Personal and academic blog. Explores the borderlands between rhetoric, politics and intelligence.

1.6.04

Papers

This page contains selections of my scribblings. They reflect my dabblings in academia, perhaps not profound wisdom, but hopefully they will be of use to some of those with the same tendencies.

Last updated 6 July 2005

How is a small power influenced by the Revolution in Military Affairs? The Danish Example
A revolution in military affairs (RMA) have been heralded by enthusiastic theorists that tries to show how new technology is driving a new way of war and of thinking on conflict. Others are more wary but most agree that things are changing. Most of the RMA thinking is driven from the USA, as it is here the real technological and organizational leaps are made. But smaller countries are also influenced by the new way of conflict. This paper shows aspects of change in the Danish armed forces and political thinking on war as of March 2005.
  • Download it here (PDF)

Dialogue with the Devil? Bin Laden and the Rhetorical Construction of a Strategic Persona
The October 2004 speech by Osama Bin Laden carried a more conciliatory tone. It did not have any notable effect. But was it a failure? A rhetorical analysis of the speech shows that Bin Laden is building his persona to allow him to deal with a democratic, western audience. That this person-building is ongoing hints that western statesmen and diplomats should reconsider their own persona.


Does 'Intelligence Studies' Constitute a Seperate Discipline in its Own Right?
An essay trying to answer just that question, adressing some of the problems linked with naming a 'Discipline'. The focus is more or less one-sided on the Social Sciences rather than the intelligence studies done in History.

Reversed Magnets. Rhetoric and International Relations
A short introduction to the wonders and problems of rhetoric, aimed at students of IR.


En retorisk vold? Terrorisme og retorisk kritik
A Rhetorical Violence? Terrorism and Rhetorical Critique
An synopsis exam paper outlining the possibility of rhetorical critique of terrorist attacks. The paper is two-fold, a written and an oral presentation. It is in Danish, but with an English abstract.

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