Men at Work
Ross and I are working on a piece that I think will be pretty good — short, but good. I’m reminded of how much I enjoy writing on foreign and defense policy, and how much I care about the subject. This was my core area of concern for a long time, and I miss it. I also think there’s a tremendous amount of muddled thinking on the subject, which could be why I’ve been reluctant to weigh in, and that I might (emphasis on might) have something to contribute. Of course, I am basically a variation on the neoconservative theme, which means not many people will be interested in buying what I’m selling, so to speak. Briefly, I am wary of the “war on terrorism” as a catch-all, like a lot of my lefty friends, and I’m broadly a believer in the John Robb 5GW framework. More controversially still, I’m also very sympathetic to John Mueller idiosyncratic and optimistic view of the security landscape. Yet I reach, as often as not, very different conclusions.
I haven’t been very prolific, and my tendency is to underexplain, in the hopes that perceptive TAS readers will get my telegraphed messages. But I suppose I’m more eager to be a little more explicit, even if that means kicking up dust.
That’s enough navel-gazing. I’m back in Washington, incidentally, and I bagged Coachella on Sunday to go to Joshua Tree National Park, one of the better decisions I’ve made in ages. More on that to come.
Odd as this may sound, and I realize that I’m too sentimental for a non-diaper-wearing adult, I often feel as though the small handful of smart strangers who read this website are friends. What a nice feeling. I’ve always thought of myself as a kind and friendly person, but it occurs to me that there are certain aspects of Washington life that have made me very cynical and less grateful than I should be. I hope I can change that. Hope and change. Change and hope. Si se puede.
Ross’s and your articles are among those that have had the most influence on my thinking, and I can’t wait to read what you have to say on foreign policy.
And yes, I do feel that TAS is a very special place on the web. The readers (or at least the commenters) are exceedingly smart, and the writers are an eclectic, impressively talented and impossibly engaging bunch.
— PEG · Apr 29, 04:10 PM · #
Has a long weekend in Cali left you a changed man, Reihan? This isn’t navel gazing. It’s a full-on vision quest. I love it.
— Reyhan · Apr 30, 01:33 AM · #
I’m happy to hear your trip to California went well, Reihan. As long as your trip to the Joshua Tree didn’t involve a case of whiskey, a couple of pounds of dope and the corpse of Gram Parsons, it sounds like things turned out all right for you. Perhaps your next trip should be to Texas.
— Mark in Houston · Apr 30, 02:42 AM · #