Responding to Foggy Bloggom

In latest issue of The National Interest, I have a small response to David Frum’s “Foggy Bloggom” essay (see my initial reaction here) in which point out a few empirical problems with Frum’s essay: In his essay, Frum suggests that bloggers are ?pretty much the opposite? of the foreign-policy community, which ?insists upon formal credentials, ...

By , 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.

In latest issue of The National Interest, I have a small response to David Frum's "Foggy Bloggom" essay (see my initial reaction here) in which point out a few empirical problems with Frum's essay: In his essay, Frum suggests that bloggers are ?pretty much the opposite? of the foreign-policy community, which ?insists upon formal credentials, either academic or bureaucratic.? It is puzzling, then, that the first four bloggers quoted in Frum?s essay possess the very credentials that the foreign-policy community extols. Duncan ?Atrios? Black holds a PhD in economics from an Ivy League institution. Matthew Yglesias is a Harvard graduate writing for the Atlantic. Steven Clemons is the director of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation. Glenn Greenwald is a Salon columnist and a partner in a DC law firm. Pajama-wearing stereotypes to the contrary, most influential bloggers possess the elite credentials necessary to crack the foreign-policy community. Read he whole thing -- Megan McArdle has a response letter as well. Publicly defending the credentials of Atrios, Matt Yglesias, Glenn Greenwald and Steve Clemons leaves me in a grumpy mood, so blogging will be light for the rest of the day.

In latest issue of The National Interest, I have a small response to David Frum’s “Foggy Bloggom” essay (see my initial reaction here) in which point out a few empirical problems with Frum’s essay:

In his essay, Frum suggests that bloggers are ?pretty much the opposite? of the foreign-policy community, which ?insists upon formal credentials, either academic or bureaucratic.? It is puzzling, then, that the first four bloggers quoted in Frum?s essay possess the very credentials that the foreign-policy community extols. Duncan ?Atrios? Black holds a PhD in economics from an Ivy League institution. Matthew Yglesias is a Harvard graduate writing for the Atlantic. Steven Clemons is the director of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation. Glenn Greenwald is a Salon columnist and a partner in a DC law firm. Pajama-wearing stereotypes to the contrary, most influential bloggers possess the elite credentials necessary to crack the foreign-policy community.

Read he whole thing — Megan McArdle has a response letter as well. Publicly defending the credentials of Atrios, Matt Yglesias, Glenn Greenwald and Steve Clemons leaves me in a grumpy mood, so blogging will be light for the rest of the day.

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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