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Butterfly Production Management
(Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, 1977) Kulman, H.M.
A speculative overview of butterfly production management is presented which includes manipulation of habitats to enhance larval and adult food plants, accessibility and longevity of adults, early season introduction of migrants, and use of exotic butterflies and larval host plants. Concentration and accessibility of butterfly adults for viewing and collecting may be influenced by adult longevity, adult food sources, larval host plant odors, and other factors. Dangers to butterflies and their host plants by concentrating adults are discussed. Production management opportunities by manipulation of larval host plants appears to be much greater for expansion of the local and regional range of butterflies than for increasing butterfly density. The paucity of the literature does not permit general conclusions concerning population regulating factors, carrying capacity concepts, etc. However, there is sufficient observational data to guide experimental production management studies. Migratory species are considered for management although the carryover from management inputs are lower than with resident butterflies. Introduction of exotic species is limited mainly to butterflies useful in weed control programs. Speculative production research possibilities are given for the Pipevine Swallowtail, Battus philenor ( L.); Black Swallowtail, Papilio polyxenes asterius Stoll; Giant Swallowtail, Papilio cresphontes Cramer; Little Sulphur, Eurema lisa (Boisduval and Le Conte); Dainty Sulphur, Nathalis iole Boisduval; Baltimore, Euphydryas phaeton (Drury); and Monarch, Danaus plexippus ( L.).
Using Native Plants: National Satellite Program
(University of Wisconsin Extension and University of Minnesota Extension, 1996) Meyer, Mary Hockenberry
A 2-hour national satellite video program that was produced by the University of Minnesota Extension and University of Wisconsin Extension. This educational program includes several on-site videos from native locations in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Expect horticulturists are shown with native plants in several locations including the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, Minneapolis, MN and the Curtis Prairie at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Call in questions from the live program are included as well as a packet of educational information with plant lists and recommendations for growing native plants in the Eastern deciduous woodland, prairie, wetland or lakeshore areas, and in traditional garden settings.
Spiritual Responses to Terrorism: Saying No to Fear
(2001-12-06) Andregg, Michael M.
Spiritual Responses to Terrorism: Saying No to Fear Prepared for Mari Ann Graham, Fr. Posey, and the folks at our forum on Dec. 6, 2001, 7-9:30 pm at UST. (Do not blame them for the author’s words below!) – by Michael Andregg, JPST program at St. Thomas The causes of the attack on September 11, 2001 include at least 17 distinct elements, only one of which I am going to focus on this evening. That is attractive for busy people, but it is also simplistic. We cannot prevent future acts of terrorism if we only consider one aspect of 17 causes. In fact, this is why many great problems continue unsolved -- they have multiple causes, but people are impatient. We pick one or two of the most attractive causes, often because they are easiest to deal with, work awhile, and then move on declaring the problem unsolvable. Abject poverty is like that too, a problem I will return to. But time is limited, so I'll identify all 17 causes very briefly, then focus what time remains on the one that brings us together tonight – Spiritual intolerance, ignorance, bigotry, and ultimately hatred and violence. 1. There is a huge struggle going on today worldwide, between fundamentalist forms of religion based on fear and envy, and ecumenical forms of religion based on love and tolerance. This struggle is occurring within every major faith, and is central to questions of why bombs go off today, and more importantly, also to how we may act as individuals and nations to stop the killing between factions over religious differences. This is the big cause that I will return to in a few minutes. But first, the other 16. 2. Wars have at least two sides, and the reasons they fight are often not identical. Osama Bin Laden has been very explicit about his reasons for the war. His first reason is the presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, and support for a government there he views as profoundly corrupt. Which it is. 3. U.S. support for Israel is the second cause he cited in his fatwa against Americans everywhere. 14 more items follow and summary
Building Bridges Between Cultures
(Busan National University, South Korea, 2002-03-18) Andregg, Michael M.
