About the conference
I think it might be useful to read the description of the conference Marc's paper is designed for. I agree his paper is very deep at times, but I think that's what the conference is looking for. On the other hand, I'm not entirely sure Marc can really help going deeply intellectual even if forced to crawl over broken glass buck naked in the freezing rain.
That said, here's the description of the conference:
The highlights are mine. Sounds a bit colonial even with the “various societies” tossed in. Maybe they'll look at the socio-political-economic structures of the target territories, but I doubt the targets will take primacy over our “superior” systems. Maybe I'm wrong...During the course of the conference, we will look at theoretical, intellectual, and moral foundations of state-building as derived from the Age of Enlightenment, ethical norms, and religious values from various societies. We will hear success stories from the past and consider possible models for the future. Additionally, we will examine contemporary practices as related to us by serving military officers. Our speakers will include prominent authors, academics, Department of the Army officials, and representatives of non-governmental organizations. Our goal will be to draw together ideas that will enable the best possible practices for the future.
Military forces around the globe have long recognized that there are principles of war that, if followed, can enhance the likelihood of success on the battlefield. Conversely, it seems there should be principles of state-building that, if followed, can enhance the likelihood of “winning the peace.” Each of the presenters will be asked to nominate ten such principles, and the combined list will be submitted to moderated discussion groups composed of the conference participants. These discussion groups will be charged with the responsibility of distilling the list to a core set of about ten principles.
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