Tom, happily your site seems alive and well!

‘Kings of War’ after a lapse finally posted today and the article is both timely and interesting, concerning Thomas Rid's (Univ. of Konstanz, Germany) "The Nineteenth Century's Origins of Counterinsurgency Doctrine" as published in the ‘Journal of Strategic Studies’. http://pdfserve.informaworld.com/555734__928462367.pdf

A lot of factors.

We are, as a Nation, walking away from Iraq having learned little, and, absent the initial ouster of Saddam, accomplished even less.

Afghan fatigue reached a saturation point more than a year ago, with most of the public, rightly or wrongly, concluding that what happens in Afghanistan has nothing to do with their lives: it is a game of politicians and face saving, carried out by a professional army with little connection to them.

Behind that, the military itself is cowed by the McChrystal events Wikileaks, etc..., to keep a low profile, so the public engagement factor continues to grow, with the same trajectory as your next post about Vietnam. The exception being the draft's imposed connection to all publics (and especially college students), and the fact that Afghanistan is now a Page 6, below the fold storyline with little new to report: corruption, new government initiatives, progress in one area at the extent of losses in another. Same old tune for most folks (and editors).

If this keeps up, Tom, you are going to have to become a post-conflict historian and niche travel writer. Maybe you could guide tours for the million or so Americans who had the opportunity to see these far-off places?

Tom, thanks for the concern and the shout out. Much like August, December is a tough month to find time to blog, what with looming work deadlines and holidays. Hobbyist bloggers need time off, too. We're ramping it up this week and plan to continue until we need another break.

Jason

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/01/10/us.military.disconnect/index.html

Nobody cares. Those of us that read and respond are either shouting in the wilderness or muttering to ourselves, take your pick. Now comes the part where we neglect the guys who need help for a decade or so until another major war makes us "appreciate" the guys from the previous generation.

Don't call me a Debbie Downer. I just repeat what I hear the SecDef and CJCS say.

and so many bad blogs. I think a big part of blogs are its viewers and people who add their own comments and in my opinion it is the commentators who ruin the experience for me. I like to read a post by an author and then stroll down to the comments section to see if there are any well thought out arguments and bits of knowledge. Of course, I'm usually disappointed, especially with defense blogs. I can almost guarantee that there will be at least two commentators who blame everything from a crack in their linoleum floor to the rise of wahabbi ideals in the Maghreb, on the liberal/leftist agenda. Arguing with these people is like speaking to a wall, no matter how facts (along with the sources so that they can see the facts have been documented) you give them, they just keep sticking to their one ignorant point.

I'm sure it was the other way around when W. was in office, I can just imagine all of the douchebags on the Sea Shepherd spouting out fire and brimstone whenever a blogger gave kudos to W.

I know all bout free speech, but it just gets tiring after awhile.

Where has fabius maximus gone?

I think the comment made by JC333 alludes to what drives many people not to bother.

It takes stamina to blog. It also takes passion for the subject, which compels you to make time for your favorite past time. I find that if I don't post on my blog, I feel kind of off or as if I am 'slacking'. So for some of us, it is almost therapeutic.
With that said, it also helps to pick a niche that is really open and filled with all sorts of juice to write about. With private security and private military, I am finding all sorts of things to write about. Strategy, history of contracting, the current war, executive protection, Iraq, Mexico, Afghanistan, Africa, piracy, bounty hunting, leadership, etc. etc.--I am finding all sorts of good stuff to cover and tickle the defense/security/strategy brain with.
I do take breaks though, and that is a good thing to do to every once in awhile. You are able to recharge a little, and then come back into it with some fresh perspective. Plus you must put family or your personal life first, and balance that out with your blogging passion.

Af-Pak-Iraq may be running out of steam, but, holidays aside, the Navy blogosphere (albeit with plenty of singing to the choir issues) is going strong. Try nextnavy.com

.....the buffer of incoming thought is refilling.

Tom:

A lot of the debate has moved to Twitter. It's good for sharing links and snarky back-and-forth throughout the day. The fact that the medium is optimized for smart phones helps users shoot off a quick tweet in between meetings.

It costs money to keep a blog going, most blogs don't pay for themselves, many do this as a hobby and not as a real job and personally I think that for a time the net was saturated with them.
I do wish there were a few more on issues that don't get reported widely in the media like India and the RSS, the Sahel and geopolitics in Sub-Saharan Africa.

hi Tom - we're quieter, but that's just coincidence, I think - lots of deadlines, book and research projects all coming at once, across the group. Three years and counting, which makes us an ancient institution in the blogosphere, surely?

Been wondering the same meself. With all the crazy going on in the world right now - seems like it should be exponentially increasing