1. Why? Building bridges between cultures can involve many challenges, so the first subject I will address is: Why do this work? Answers important to me include: human survival, achieving prosperity through trade, compassion (especially for those who suffer, like refugees of war and relatives separated by politics) and achieving “the good life” spiritually as well as materially. All of these objectives benefit from a principle of living systems called “hybrid vigor.” These concepts will be illustrated by a few examples. Human civilization is facing a terrible crisis. It is a crisis of population growth combined with excessive consumption by the rich, which results in serious environmental problems and severe competition for the means of survival. Combined with other strains of politics, both normal differences of opinion about how to organize social life and more serious issues of corruption of governance and tyranny, this results in many wars (about 25 – 30 each year during the 23 years I have studied that subject). On the average half a million people die each year directly from these wars. Suffering from dispersed effects like refugee migrations and malnutrition related to the economic costs of these conflicts affects hundreds of millions every year. Human civilization is groaning in pain, but powerful psychological and social defenses exist that keep most people from hearing that pain clearly. It is the business of biologists to attend the living system. I testify before you that the living system itself is in danger because of these problems. If you need convincing I will gladly spend another hour or a day on that alone, because in my country at least, there are always excuses for taking just a little bit more from the living system despite its obvious distress. But our business today is building bridges between cultures, so I will return to that now with the simple observation that if the living system of earth is in trouble, human beings are in trouble. Human survival may even be at risk. So one reason to build bridges between cultures is to restrain people from blowing up the world with nuclear weapons, or despoiling it with endless conventional wars and the new, exotic biological and chemical weapons. Long ago I was a medical geneticist at a major University hospital. One reason I switched to why wars begin was what I knew about biological weapons 25 years ago. We have come a long way since then, and it is not a pretty picture. But even without such exotic weapons, the annual death rate from ordinary bombs and bullets should be plenty to inspire us to build some bridges to a better future for us all. A positive reason for building bridges is the prospect of increasing prosperity through trade. Now, I will venture a small observation on Korean politics. I apologize if I offend anyone. It is very sad to read about starvation in the North at the same time we read about fear created by Taepo-Dong II missiles, and a million-man army. Therefore, it was a happy day when we read about a new “sunshine policy,” and I was pleased when your President Kim Dae Jung was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his lifelong work for a better future.
The Primary Value of Restoring a Healthy Relationship Between Intelligence Agencies and the Academic World is a Revolution in Intelligence Affairs
(2002-03-25) Andregg, Michael M.
The Primary Value of Restoring a Healthy Relationship Between Intelligence Agencies and the Academic World is a Revolution in Intelligence Affairs Michael Andregg, University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN, USA. mmandregg@stthomas.edu for presentation to the intelligence studies section of the ISA, March 25, 2002. This long-winded title derives from two fundamental goals. On the positive side, I’d like to have better access to information resources of my national government, because my opinion on why wars start matters in various places and I’d like that to be better informed. I’ve studied the causes of war for 23 years, and written one, national award-winning book on the subject. But I am still like a child just beginning to understand. Watching about 30 conflict zones all the time leaves the single observer thin everywhere, and it would be great to have easier access to detailed information compiled by my government with it’s vastly greater resources. On the negative side, there have been many intelligence failures the last few decades, some very serious with grave consequences for thousands or even millions of people, depending on how you count them. And it is very obvious from outside that distortions of perspective and data is the root reason why, brought on by the same system that keeps certain secrets so well. Examples include the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan with consequences obvious to all by now, the unpredicted fall of Iran, and later of the Soviet Union, and the ongoing failure really to comprehend why so many people around the world hate America despite many good things we have done. It is not all just envy, important though that factor certainly is. So, there are the issues of accuracy of analysis, and of timely warning of dangerous events. Another, related question has occupied my time recently, prompted by discussion at these ISA meetings last year. How can we get more wisdom into the official products of national intelligence agencies? To answer this question requires some awareness of how wisdom gets screened out of such assessments and recommendations. It is not a conscious process, that’s for sure – all involved are doing the best they can to serve their country within systems that often prevent success. Remembering that I have no security clearances and have declined to sign the nondisclosure agreements necessary for such clearances (to preserve my own clarity of thought, and credibility in polite society), I have reached the following conclusions among others. All involve, paradoxically, restrictions on information available to the professional intelligence analysts and executives who think that because they have special access to “secrets” that they must then have access to more data than the open world. As Gregory Treverton has noted more eloquently, the obsession with keeping secrets tends to crowd out the goal of figuring out what is really going on and what to do about that.
