Getting back into the op-ed game
In my last bloggingheads with Matthew Yglesias, we agreed that it is tough to excel at the op-ed format. Naturally, I have now agreed to contribute to Newsweek International on a monthly basis. My first effort, “Calling Miss Manners,” is now online. Go check it out. The concluding paragraphs: It would be a cruel irony ...
In my last bloggingheads with Matthew Yglesias, we agreed that it is tough to excel at the op-ed format. Naturally, I have now agreed to contribute to Newsweek International on a monthly basis. My first effort, "Calling Miss Manners," is now online. Go check it out. The concluding paragraphs: It would be a cruel irony indeed if rising powers learned the wrong lessons from Bush's mistakes. The United States has received more flak for its diplomatic mistakes than other countries because the glare of the spotlight is at its harshest for the hegemon. As these countries acquire more power, however, they will also garner more attention. So far, their behavior is worrisome. Russia, for example, has had some prior experience with being a great power. Their current diplomatic style, however, makes the Bush administration's first term look like a paragon of propriety and decorum. Power and interest drive most of what happens in world politics. Diplomatic style does matter on the margins, however. And if these recent events are what passes as diplomacy from rising powers, then world politics is going to start looking like a bad episode of reality television. "The Real World: Turtle Bay" might make for good entertainment, but it's going to be a lousy way to address global problems.The column has its roots in this blog post from a few weeks ago.
In my last bloggingheads with Matthew Yglesias, we agreed that it is tough to excel at the op-ed format. Naturally, I have now agreed to contribute to Newsweek International on a monthly basis. My first effort, “Calling Miss Manners,” is now online. Go check it out. The concluding paragraphs:
It would be a cruel irony indeed if rising powers learned the wrong lessons from Bush’s mistakes. The United States has received more flak for its diplomatic mistakes than other countries because the glare of the spotlight is at its harshest for the hegemon. As these countries acquire more power, however, they will also garner more attention. So far, their behavior is worrisome. Russia, for example, has had some prior experience with being a great power. Their current diplomatic style, however, makes the Bush administration’s first term look like a paragon of propriety and decorum. Power and interest drive most of what happens in world politics. Diplomatic style does matter on the margins, however. And if these recent events are what passes as diplomacy from rising powers, then world politics is going to start looking like a bad episode of reality television. “The Real World: Turtle Bay” might make for good entertainment, but it’s going to be a lousy way to address global problems.
The column has its roots in this blog post from a few weeks ago.
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner
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