Abu Muqawama: Post
Abu Muqawama retains its autonomy and the views and beliefs expressed within the blog do not reflect those of CNAS. Abu Muqawama retains the right to delete comments that include words that incite violence; are predatory, hateful, or intended to intimidate or harass; or degrade people on the basis of gender, race, class, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. In summary, don't be a jerk.
Public Service Announcement
Allow me to re-introduce myself: My name is Andrew Exum, and I have edited and authored the "Abu Muqawama" blog since February 2007. After much deliberation and consultation, I have decided to stop daily blogging. I owe it to the readership to explain both why and also how it will affect this site.
First off, I have steadily grown dissatisfied with blogging as a medium since returning fulltime in December of last year. The best bloggers I know -- the ones I read and enjoy, like Spencer Ackerman, Tom Ricks and Andrew Sullivan -- are either also journalists or started out as journalists. They are much better at offering on-the-spot commentary and analysis on the events of the day. My friend and boss Nate Fick, meanwhile, accurately described me last week as being someone who enjoys taking a more deliberate approach and digging deep down into an issue before offering comment. Blogging forces me into more or less split-second reactions to complicated policy events before I have had the opportunity to research and weigh opposing views. In addition, the AD/HD nature of this medium -- as well as its format -- has harmed both my research abilities as well as my ability to write in the long form. Blogging, like any medium, is one you get better at with practice. As I have become a better blogger, my long-form writing skills have atrophied.
Second, since starting at CNAS and taking up a more public profile, I have grown concerned over the reaction to my blogging and public commentary. A few months ago, Lady Muqawama, after reading one of the comments threads here, asked me, half joking and half serious, "Are you going to be assassinated?" And when I had my phone turned off today for a CNAS offsite event, I turned it back on to a text message from her asking if I had been kidnapped by a disgruntled reader. (Again, only half joking.) I know that sounds ridiculous, but unlike me, my girlfriend and my mother read all the comments on this site, and they also read posts on the internet like this one. Sorry, but this is simply no longer worth it. I may have a certain talent for writing clever 200-word blog posts and offering sound bites on television, but I enjoy neither doing so nor the effects of doing so. In my heart, I would much rather do research, read more books, play more rugby and take on a more active role in my community than be some public figure sprinting from television interview to radio spot, twittering in the cab along the way.
So how will this blog change? First off, let me tell you how it will stay the same. This blog will remain an active website hosted by CNAS, and it will remain a home for Londonstani's awesome field reports from such dangerous places as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and the ends of the Victoria Line. Second, I aim to use this blog in a different way than I have so far done. I look to friends like Marc Lynch and Reidar Visser and admire the way they use their blogs to highlight ongoing academic and policy research. I aim to do the same, which means you can expect me to post far less often but in a more considered way.
I want to thank the loyal readership for all its support. I treasure the community of people who read this blog, offer non-crazed commentary, and have reached out to become friends and drinking partners. I appreciate your continued support and hope you stay in touch.
thanks for your commentary
thanks for your commentary over the last few. Your off the cut inputs will be missed.
It was fun while it lasted.
It was fun while it lasted. Fond farewell.
ADTS
God bless Andrew. I want
God bless Andrew. I want you to know how much this blog, since I discovered it two years ago after the Lede posted a link to it, has impacted my intellectual and scholarly upbringing.
As a freshman in college, I had a very limited perspective and understanding when reading the paper about the Middle East. The intricacies that his blog has posed, as well as the healthy debate that it facilitated, helped me question any preconceived assumptions that I had. It is no exaggeration to say that this blog opened a whole world of policy that I had no knowledge of and has helped educate me in areas that I was totally ignorant of. When in my Middle East politics class, I was able to educate my fellow debaters, and it is due to you and the commentators that post on this blog, often in opposition to your viewpoint, that I have done so well. The interest the blog generated led to my writing of an article for an online magazine for college students, Global Politics and applying for internships with the State Department. Indeed, this winter I will be in DC for an internship.
I often will disagree with you and what you write, but it is thanks to you and the spirit of debate that this blog has encouraged that I know as much as I do.
Anyways, I look forward to your future posts, however infrequent they may be.
v/r
HUS
Whoa. Yeah, if that's what's
Whoa. Yeah, if that's what's out there, it's definitely not worth it.
I hope the following doesn't come off as too bossy and presumptuous, but I'll tell you what I tell my students: just be happy! I saw too many unhappy souls during my brief time in Big Time Academia - big names with empty lives. Just do what seems right, work hard and and be happy. Okay, it's a little Oprah, but it's not bad advice, is it?
Okay, *my* PSA is over.
I've learned a lot from your blogging. Thanks.