Ethical Dilemmas in War and Peace
(Busan National University in South Korea, 2002-04-22) Andregg, Michael M.
War confronts us with some of the most difficult ethical dilemmas in human experience. Peace is less stressful, but even maintaining the peace can be more difficult than it appears. Restoring peace once lost can be daunting, and can present the responsible citizen with moral dilemmas every bit as challenging as those faced by soldiers at war. In both circumstances, the leaders of nation states must face stark tradeoffs as they decide whom to provide with resources and who not. In the worst cases, they must decide who lives, and who dies. And of course, soldiers at war do this also, and occasionally the ordinary citizen. Then there are issues like torture, and treatment of prisoners of war, and treatment of civilian refugees, and whether to intervene in conflicts among neighbors or not, and if so, how. Each of these may seem easy in the abstract, but they are very, very difficult when the people are real and the facts of the case unclear, which is common. It takes days to discuss the nuances of such dilemmas, but the decisions of real people faced with morally difficult choices must sometimes be made in the blink of an eye. Then, they may be judged by others far away and years later. We do not have days today, so I will begin with a simple outline of the types of hard questions faced by four actors in the dramas of war and peace. They are: the soldier, the citizen, peacemakers and leaders of governments. I will consider their dilemmas in a slightly different order below. For the Soldier: 1. When is it appropriate to kill? 2. When is killing required? 3. How should I treat civilians? 4. Should I distinguish between “able bodied men” and women or children? 5. Can I distinguish between the “innocent” and the “guilty?” And whether or not I can, can landmines or a 1000-kilogram bomb? 6. How should I treat my enemies, even while killing them? 7. How should I treat POWs? [Prisoner’s of War] What if they know secrets that could save millions? 8. When is torture justified, if ever, and why? 9. When can orders be disobeyed? 10. When MUST orders be disobeyed? 11. If the laws of war contradict the orders of my leader (or my God) what should I do?
The Effects of the Vivace Music Accompaniment Computer Program on Student Performances, Practice Habits, and Attitudes on High School Vocal Students
(2002-12) Munafo, Edward J
How "Wisdom" Differs from Intelligence and Knowledge in the Context of National Intelligence Agencies
(2003-02-28) Andregg, Michael M.
It is customary at this point to spend considerable time defining key terms like wisdom, intelligence and knowledge. I will come back to that after cutting to the bone of the topic at hand. Wisdom has a longer time horizon than either intelligence or knowledge. It spans a greater scope of concern, and reflects a set of values infused into knowledge that include compassion as a core component. It requires a deep understanding of human nature, because it is only called upon during crises of human affairs. All the rest is details, which can distract from these cardinal truths. With respect to issues of international security, this difference is exemplified by cases like Afghanistan (1979-89), Guatemala (1954) and Iran (1953-79). In each case focus on short-term, narrowly defined and mainly American national interests resulted in significant tactical victories. The long-term cost has been generating intense hatred of America among hundreds of millions of people worldwide. That hatred has diffuse military and economic consequences that are difficult to measure, but by any measure are profound. Of course there are excuses for this sacrifice of long-term, general welfare for short-term, narrow goals. But such excuses should not obscure the great price to thoughtful intelligence professionals, who undoubtedly do care about the future of their countries and their children.
Engaging Intelligence Agencies to Support Sustainable Peace and Development in Failed States
(2003-11) Andregg, Michael M.
