ISA In Ohio? Yowza!

 I missed the last two meetings of the International Studies Association as I was in Berlin for a couple of winters.  So, I was eager to get back to the ISA and see lots of folks.  Alas, it was only partly successful as a combination of events/dynamics limited the attendees:

• those outside of the US avoiding Trump's border police
• those still trying to get here denied by flight challenges in Toronto and elsewhere
• Pete Hegseth's hostility to any kind of book learnin', limiting those who could come from the various professional military education institutions--the War Colleges and their ilk

Still, I got to see some dear friends and enjoy their company and surprisingly great food.  The convention center has a number of great spots near by, including great ice cream and bagels and ... booze.  

I was thrilled, as I always am, to see my written work in the wild: 
 

 

 

 

I participated on two roundtables.  The first was to recognize and honor Debbi Avant for her work in both international security and interdisciplinary stuff.   I was asked, I guess, to be on the roundtable since I went to grad school with her and then much later starting doing work that was inspired by hers.  I first talked about her impact on a young PhD program and a young PhD student.  She was one of the original PhD students at UCSD and through her efforts and her being a role model, helped to build a truly collaborative, fun, and very helpful environment.  For many grad school is pure misery.  For me and I think most of my peers at UCSD, we had a different experience--we had fun on the soccer fields, softball fields, beaches, and at Debbi's parties.  Oh, and in the classrooms as we didn't compete with each other, but instead gave each other much help.  

It was great to see Hendrik again and 
especially hear him talk about his former
his former office mate 

In her work, Debbi really did break a lot of ground and gave us a path to follow.  She applied principal-agent theory to civil-military relations before anyone else, she engaged in comparative analysis to see how democratic institutions shaped civil-military dynamics, and contradicted conventional wisdoms about warriors being out of control.  My work on civil-military relations for the past nearly 20 years followed from hers in many ways, and so my debts to her are many.  I made sure to give her thanks and recognize her contributions.  The other contributors at the roundtable testified to her great spirit and intellect.  My only regret is that I didn't bring down cookies I had made for the poker game down from my room, as she used her baking to bring people together long before I combined baking and international relations.  I look forward to her forthcoming cookbook.

My other roundtable was on public engagement.  I thought we had settled this--that most of us should be doing public engagement.  The panel was, of course, as much as on how as on should.  I did raise a few things: that in today's corrupted info environment, we have more of an obligation to spread knowledge; that our VORPs are mostly positive, and that our grants require know
ledge mobilization strategies.  I talked about the good (it can be fun, it can give you access, it can help citations), the bad ( you can be wrong in public, backlashes are common), and the ugly (where to publish stuff when all the bars seem to have Nazis).  The panelists--Elizabeth Meehan, Dani Gilbert, Dan Drezner, Naaz Barma, and Kathy Perry--all had sharp contributions, and the Q&A went well.

I also attended the panel celebrating the life and mourning the loss of Brandon Valeriano.  Folks told funny stories, reported on his many important contributions, and how tragic it was to lose him just as he was getting his dream job.  We took some photos so that his family could see how much love there was for their big guy.

 Our civ-mil hangout was a success.  We had about a dozen people hanging out in a bar.  We connected emerging scholars with, ahem, senior ones.

 

 

 

 

 

An old tradition returned: ISA poker!  We had a good time although folks had a nasty tendency to call my bluffs but not call me when I had great cards.  It was not the same as we missed Brandon, and some of our other regulars couldn't make it.  We talked much of recruiting a new generation. It turns out that the biggest deterrent to new players may have been .... me.  I guess I was always worried about the game getting too big.  This time, we finagled a "parlor room" that was perfect for the game.  Something we will try in the future.

 

 

I had visited Columbus a few times when I was at Oberlin long ago, but only to play ultimate.  So, I enjoyed wandering the neighborhood near the convention center, taking pics of murals while looking for great ice cream, bagels, and other food.  

I am glad I made it back to this conference.  I know that I have only a handful of these left, so I am treasuring each one and expressing my thanks along the way.  My friends are starting to retire, and that is not far away for me.  So, to all I chatted with this week, thanks for making this place special and making me welcome in this strange discipline of ours.