Well, you always were the
Well, you always were the first place I checked for updates, several times a day. I agree you definitely do have a talent for instant analysis, but I also empathize with the effect it has had on your attention span for longer form research and writing.
Have to say I had a sense this was coming, given the increasing number of truly crazy comments ever since you left the old green and tan blogger.com site. I feel really bad that the personal attacks have gotten to you, and I know they would make me lose my temper, in turn, even faster.
But that's the thing about the internet: it brings freedom of speech to the masses but it also lets in all the people who have been cooped up with their computers, never had any real world experience and don't realize there are much bigger problems deserving of their spleen. (in Afghanistan there are way too many well-educated citizens who accept a host of illogical conspiracy theories)
As for the future of this blog, I wouldn't even mind reading posts from some of the long-time, frequent, and astute commenters (you know who you are) since I usually scroll through the first few comments hoping to find their contributions anyway.
One small request though: Marc Lynch's abu aardvark is in my bookmarks but I find I often put off reading his posts due to their length, so it would be nice if you either broke up really long posts or provided summaries before the jump, or at least used more paragraph breaks ala newspaper styles.
Finally, I'm discovering new COIN and afpak blogs every week it seems, so I would appreciate it if you could continue to highlight the posts that you discover around the interwebs.
Woha. My only comment is
Woha. My only comment is that you should have blogged about the flack earlier. Thats some harsh shit.
(Johnny Rico got to ya, thats sad. And his freaky friend likes Morphine, thats even sadder. Cuz its a good band.)
Seriously, thanx for the ride.
God fucking dammit... I had
God fucking dammit...
I had just gotten over you telling us all those months back that you would cease blogging.
Well, we all have that jackass Johnny Rico to thank, who lived up to the jackassery of his prodigiously stupid film screen counterpart. I bet he is creaming his pants right now.
Thank you for delivering what has probably been my favorite blog of all time. I have learned tremendously from you. If you make any articles or papers, or appear on television/radio, LINK IT ON ABU MUQAWAMA. You know, someone has to keep us cadets educated. What the hell am I going to read now, Small Wars Journal?
PS: I remember the last time
PS: I remember the last time you quit, lol.
While I completely
While I completely understand your reason and will certainly look forward to your future posts however infrequent its saddening to see your scaling back. I admit I'm a relative new comer to this blog having only discovered it a few months ago. It has in that time become one of my favorite daily reads and I've looked forward to seeing the new content put up by Londonstani and yourself. It has quite clearly become an invaluable resource to those of us looking to gain a greater insight in the filed of study.
I too am an American student who traveled long and far to England in search of a degree in War Studies, however not all of us can make it into King's so I had to find a home a bit farther north. As an avid student of military and international security I've found this blog incredibly enlightening and full of very valuable resources, something I hope you'll carry on. If in your travels you wind up in England with some free time some of my classmates and I would quite happily invite you to give a talk at the University of Birmingham War Studies department.
Thanks.
I've been reading (and
I've been reading (and mostly lurking in) this blog since it was beige, around the time Charlie started (and I was in high school), and I've been checking it pretty much every day since then. Thanks for the awesome insight into the wars that we've been fighting all these years; I've felt like I understand everything so much better when I've had an "inside baseball" view instead of the dazed and confused coverage we get from the mainstream media. Thanks for encouraging disagreement, too; that's such a rare quality in communications these days. Like HUS, reading this blog daily has definitely impacted my career trajectory. That said, I agree with you that it's probably time for change on the blog; in the past year it's changed greatly, and not for the better (in my inadequate opinion). This is due to the comments much more than the actual content on the blog, but somehow things aren't the same as they were in 2007.
I'm looking forward to the continuation of the resistance. Good luck in all your future endeavours, AM. And thanks to you and all the longtime commentators (Fnord, SNLII, Madhu, Elf, even Colonel Gentile).
Sir- I can't thank you
Sir-
I can't thank you enough for your service to the military and intellectual community. I certainly wouldn't have learned as much about COIN had I not stumbled upon your blog. If possible, can you please continue to post links to information not otherwise reported on SWJ or The Best Defense? Thank you.
-Chris
While I completely
While I completely understand your reason and will certainly look forward to your future posts however infrequent its saddening to see your scaling back. I admit I'm a relative new comer to this blog having only discovered it a few months ago. It has in that time become one of my favorite daily reads and I've looked forward to seeing the new content put up by Londonstani and yourself. It has quite clearly become an invaluable resource to those of us looking to gain a greater insight in the filed of study.
I too am an American student who traveled long and far to England in search of a degree in War Studies, however not all of us can make it into King's so I had to find a home a bit farther north. As an avid student of military and international security I've found this blog incredibly enlightening and full of very valuable resources, something I hope you'll carry on. If in your travels you wind up in England with some free time some of my classmates and I would quite happily invite you to give a talk at the University of Birmingham War Studies department.