Engaging Intelligence Agencies in Supporting Sustainable Peace and Development in Failed States abstract for the 19th annual conference of the Wisconsin Institute, Nov. 6-8, 2003. Relations between the peace community and official intelligence agencies have never been great. Sometimes they are awful. Natural antipathies can get worse in war zones, where peace activists are generally interested in ending the conflict while intelligence agencies are focused on winning it. Nevertheless there is room for real progress if a common ground can be established that enables collaboration on constructive goals. The emergence of “failed states” as an exceptional national security problem has opened a window of opportunity for cultivating that kind of constructive collaboration. One of the most central objectives should be infusing the concept of sustainable development as a national security goal throughout the ‘thinking organs’ of the nation-states, their intelligence agencies. This correlates internationally with the progressive strategy of some local police forces called “community policing.” I have spent over twenty years sponsoring various kinds of collaborative education involving peace and military groups, and in recent years intelligence agencies. It is a delicate business, because not ALL differences of worldview and goals are bridgeable. But when the right people are involved, and the topics are truly within the domain of shared goals, many good results can be obtained including one ultimate goal of cultivating military officers and intelligence analysts who genuinely understand and share some of the peace movement’s longer term and generally more global goals. One example is a panel I am sponsoring next spring at the annual International Studies Association conference in Montreal, Canada. That includes three representatives of a Human Security project headquartered at the University of Hiroshima, Japan, and three representatives of National Security institutions, specifically West Point, the Defense Intelligence Agency and Britain’s Joint Military Intelligence College. The most general difference between those two terms, “Human Security” and “National Security” is the time frame involved (longer versus shorter) and the domain of concern (broader versus more narrow). If accepted, the paper I would present on this topic would elaborate more fully the predictable problems of such endeavors, solutions that have worked in the past, and the manifold benefits for both peace activists and military or intelligence professionals of such collaborations. In addition to getting some rare but real opportunities to influence both worldview and operations on the other side, the peace community benefits from more detailed and timely access to inside information on military and IC (intelligence community) thinking about contemporary problems. This also helps in many ways to make our efforts to affect real policies effective.
Engaging Intelligence Agencies to Support Sustainable Peace and Development in Failed States
(Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, 2003-11-07) Andregg, Michael M.
Relations between the peace community and official intelligence agencies have never been great. Sometimes they are awful. Natural antipathies can get worse in war zones, where peace activists are generally interested in ending the conflict while intelligence agencies are focused on winning it. Nevertheless there is room for real progress if a common ground can be established that enables collaboration on constructive goals. The emergence of “failed states” as an exceptional national security problem has opened a window of opportunity for cultivating that kind of constructive collaboration. One of the most central objectives should be infusing the concept of sustainable development as a national security goal throughout the ‘thinking organs’ of the nation-states, their intelligence agencies. This correlates internationally with the progressive strategy of some local police forces called “community policing.” I have spent over twenty years sponsoring various kinds of collaborative education involving peace and military groups, and in recent years intelligence agencies. It is a delicate business, because not ALL differences of worldview and goals are bridgeable. But when the right people are involved, and the topics are truly within the domain of shared goals, many good results can be obtained including one ultimate goal of cultivating military officers and intelligence analysts who genuinely understand and share some of the peace movement’s longer term and generally more global goals. One example is a panel I am sponsoring next spring at the annual International Studies Association conference in Montreal, Canada. That includes three representatives of a Human Security project headquartered at the University of Hiroshima, Japan, and three representatives of National Security institutions, specifically West Point, the Defense Intelligence Agency and Britain’s Joint Military Intelligence College. The most general difference between those two terms, “Human Security” and “National Security” is the time frame involved (longer versus shorter) and the domain of concern (broader versus more narrow). If accepted, the paper I would present on this topic would elaborate more fully the predictable problems of such endeavors, solutions that have worked in the past, and the manifold benefits for both peace activists and military or intelligence professionals of such collaborations. In addition to getting some rare but real opportunities to influence both worldview and operations on the other side, the peace community benefits from more detailed and timely access to inside information on military and IC (intelligence community) thinking about contemporary problems. This also helps in many ways to make our efforts to affect real policies effective.
