Bloodless Coup

LOL at Godfather I and II being good examples of balance of power in action. And if Three Kings is going to be included in that list (at the end... don't think it's a part of Walt's list), why not Syriana?

Maybe Kaplan thinks we should downplay the impact on IR of Big Law, MNCs, the oil economy, and foreign involvement in intra-state power struggles? B/c otherwise, yeah, why not Syriana?

He pretty clearly thinks Syriana is lighter than I did; I think it's an excellent movie. I also think Children of Men is a nice choice, but I do think it's interesting for its quasi-pandemic milieu, with the quarantining, propaganda, etc. aspects. I really love that movie.

Or even better for the role of MNCs on government relations and NGO involvement in the developing world... The Constant Gardener. Loved that movie.

Seems Syriana is popular among attorneys (and some poli sci profs). I love Children of Men, but I thought of it, politically, more in terms of authoritarianism and domestic politics than in terms of international politics or pandemics.

And I force students to write a paper on the IR-ness of one of about a half dozen films in my intro class. Constant Gardener is what a plurality of them wrote on. Very good movie.

Interesting observation, re Syriana. I wonder if part of that phenomenon, to the extent it is one, has to do with the degree of backroom power it implies lawyers have. Which of course is true, in the sense that powerbrokers not infrequently have law degrees and active licenses, but that credential, I would venture (self-evidently) is neither necessary nor sufficient.

Kind of, maybe. I'd put it down more to the movie getting both the monotony and grunt work lawyers get stuck doing for long periods as well as the high drama they can also get involved in in situations like you mention.