underWater desert Blogging

Taking the E out of M&E for Governance Projects

A thought exploration of to more properly evaluate governance projects for international development. The title may be clickbait, as the post is less about taking the E out of M&E and more about making the case for the E coming a reasonable amount of time after the project is completed.

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Do You Feel Safer Now: Reflections on the Ten Year Anniversary of Iraqi Invasion

We are looking at ten years since America invaded. Here are my thoughts on that topic.

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My Unreasonable Optimism and Why John Dickerson’s (@jdickerson) Series Should Matter

My Dad and I have this ongoing debate about campaigns. It has been ongoing for four years that I can remember but perhaps longer. It revolves around the forthrightness of campaigns to speak to the electorate logically, with courage, and while keeping within the bounds of logic and reasonableness. Instead of what I desperately want campaigns to do they do the opposite, spiraling into ever more irrelevant crap. Gaffes and ah ha’s are fun and interesting political theater but that is all it is. Theater. Theater is a farce. And we must stop hiring representatives to govern us based on a farcical audition system. This I have felt deeply for a long time. It colors most of my political worldview, rightly or wrongly.

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On Marines and Krulak’s Three Blocks

Someone emailed me tonight asking what I thought about the attack on the consulate in Benghazi. Being that I was a Marine officer once upon a moon, this person asked whether my blood was up about them passing away and what I thought about the President putting our people in danger like that. Their words. Yes, of course my blood was up. I felt deeply for their families and for the poor souls who had to notice their families and for the entire situation.

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My America Band: Wax Fang

When you sit with people from other countries, it is important to have some fall back, standardized way to explain where you are from. Of course we all have these icons, these posters, these fleeting images that remind ourselves of where we came from and are readily recalled by our frontal cortex when asked to explain ourselves. When we trust the person and we know that the question is meant because the other conversant(s) truly does want to understand us, then we are more easily able to open up and to tell the truth.

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What’s this about attacking pirates on land?

On Friday, I was hearing chatter about how the EU issued a new directive authorizing the EUNAVFOR to attack land targets. This is an awful idea that will have strategic and operational consequences - all of which that will be negative. In addition I have serious concerns as to the legality of the application of violence on land as a solution to the so called Piracy Problem.

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Book Inscription

Here’s to the embarkation on a great journey. Here’s to a massive flop or a spectacular success. Here’s to nothing in between. Here’s to risk. Here’s to reward. Here’s to taking a chance. Here’s to never being satisfied with what is. Here’s to questioning. Here’s to listening. Here’s to excellence. Here’s to professionalism. Here’s to helping everywhere we can in every way we can to everyone we can. Here’s to solving problems. Here’s to trust in unwavering allies. And most of all. Here’s doing our best to impact in those we touch in some small way that truly speaking tomorrow is going to be a better day.

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Micro-States; Pirates; Terrorists; The London Conference: What a Fascinating Time for Watchers of Somalis

For almost four years now I’ve been a careful observer of Somali politicians. For three of those years I was paid to try to be their lawyer. To provide them expert international legal assistance tied to a deep network full of some of the finest international practitioners and thinkers in the world. But they rarely, if ever, wanted that help. So largely I invented work, I went into meetings and had a product to sell. *I can’t buy you new computers, but I how about I help you write that legal framework that Parliament has required you to do*?

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A Day in My Life: Somaliland Edition

The other day, my dad asked me to write a short piece about what my daily life is like in Somaliland. I usually refrain from such things, but I think it is a good opportunity to show how *normal* everything is here. With a few caveats.

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Compromise & Governing: On Reading @ryanlizza’s The Obama Memos

Ryan Lizza has again written a marvelous piece on Obama and his team. Just as he did with his watershed piece on the Obama campaign, he has written a long and worthwhile piece on Obama's first term to date. If you want to understand the fundamental contradictions that come with governing, and if you want to learn what you elect a President to truly do, read it - after you read my thoughts.

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