Thanks.
Your blog has been a great
Your blog has been a great resource for me, and I've always enjoyed reading it. You will be missed.
I’m glad to see that
I’m glad to see that you’re going to spend more time doing research and — just maybe — spend more time with the people you care about and who care about you. You have a great deal to contribute to the world, but you have to do it on your own terms. I’ll look forward to anything you care to post.
But where will I get my Wu
But where will I get my Wu Tang - COIN comparisons from now?
I look forwards to digesting what you put up here and contributing what little I can.
Aw man, this blog was such a
Aw man, this blog was such a gold mine. But a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do-- we'll miss you.
The terrorists have won.
The terrorists have won.
So you're going to try and
So you're going to try and quit again?
And why the scaredy cat blues? Where's your street smarts, son? Shake yourself off and stand up like a man. Have you never encountered hate before? Why would an ex-Army ranger fear that kind of thing.? For Christ's sake son, didn't you gain a sense of moral courage from all your training and life experience as a modern day warrior?
And why knock your public appearances on TV? How is that bad? Can't you enjoy the things you love and include that element of success in your life, too?
Honestly, Andrew, maybe what you need is an antidepressant prescription, and I certainly don't mean this as an insult. Just a friendly suggestion.
You seem too gregarious for a bookworm type. Anyway, we'll miss your posts.
-A long time reader
I remember when I found your
I remember when I found your old blogger site. It opened up a who new perspective for me on how to view this world.
I miss the old debates in the comments with SNLII and Gian Gentile. This blog got too big.
I learned a lot and was inspired thanks.
Am - its only been a short
Am - its only been a short while that I have been around after a link from Tom Barnett's site to yours, but in that time I became an avid reader, checking in through out the day to check stories and the comments from your readership.
It was a pleasure to have access to the blog and to the community that existed around it.
That you will continue to post, albeit on a less frequent basis, is heartening. There is nothing wrong with a move form rapid off the cuff commentary to a more considered analysis.
And if the crap that people like Johny Ricco spout has gotten to your an yours that that is fair enough.
This blog will still be near the top of my bookmarks.
Well just in time for this
Well just in time for this to happen...
Obama Closes In On Afghan Troop Increase
by Tom Bowman
President Obama is expected to address the nation early next week, saying he will send a sizable force of additional troops to Afghanistan, sources tell NPR.....
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120725456&sc=nl&cc=...
Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in.
Michael Corleone
See ya 1 December...
Anyone else find it mildly
Anyone else find it mildly funny that some random internet pussy's obscure threats have gotten to an Army Ranger who has deployed, fought, and has earned his CIB?
Btw, what ever happened to SNLII? I very rarely see comments by him. Ink Spots was the last place I am aware of.
Very
Very sad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQA49NZAyls
Hey, thanks, gang, for the
Hey, thanks, gang, for the comments. (And that is an amazing Gloria Gaynor clip.) If I can clear one thing up, though, it's that people have been trying to kill me since 2002 to little effect. I just hate my family being exposed to the ridiculousness out there on the interwebs.You have my complete
You have my complete understanding. But don't underestimate your blog's contribution to academic research. You have done a great service not just to policymakers but to academics too. Well done - and enjoy your new life free of blogging pressure.
Ex, Your blog voice will be
Ex,
Your blog voice will be missed.
Best,
Tom
I'll miss the best source
I'll miss the best source for good on-the-spot COIN analysis. On the bright side, it'll force me, too, to read more books.
Bloody hell ... your
Bloody hell ... your leaving? I am totally bummed but am grateful to have been privvy to your insights & witicisms (yeah I know not a dictionary sanctioned word). Absolutely love that you are going in pursuit of happiness and fulfillment...you're a good man Andrew Exum.
Carry on...
best. post. ever. can't
best. post. ever.
can't say i'm pleased, cuz there's plenty of half-baked self promoters in the blogosphere willing to fill the vacuum who i wish had the guts to pack it in, too.
ah well.
I'm looking forward to
I'm looking forward to reading your longer pieces as they appear.
--BF
Whoa, I just read the
Whoa, I just read the psychopathic rantings from the guy who wants you crucified "the bad way" (is there a good way to be crucified?)...all I can say is that you might not be afraid, but I would be wetting my pants. Dude, that long string of text at the end of his post where he just babbles? I would expect there's another version written in rat blood on the wall of a back room in a semi-derelict bowling alley in South Boston. And he likes Queens of the Stone Age too, man, that was like my favorite band...
maybe you'll have some more
maybe you'll have some more time to brush up on your foosball game now?
seriously though, this blog meant a lot of things to a lot of people, and i was one of them. thank you for helping explain counterinsurgency to the youtube generation, since they were the ones struggling with how to implement it. It really did help. All the best.