Grain sizes of susceptibility and anhysteretic remanent magnetization carriers in Chinese loess/paleosol sequences
(American Geophysical Union, 2004) Liu, Qingsong; Banerjee, Subir; Jackson, Mike; Maher, Barbara; Pan, Yongxin; Zhu, Rixiang; Deng, Chenglong; Chen, Fahu
GRAVITY AND AEROMAGNETIC DATA GRIDS OF MINNESOTA
(Minnesota Geological Survey, 2004) Chandler, V.W.; Lively, R.S.; Wahl, T.E.
These data represent over 40 years of gravity surveying in the state of Minnesota. This release is the first significant revision of the Minnesota gravity database since the compilation by Chandler and Schaap (1991), that the reader is referred to for information on the older data. Since that compilation, approximately 2000 stations have been added from data used to support a variety of projects for the Minnesota Geological Survey (MGS). Additionally, archival data not available for the earlier compilation are now included.
Why the Intelligence Community (IC) System Drives you Crazy, and How to Come in from the Cold
(2004-04-14) Andregg, Michael M.
“The CIA has the highest divorce rate of any government agency” a source of mine said. Since he was a career intelligence veteran in his 70’s, I figured he was probably correct. Thus began a search to answer some questions with larger boundaries, like why the extreme resistance to change, and why the dramatic intelligence failures that no one studies more than the IC itself? Why study dysfunction in national intelligence agencies? Because polite society is deeply dependent on a good, functional, healthy and wise intelligence community, all the more so in an age of terrorism and spreading WMDs. If you are sick, we are in danger. Actually, we are in plenty of danger already, so we pray most sincerely for your quick and complete recovery. The Intelligence Community is also besieged by critics, some of whom don’t have a clue what they are talking about, so a high degree of skepticism is appropriate to dramatic claims like I will make here. Even high ranking, career insiders with large staffs and mandates (like ex-NSA director, General William Odom) have a difficult time grasping the totality of the IC system and struggle to get a hearing for their sincere reform proposals (1). Such thoughtful reviews typically deal with policy, budgets and organizational structure, but few can deal with the taboos I will discuss today. The best, and last such daring effort I am aware of was “The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence” (2) by a former exec. to a DDCI* and a five year veteran of State. Thirty years later, after many large reviews (3, 4, 5, 6, 7) the parallels with cult dysfunction remain profound. Part of my answer is disturbing. Intelligence “Tradecraft” induces mental illness. To some this is heresy, to others, much less than a shocking discovery. Still it bothers me. Combine that induction with the exceptional stresses that go with operations and even with some analytic work, and you have a formula for tattered relationships. The security clearance system frustrates getting effective help, since the circle of ‘OK’ counselors is tiny and their loyalty to the company is usually greater than their loyalty to you. Trust is a precious thing in all human affairs, none more so than in marriages and counseling. But trust is also a fragile asset in the corrosive environment of spies, lies and endless rules regarding whom you can talk to, how and when. Since security clearances required for one’s career frustrate getting effective help, and since exceptional stresses undoubtedly exist that are inexorable parts of the difficult work that spies, analysts and CI* people do, almost everyone inside is affected. When everyone is affected few can see the damage clearly. Those who do often leave their agencies with the stain of ‘not being a team player’ or ‘disgruntled’ or ‘not that good anyway.’ Other psychological defenses are profound, really, impressively armor-plated. So strong measures and words are necessary. * The rest of this essay will address this problem bluntly, but aims at solutions for practitioners.
Nuclear and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
(University of St. Thomas, 2004-06-25) Andregg, Michael M.
Nuclear, and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Michael Andregg. St. Paul, Minnesota. June 25, 2004. Weapons of Mass Destruction (often reduced to WMD) are the most terrible weapons yet invented, but they are often neglected by peace activists because they involve many technical issues (which are hard) a lot of secrecy (which is frustrating) and grossly terrifying consequences (which are scary). But serious students must attend these issues anyway, because neither peace nor justice can be achieved unless we master them. The general term "Weapons of Mass Destruction" conveys the broad concepts that such weapons are: a) extremely destructive, and b) not very "discriminate." For example, a bullet can be aimed to kill or incapacitate one very bad guy with guns who is a threat to a community. A nuclear weapon employed in the same setting will kill every one and most living things for miles around. This does not discriminate between the innocent and dangerous killers. WMD come in four categories ranked here by degree of danger they present: Nuclear, biological, chemical, and a group of exotic and emerging technologies which I will lump under the term "information warfare." Most of this essay will deal with nuclear weapons because of space and time constraints, so we'll go over the others briefly first.
