Star-Cross’d Lovers: Shakespeare and Prokofiev’s pas-de-deux in “Romeo and Juliet”

This article analyses the structure of Prokofiev's ballet score 'Romeo and Juliet' as an intersemiotic translation of Shakespeare's play

Optimal control of singular Fourier multipliers by maximal operators

We control a broad class of singular (or "rough") Fourier multipliers by geometrically-defined maximal operators via general weighted $L^2(\mathbb{R})$ norm inequalities. The multipliers involved are related to those of Coifman--Rubio de Francia--Semmes, satisfying certain weak Marcinkiewicz-type conditions that permit highly oscillatory factors of the form $e^{i|\xi|^\alpha}$ for both $\alpha$ positive and negative. The maximal functions that arise are of some independent interest, involving fractional averages associated with tangential approach regions (related to those of Nagel and Stein), and more novel "improper fractional averages" associated with "escape" regions. Some applications are given to the theory of $L^p-L^q$ multipliers, oscillatory integrals and dispersive PDE, along with natural extensions to higher dimensions.Comment: 22 page

The Central Intelligence Agency’s armed Remotely Piloted Vehicle-supported counter-insurgency campaign in Pakistan – a mission undermined by unintended consequences?

This paper views America's 'drones-first' counter-insurgency effort in Pakistan through the lens of Merton's theory of the unintended consequences of purposive action. It also references Beck’s Risk Society thesis, America’s Revolution in Military Affairs doctrine, Toft’s theory of isomorphic learning, Langer’s theory of mindfulness, Highly Reliable Organisations theory and the social construction of technology (SCOT) argument. With reference to Merton’s theory, the CIA-directed armed Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV) campaign has manifest functions, latent functions and latent dysfunctions. Measured against numbers of suspected insurgents killed, the campaign can be judged a success. Measured against the level of collateral damage or the state of US-Pakistan relations, the campaign can be judged a failure. Values determine the choice of metrics. Because RPV operations eliminate risk to American service personnel, and because this is popular with both US citizens and politicians, collateral damage (the killing of civilians) is not considered a policy-changing dysfunction. However, the latent dysfunctions of America's drones-first policy may be so great as to undermine that policy's intended manifest function – to make a net contribution to the War on Terror. In Vietnam the latent dysfunctions of Westmoreland’s attritional war undermined America’s policy of containment. Vietnam holds a lesson for the Obama administration.Publisher PD

Experiments in Distributive Justice and Their Limits

Mark Pennington argues political systems should be decentralized in order to facilitate experimental learning about distributive justice. Pointing out the problems with Pennington's Hayekian formulation, I reframe his argument as an extension of the Millian idea of 'experiments in living.' However, the experimental case for decentralization is limited in several ways. Even if decentralization improves our knowledge about justice, it impedes the actual implementation of all conceptions of justice other than libertarianism. I conclude by arguing for the compatibility of egalitarian redistribution with the epistemic virtues of markets pointed out by Hayek