Ex, I am going to miss
Ex,
I am going to miss tapping into the blog before commencing my daily routine over here at NPS; like many others, I would subscribe to this site multiple times a day. In fact, I can say that I will miss the blog as much as I do the whole CNAS team!
Again, thanks for providing a great medium for COIN related topics!
Out,
Nick M.
SNLII was right all along.
Sorry it has to come to
Sorry it has to come to this. I have learned a great deal here. Linked to many stories and analyses that I would have otherwise not seen. I am grateful. I understand your pulling back from the superficial world of blogs and cable news, and look forward to more great writing from you.
Dear Mr. Exum, Sorry to hear
Dear Mr. Exum,
Sorry to hear you will not be posting daily, but definitely respect your reasons for stopping. Wish everyone had the courage to back off publicity when it starts costing them on the analytical side. Also, that hit job was especially scary. Since I follow your blog as part of my job, though, I have to say that your posts were one of the bright spots of the day, especially compared to some of the other drivel I follow out there. Thank you for running one of the truly great blogs out there. It will be missed. I especially enjoyed the responses you provoked in debates over COIN from Bacevich and Gentile. You are one of the few think tankers that seems to value the quest for knowledge as opposed to imposing your viewpoint all the time, and I appreciated your willingness to admit that you could see the other side of an argument. I hope you find your other skills sharpened as a result and look forward to reading the results in longer form. And thanks for your military service while we're at it.
Respectfully
Paul B.
Exum, Your daily blogging
Exum,
Your daily blogging has been my go-to distraction for boring university lectures. Subsequently--and ironically--Abu Muqawama inspired me to become a keener and more intelligent student.
I believe the sacrifice you are making for prose and family will result in a much greater blog. :)
Thank you,
Ben
We here from butt fuck Arab
We here from butt fuck Arab and Muslim countries thank you for all the money you've funneled our way in the name of Pop Cen COIN and New Age Wars. May Allah give you ten strong sons and one ugly daughter to marry to a rich Arab emir.
Fi Aman Allah... Don't worry about China, keep your efforts on us for we are a very dangerous people, not just backwards.
Been reading AM for 2+
Been reading AM for 2+ years. Has helped me better understand the struggle and make my case for (and against) overseas ventures. The crazies always have an edge, especially on the inter-tubes. Just so you know, we have your back when you call.
Why the hell don't my posts
Why the hell don't my posts every make it this damn blog? Sorry ot see you go. All the best.
Ranger done good.
Ranger done good.
Hell... you even got
Hell... you even got terrorists thanking you, Ex !!! Good job!
Thanks AM. Good luck with
Thanks AM. Good luck with your research.
Abu Fawda, God bless you,
Abu Fawda, God bless you, you spelled your own damn name wrong but your comment was hilarious.
Mr. Exum- I hope that you
Mr. Exum-
I hope that you can succeed in making this forum something more similar to what Mark Lynch puts up. You certainly possess a voice that needs to be heard on the pressing issues of the day, and must continue to provide a forum to other posts from folks such as Londonstani. I look forward to reading a revamped Abu Muqwama in the near future.
Thanks for your excellent
Thanks for your excellent blog--AM has played a central role shaping one of my two main intellectual interests, recordkeeping behavior and COIN. Thanks for you insight. Thanks for your humor. And thank you for your service. Best wishes with your degree at Kings. I look forward to reading your dissertation.
Abu Al-FawDa, That was the
Abu Al-FawDa,
That was the funniest comment on this thread! Do you have your own blog? I need another blog to follow since Abu Muqawama is retiring. An opposite blog would be welcome after two years of this COIN stuff.
Yours,
John
"May Allah give you ten
"May Allah give you ten strong sons and one ugly daughter to marry to a rich Arab emir."
HahaHaha!!! That's a classic! Happy Ramadan, you crazy COIN fucks!!! That's almost as funny as that Breastfeeding fatwa these fuckers we're all excited about. Hell, we're still pushing for that fatwa, that's probably their only creative idea since they decided the Prophet ascended from Jerusalem to party with the Jewish Patriarchs.
With the exception of these
With the exception of these Islamo-phobes, an otherwise great blog, Mr. Muqawama. We here in New Caledonia thank you and wish you good luck in your fight with Islamic terrorists around the globe. I just read the Philippines has just had another incident with their Muslim terrorists in the southern region. May our God bless the American troops serving there. Thank you again.
Many thanks Andrew. I hope
Many thanks Andrew. I hope you continue to help influence US policy. A sane , decent American voice on the blogosphrere. Good luck for the future.
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