John Stupart.com

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about my academic interest (strategic studies) and what I might potentially study next year should university deem me acceptable. While confined to coursework I should still – much like my honours year – be able to molest my degree into a shape that I might fine suitable. For next year’s MA thesis, I have two distinct topics which I find particularly interesting.

The first one involves the endemic and chronic pattern of crises which afflict African states annually. Genocide, civil war, post-conflict development and just how on earth to do a better job than the UN. I’ve written a little bit about this in more emphatic terms earlier this month. Figuring out how to minimise the damage done by conflict, or at the least ensure it doesn’t happen again for a long long time is extremely critical I think. It’s not a problem that’ll go away, nor is it something that will be easily dampened, but I do think there should be a better way to manage it. A few years ago I thought following the Sierra Leone model of employing mercenaries was sufficient, but I’ve come to the current conclusion that using Private Military Contractors (PMCs) should be carefully managed. I don’t think they’re abhorrent baby-killing children of the Devil, but I do think that – much like a formal military – it should be carefully managed. And I think within a privatised environment it’s entirely possible. I don’t have all the answers for that yet, but damnit! That’s the whole point of research; if I knew it all before I started it really would just be a glorified book review. I started out in Honours wanting to write something on Iraq and Afghanistan and some broad overarching notion that I’d held securely in my head, but wound up scouring maps, video footage and strategic assessments of just one engagement in a single Iraqi city. In research, it seems the lower down to the ground your ivory tower is, the better the ability to see what’s actually going on. Just like how great danes make terrible truffle sniffers whereas piggies are just perfect. Or something…

The other surrounds the newly-made-famous scourge of piracy around the Gulf of Aden in Somalia’s waters. In 2006 I wanted to do this topic originally, but was firmly rebuffed by my supervisor due to lack of reliable sources (ie it wasn’t popular.) With the capture of several huge tankers carrying oil and tanks and suchlike important things for world development, piracy is starting to really catch on as a buzz word in International Politics. More importantly for me, the angle of potential usage of PMCs is already being tested out there in the field (or is that ‘water’ in this case?) with several companies offering security services in different packages and practices. Much like the problems on Africa’s soil, I believe that PMCs could provide a very viable solution to this problem, but again must be carefully organised and structured.

So those are my thoughts! As I’ve said many times before, conflict fascinates me, and I hope I can carry on studying it as long as I live. Of course, how long I live in a field like that could be entirely relevant! For now though, I put my hope in Wits University realising just how damned awesome I am and let me go there! If not I shall have to pee in their library archives.

In case nobody’s noticed my site has been completely revamped and, dare I say, restored to 100% functionality. Much thanks to my stalwart sibling for fixing it all, installing the theme, and patiently letting me pick the perfect wallpaper. Also, the blogroll has been updated with blogs that are actually updated, including Charlie Dunhoff, an ALT who lives in Sarufutsu’s neighbouring town of Hamatonbetsu, where Chris and I normally embarked upon numerous shenanigans. He’s a prolific writer and includes lots of photos, so it’s definitely well worth a looksee.

Also, the archives now work! Hurrah!

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Something else which is obvious to everyone but me, but losing a friend sucks! A very good friend of mine recently left for the sunny scandinavian polar regions and for a few days I’ve wondered what this empty, icky feeling was. At first I thought it might have been the spaghetti I made for dinner, but then I realised that I was actually sad. Genuinely, egte waarde sad.

Who woulda thunk it. John has feelings…

Most times I’m unleashed into a public environment I find that what I think and what I say are often completely different, and not intentionally so! If I want to be offensive, I damned well can do that consciously without needing to trip over myself. So I find myself in the tragically ridiculous positions of feeling remorse for the offensive things I say which aren’t deliberate, but unable to express the difference between those and the offensive things I say which I do mean. This, because it’s important that people know when I’m being genuinely offensive and when I’m just talking kak.

Regardless, my theme for the month has been all about figuring out how to express myself more accurately. This isn’t a new thing by any means of historical breakthrough, and philosophers have been ruminating on the problem for centuries. Put simply, language as we know it is incredibly restrictive. The more one’s vocabulary improves the more one realises its confinements. As much as I want to express an idea or emotional reaction to something in verbal or written form, it’ll always be restricted by the syntax of English and of my own language ability. It’s annoying, and there should damned well be a better way by now!

But enough about my vocal frustrations! Back in the normal world I’m still waiting on my MA application to come back (last time I checked it’d been upgraded to “RECEIVED” status), while I’m increasingly warming to the idea of full time study, my potential research interests have narrowed to two: Conflict Resolution in Central African Crises (probably use Congo as a case study) or Piracy in the Gulf of Aden. Both are incredibly interesting to me and are rich Strategic Studies picking grounds. While international institutions focus on Chinese Information Warfare, the ability (or lack thereof) of the Israelis to bomb Iran and other such topics, I can shneak into the pages of academic fame by the backdoor, as it were.

I think all of the above could also be greatly inspired by my current book: Heart of Darkness. It’s proving pretty damned good so far, but so far Hemingway still takes the top spot.

For my international friends, some pictures of Wits, my intended academic home for 2009:

The Wits Lawns

Senate House - My department would be on the 2nd floor to the right

Also, my favourite song of the month – Woman King by Iron and Wine: