Friday, December 31, 2010

Blogging Resolutions

Dan Drezner has once again inspired me by his post--nine tendencies among foreign policy commentators of which he would like to see less.  The good news is that I am not guilty of most of these tendencies:
  • talking about existential threats (although our shared Zombie interest would fall into that category); 
  • using irrational to describe Iran or North Korea (I save that for media outlets that put on failures like Michael Brown of formerly FEMA fame);
  • thinking that wikileaks is just like a newspaper.  I like Drezner's take: an NGO with a quixotic leader who really doesn't like the U.S. government... which makes Wikileaks like a lot of other NGOs."  I tink more IR work could be on NGOs that are not such happy ones (too much focus on Amnesty International, not enough focus on the malevolent ones).
  • I find the argument about Obama and American exceptionalism silly so number four does not apply.
  • I tend not to focus on American grand strategy so number five does not apply.
  • Ditto for number six.
  • I do not see Palin as a harbinger of anything besides the demise of the Republican party, so we can move on.
  • I am not opposed to numbers in IR.  Indeed, I use them when they support my argument when someone else has gathered handy data I ask questions  which can be addressed through quantitative analysis.
  • His last refers to zombies.  Check.
Ok, so what should I resolve to do better in 2011 in blog (my personal resolutions focus more on the usual diet, exercise, listening better stuff)?
  • Perhaps I should read an entire article before I start drafting some spewage.  I have found lately that my post needs much revising to make semi-coherent when I realize that the piece I am reading anticipated my criticisms.  Or, more likely, I failed to see where the argument was going.
  • I need to do a bit more work and try to apply some of my background to some of the current events, rather than jumping on an easy target, like the latest Republican Homophobe to be outed.
  • Less name-calling (Stephen Harper is a weenie).
  • Less harping on Quebec nationalism, until the PQ and its ilk give me an excuse (I would take odds on this resolution being busted the soonest).
  • I have tended to obsess about Afghanistan for a variety of reasons.  Ten days there in 2007 does not make me an expert.  I should focus more on what other countries are doing in Afghanistan, which is something I can discuss rather than corruption/Karzai.
  • I resolve that my readers will answer the "Ask the Reader" questions that I occasionally post (might as well resolve to do something that I cannot do).
Suggestion for a better year of spew?  Cannot spend any more time on Lost.  No Mad Men for eight months.  So, what should I do?

Oh, and Happy New Year!  We only have 365 days until 2012.  And that is the year the world ends. So, let's get to it.

No comments: