Stupid realist IR dude

Robert Kagan, blowhard for orthodox realist international relations theory and general conservativosity in global affairs (and WaPo "World Columnist"), doesn't know geography. This would seem to me to be a rather poor trait in an IR commentator. Canberra is the capital of Australia, not Sydney. (via MaxSpeak). Sydney is, of course, pretty big, relatively wealthy, and mostly white, and that fits better how realists view power in the world than poor old Canberra.

In East Asia, meanwhile, U.S. relations with Japan grow ever closer as the Japanese become increasingly concerned about China and a nuclear-armed North Korea. China's (and Malaysia's) attempt to exclude Australia from a prominent regional role at the recent East Asian summit has reinforced Sydney's desire for closer ties.