Problems in the Intelligence Community (IC) and how they Affect the Causes of Peace and Peace Studies
(2005-03-04) Andregg, Michael M.
abstract This has been a year of major distress for the American Intelligence Community (IC). Questionable intelligence about weapons of mass destruction led to questionable decisions about going to war in Iraq, which alienated large sectors of civil society and governments around the world. Of course, there are also big fans of this decision, both in the IC and elsewhere. But that is only one of the major problems that spies and intelligence analysts face. For example, there is a purge going on in the CIA as we meet today, as the fans of global intervention drive off critics there. A major “reform” bill was passed, and neutered by the Pentagon among others. This paper will focus on a largely taboo topic, the many ways by which intelligence tradecraft induces mental illness among many (not all) intelligence professionals. This leads in turn to errors of every kind. It leads to difficulty learning from past mistakes, and coping with novel problems. It also leads to very high rates of divorce, alcoholism and pain among our spies and analysts. And finally, it leads to confusing friends with enemies. Of particular importance to the field of Peace Studies is a common confusion between peace activists and “terrorists” (or in an earlier era, with communists). When fear is great and security institutions are stressed to find some bad guys, some of them literally cannot distinguish between “peace activists” and whoever the source of fear for the day is. Dissent is confused with treason. Thus did J. Edgar Hoover target civil rights activists, anti-war activists, labor activists and many others during the infamous COINTELPRO days. Some of the less stable people in our current FBI and DHS (Department of Homeland Security) are compiling lists of “potential terrorists” today that include peace activists, labor, human rights enthusiasts, environmentalists, feminists, “liberals,” etc. This problem is particularly acute in the Joint Terrorism Taskforces that have been ordered to identify “potential terrorists” in every county in America. Since actual terrorists are rare and very hard to find, but peace activists and other liberal groups are relatively abundant, public and easy to find, many peace people are on such lists today. The paper that follows looks at a range of clinical mental problems that are induced or exacerbated by the practices of IC agencies (called “tradecraft” in their jargon) and how such problems make working for peace more difficult during times of war. Paradoxically and tragically, they also make solving traditional and legitimate security problems of intelligence more difficult too. In both ways protecting our people and preserving freedom become harder. Stressed out spies and CI guys (counter intelligence) make many errors, of which confusing peace people with terrorists is just one especially irritating example. [A paper follows that was prepared for the CIA and a variety of spies about ten months ago. At the end is a postscript for our peace community on why psychopathology among spies is especially important for us.]
The Agenda for Dialogues among Civilizations should be Human Survival
(2005-06) Andregg, Michael M.
