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ASPI celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. This series reviews the work of ASPI since its inception in August 2001.
The strategist was first uploaded on July 17, 2012, becoming a “blog†that flourished.
The ASPI publication set up its booth in the crowded Square of International Affairs, seeking to make sense of the passing parade. The reporting and commentary site quickly overtook the “blog†brand. The strategist is the evolving journal of the history of a think tank, presented as an online magazine and a digital journal of reference.
The masthead was launched in 2012 with this welcome from Natalie Sambhi and Andrew Davies:
Over the past 11 years, ASPI has been proud to generate new insights and analysis on Australia’s most important long-term strategic and defense issues.
ASPI’s well-established publication lines have served us well and we will continue to produce a range of quality long format publications. But, like the rest of the publishing world, our audiences are increasingly looking for new ways to access our products. We are already on Twitter and Facebook, and they are opportunities for a greater two-way dialogue than ASPI has had in the past, as well as a means of promoting collegiality within the broader strategy and defense community.
On this basis, we are happy to welcome you to our new blog, The strategist. With the contribution of ASPI researchers and contributors from around the world, The strategist will host material to stimulate reflection and discussion on the critical strategic choices our country will face in the coming years.
The purpose of what became ASPI’s digital magazine was to give the institute a daily voice that was also a platform for readers to be writers – the voice would fuel a great conversation, building on on many other voices.
Dialogue has stricter rules than those that apply in much of the blogging world. More than “organized”, the contributions are classified and gardened, with many editorial prunings.
The ASPI editors run the series, although the writers are the stars. The strategist aimed to be a quality publication with high editorial standards – credits with a daily topicality.
Unlike academic journals, ASPI’s digital journal provides fast: title, signature, image, and text, with hyperlinks and thumbnail pointers to related articles. There is no slow maturing academic product here, nor heavy departmental dissertation, although papers certainly receive the ASPI version of peer review, both before and after publication. The editing process tests, while readers often judge and respond.
A Strategist Debate is a multi-article wonder that can go in many directions, driven by the intellectual weight of the readership. The arguments can be sharp, but the barbs are delivered politely: good manners make the magazine.
Each element is independent, but joins a stream of conversations on the subject as another layer in the think tank’s reports on Australian defense and Australia’s foreign policy and concerns around the world. The ‘search’ function (symbolized by the magnifying glass) and the ‘keywords’ tabs at the base of each article are the keys to tidying up and accessing these rich layers.
The daily rhythm is punctuated by the pulse of articles published every two hours, from 6 a.m. The strategists short style guide advocates a relatively informal style of writing: adopting a conversational tone; without sacrificing meaning, judiciously relax the rules of writing; add hyperlinks to show the way for reflection and evidence.
For the journalist colleague of ASPI (trained by the service in newspapers, radio and television), the idea that it is old media disguised as new media rings true. A lot of things are familiar: crystallize the key point, highlight the revealing quote, line up the facts. Then do the task of the think tank to sketch the story, pick out trends, and point out political implications. What matters and what will it mean? Decorate with a sharp title served by an image that seduces, even explains.
The call to “favor the reader” requires a constant effort to speak to that reader (and not make them freeze, give up or throw up!).
Comments from Strategist readers are embraced and sometimes very much appreciated. A valuable comment was from Australian strategic thinker Robert O’Neill (first president of ASPI), who observed in 2019: “Keep up the good work, you produce a world class journal of what’s going on and how we can do better! ‘
From the book on the first 20 years of the institute: An informed and independent voice: ASPI, 2001-2021.
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