Welcome to the blog

Its estimated there are now 70 million blogs, over 400'000 in Australia alone. Time to add one to the number.

With due diligence, this blog however should avoid the usual 2 week death rate, with purchase of its own domain and hosting just around the corner. See, i've blogged before, argued and persuaded on forums, and watched with fascination (and as a graduate journalist with some umbrage) the blogging revolution.

Why listen to me?
This time however, I want to establish a permanet place online. Why listen to me? Well though credentials are worth nothing online (perhaps rightly so) I'm

* Writing a PhD on Australian foreign policy and its use of international norms (hence the title) to achieve national foreign policy goals.

* Till end of 2008 - Lecturer in International Politics at the University of Canberra

Obviously any views expressed in this blog are entirely my own, and cannot be attributed to my employers or teachers in any fashion.


Why Blog ?
I'm a genuine political junkie, i read, ponder, sleep and dream this stuff. From the first bleary eyed gauge of the blogs updates over the morning coffee, till the 3am refresh to see if any of the american blogs have updated before dawn, the internet offers an unparalleled opportunity to learn, argue and think about the world of politics, as it occurs, in real time before our eyes.

In what form will I be blogging ?
Some blogs live by the minute, whilst I'll always try and ensure readers have access to the same recent information and links I do, don't come here to find out the latest liberal/conservative outrage. Instead I want to present more considered thoughts and responses, giving some historical context and order to the world as it evolves before us. Some times this will take the form of one line syllogisms, sometimes full essay length posts. The content will dictate the form.

Finally - Why the title ?
In a sense we all chase the norm, the expected and regular, yet deliberatly bucking it is the easiest way to get attention. The title refers to both my attempt to find and analyse the place of norms in australian foreign policy, and more generally in starting a blog so late in the trend to try and break through. The norm, but not too normal..