THE Agenda for Dialogues Among Civilizations Should be Human Survival Prepared for the ISCSC’s 34th conference in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA at the University of St. Thomas, June 9-11, 2005. By Michael Andregg, University of St. Thomas, mmandregg@stthomas.edu Abstract The first, and last item on my agenda for dialogues among civilizations is human survival. The prime reason is that this goal generates more cooperation and less argument than any other I have found. If we are to avoid the “clash” of civilizations that many fear, we should avoid angry “debates” about political or ideological issues. The core difference between a “clash” or a “debate” and a “dialogue” is style or tone. These are vague concepts, but profoundly important. Safe food, clean water, fuel for heating and fibers to wear or write on can be politicized (as can anything) but they are also the most universal human needs. Therefore they are also understood by the illiterate as well as by erudite elites. The goal of human survival promotes a positive tone that helps with the very hard work of finding viable solutions to the manifold challenges of our time. From this point of entry, 10,000 other topics can be discussed constructively, including contentious ones. The point is to establish more rapport between participants than often exists initially, by focusing on common ground before the more difficult issues of war, peace and politics inevitably emerge. Even religion and its varieties may be dialogued very constructively if rapport exists with some minimal empathy for the problems that other human beings face. Lacking this, if one starts with religion or politics by contrast, one too often encounters dogmatic views or demonization of the other, and constructive dialogue becomes nearly impossible. Here are some threats to human survival that might better be addressed by a “dialogue” instead of a great “debate” among the civilizations of the earth today. War should be obvious, particularly when weapons of mass destruction are considered. Energy, oil-based and otherwise, is a challenge of vast scale with huge consequences for all. Threats to human survival include the many environmental challenges and even catastrophes cited by the recent Report of the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs, and forewarned by the Global 2000 Report to the President (of the United States, then Jimmy Carter) 25 years ago. They include religious extremism (or militant religion) and the challenges of how to preserve cultural and political diversity in an age of globalization. Each of those threats to physical or cultural survival includes many sub-topics, all of which benefit from a constructive attitude among those who seek solutions through dialogue as opposed to debate. Partisan bickering is the antithesis of this. So I say again that promoting this attitude is as important as any topic or line item on an agenda. No, it is more important than the intellectual elements on such lists of good things one might do.
Book Review of "Glimpses of Igbo Culture and Civilization"
(International Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations, 2005-06) Andregg, Michael M.
Book Review of: “Glimpses of Igbo Culture and Civilization,” 293 pgs. Edited by Okolie Animba, Computer Edge Publishers, Lagos Nigeria, 2000. This book is the proceedings from a Pan-Igbo National Seminar and workshop organized by a Cultural Heritage Center in Uwani, Enugu, Nigeria. So its overall academic quality, coherence and so forth are less than one might expect from pure research institutions. Many of the 14 authors are professors from 7 named universities, but some are headmen, chiefs, or other governmental officials. In a similar vein, the printing quality is not the best. However, those reservations noted, this book was a wealth of information on its intended subject, and while the authors were not all 100% pedigreed scholars, they were all very sincerely and earnestly trying to share the essences of Igbo life with a larger world. In that task they succeeded. The chapters proceed from history, through language and literature, social organization to ‘fine and applied arts.’ The most interesting chapters to me, and the ones I will use in class, looked at how the Igbo people try to transmit wisdom across the generations. Along the way one encounters some very interesting asides, as when Chibiko Okebalama of Nigeria University in Nsukka observes that “education in Igboland is gradually becoming a woman affair.” Some things may be universal across our world of transition. But first some background. The “Igbo people” are fundamentally a language group with one large division and many smaller ones. They live mainly in southeastern Nigeria and are known to the outside world more for losing the war for an independent “Biafra” against more dominant Hausa and Yoruba language groups, within a Nigerian context that has over 400 dialects and over 30 distinct languages. The weakness of this text is reflected by the fact that there were zero maps in the entire work, and most discussion of the range the Igbo occupy was in terms of this valley or that river watershed rather than things a western eye could easily place on maps without further research. Another problem it struggles with and notes in the very beginning is that before the British colonialists arrived, the Igbo people were non-literate. So much of the commentary on Igbo culture is necessarily drawn from oral tradition, put into a relatively recent Igbo written language and then translated into English. They did the best they could but this is obviously a difficult problem, and sometimes the real meaning of phrases remains obscure. That said, the book goes through the limited archaeology of the region, noting dates on pottery and human tools around 3,000 B.C.E. which documents “human activity of considerable antiquity.” This section defends the concept of Igbo civilization in an attempt “to contradict here the imperialist view that Ibgoland had no history or culture worth the name until the establishment of British rule.” This defensiveness was not necessary to my eye, but recurs from time to time. Now, to the chapters on proverbs that interested me most.
Building Bridges Between Cultures in the Nuclear Age: Globalization and the Current World-Wide War
(2005-08-26) Andregg, Michael M.
