) | Add to Favorites

Not only do you discover things you didn't read. You also see that things you saw in the TOC and thought "nah, doesn't matter, no time" and now its here, being downloaded and the market always tells the truth, eh, so maybe you should read it anyway?

Either that, or the list is just an expression of what's free and what's not. All of the Top 12 articles are free: the first paying article is Thomas J. Christensen's "Fostering Stability or Creating a Monster? The Rise of China and U.S. Policy toward East Asia", who then wins the contest for being most attractive in spite of the cost.

The great thing about the list is the daily update. Now, you kinda see in the spirit how several of the authors will click in every day to follow their stock in the trade, nervously tracking their fortunes on the waves of academia.

That of course leaves open all kinds of ridiculous possibilities, like repeats of the record promoting business where promotors would buy endless stacks of records to get their singles high enough on the charts to get them airtime and make that generate some real sales... Will a Professor be tempted to pull several thousand downloads through his students? Can you make money with a company that will enable academics to buy enhanced visibility through automated and timed downloads?

Bensahel/Survival: Useful Nationbuilding Reform Overview

Whether, how and how far to reform for nationbuilding operations has become the central strategic question in the OECD/NATO camp. We all now we have to contribute to and take the lead in administrating the state system, but how and especially how far do we want to go? Will preparing well mean creating an offer that begets a demand? Will it weaken our resolve in terms of "real war"? Or has modern war been finally rendered clausewitzian -- to be always about political endstates, and does this mean we have to take an institutional leap? The new issue of Survival contains an overview over recent bureaucratic efforts in the US, UK, Canada, Germany, EU and G8 -- prepared by Nora Bensahel from the RAND Corp.

Recent years have seen numerous initiatives to build organisational capacity for nation-building operations in both national govern­ments and international organisations. These initiatives have made some progress, but they share a number of common problems, including bureaucratic turf wars, interagency and intergovernmental coordination challenges, limited financial resources, and shortages of qualified personnel. If left unchecked, these problems may prevent these initiatives from addressing the capacity challenges they were designed to solve.

Failed State Index 07: Convergence Between Security and Development

Failed states are perhaps the best illustration of the convergence between security and development policy. Foreign Policy magazine (in cooperation with the Fund for Peace) has now published its 2007 edition.

Go check it out.

Tic Tacs #6

Miami Herald: "Iran aid to Taliban hints at policy shift. U.S. officials suspect that Iranian weapons shipments to the Taliban may be retaliation for U.S. foreign policy."

Secrecy News: National Intelligence Council Sponsors Wiki on Global Disease. Students at Mercyhurst College created a wiki-based resource on global disease to support the National Intelligence Council, while demonstrating the utility of the wiki approach for intelligence analysis. "The fundamental question had to do with the impact of chronic and infectious diseases on US national interests over the next 10-15 years," said Prof. Kristan J. Wheaton, whose class produced the wiki.

Counterterrorism Blog: "A few days ago, I spoke with a U.S. official working for one of the new embedded provisional reconstruction teams (EPRTs) in Iraq. (...) The EPRTs are different. Rather than operating separately from and parallel to the military, they are embedded within the military structure. Six EPRTs operate in Baghdad, three in Anbar, and one in Babil. Their structure is similar to that of the PRTs (run by a foreign service officer, featuring a U.S. Army deputy, a USAID member, a bicultural advisor, and other staffers) but rather than functioning in the top-down manner of the PRTs, the EPRTs are designed to make more of a difference at what the official called the "granular" level. That is, the EPRTs are integrated into the military's tactical operations, and are designed to advance reconstruction efforts on a street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood basis.

Thomas P.M. Barnett: "The talks are cordial, but go nowhere. ARTICLE: "U.S. and Iranian Officials Meet in Baghdad, but Talks Yield No Breakthroughs," by Kirk Semple, New York Times, 29 May 2007, p. A8. Why should they? We hold talks to see what Iran can do to save our asses in Iraq but refuse to use that venue to discuss any quid pro quo Tehran might desire. These talks aren't designed to work. They're designed to check a box. That's my weekend column. "