The peace community encourages building bridges between cultures to resolve conflicts and prevent war. Other positive results can be more trade to increase wealth, nation building, and growth of our global civilization by cross-fertilization of ideas and art as well as commerce. The UN asked people of goodwill to consider building bridges during a decade of dialogue among civilizations, rather than engage in destructive clashes. Unfortunately, the current “global war on terrorism” (“GWOT” in American military jargon) highlights some downsides to the building bridges theory. The same mechanisms that move people, money, goods, and information more efficiently can also move murderers, bombs, war plans, and nuclear or biological weapons components. Also, “Globalization” was increasing economic inequalities and tearing up established economies long before the current war. And “cultural hegemony” became a recognizable term long before the “war on terrorism” did. So global tension grows for many reasons. This paper will review these issues and examine three specific cases: South Africa, North and South Korea, and Israel / Palestine to ask whether, on balance, we are moving forward or backward on the road to peace and global harmony. One case appears a clear success, another a failure, and the third remains to be determined.
Environmental Stress and Conflict on Earth Today
(2006-03-11) Andregg, Michael M.
On the Causes of War (third edition)
(Ground Zero Minnesota, 2007) Andregg, Michael M.
On the Causes of War is a book that covers over 40 causes of wars that recur in history often enough that the author thought they should be considered. It won the National Peace Writing Award for 1999 (the first edition) for reasons that will be described by a couple of blurbs from colleagues on the back cover. In lieu of a real abstract, I will put the Table of Contents here. Table of Contents On the Causes of War page Ch# Chapter Title by Michael Andregg ii. Dedication iii. Acknowledgements iv. List of Figures and Tables v. Introduction 1. Part I - Background 2. 1. The Essence of War and Peace 4. 2. Interviews With People Who Have Studied War and Peace 6. 3. Brief Review of Relevant Literature 9. 4. Relationships Between Genocide and War 11. 5. Review of Wars, Genocides and Flashpoints, 1990 - 1995 22. 6. Causation is Complex: Ultimate versus Proximate Causes, and Triggering Events 26. 7. Human Nature, Nurture, Free Will and War 30. 8. Two Models: Earthquake, and Three Green Lights 37. 9. If Present Trends Continue, the Probability of General War Will Peak Between 1997 and 2002, and How Such Estimates May Be Obtained 46. Part II - Select Causes: How They Work, and How to Solve Them 47. 10. Competition for Resources, and Inequalities of Wealth Within and Between Nations 52. 11. Competition for Power: International and Domestic Politics 62. 12. Population Pressure 74. 13. Authoritarian Law and Militant Religion 84. 14. Corruption of Governance 95. 15. Legalism 102. 16. Justice, Injustice, and Lack of Effective International Conflict Resolution Systems 110. 17. Nationalism and Militarism 116. 18. Forces of Evil 126. 19. Spies, Cults and Secret Power Systems 145. 20. Weapons Companies, Military Bureaucracy, Propaganda and Warmongers 153. 21. In vs. Out Groups: The Universal Double Standard of Justice 156. 22. Ethnicity, Nepotism and Racism 163. 23. Historical Grievances, Scapegoating, Demagoguery and “Parallel Realities” 167. 24. Revenge 172. 25. The Desire to Dominate, and Hubris 175. 26. The Desire for Adventure, Honor and Enemies, or Why Many Men Love War 181. 27. Greed, Hatred, Repression, Compulsion, Paranoia and Lesser Psychological Factors 188. 28. Balances of Power, and Equilibria 197. 29. The War on “Drugs” as a Model of Police-State Wars 206. Part III - How To Overcome War, and Survive 208. 30. Governance Without Governments 212. 31. Spirituality Without Churches 216. 32. Being A Warrior in the Third Millennium 223. 33. The Feminist Revolt and Masculinity 232. 34. The Biology of Survival: Economic and Political Consequences 238. 35. Freedom is Required; Justice is Desired 243. 36. The Body as a Metaphor for Social Organization 247. Appendix A: A version of the Prisoner’s Dilemma Exercise useful for teachers 250. Appendix B: Tables 1, 2, 3, and notes to each. 263. References

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