The Excellent New ForeignPolicy.com

Are we seeing a new media template?  There looks to be a trend of established, well-respected (but in some cases, relatively low circulation) print journals teaming up with bloggers to create online content that joins timely reportage and commentary with traditional longer essays and reported articles.  Even the New Yorker (the New Yorker!) has added blogs to its site.  (Steve Coll’s blogging from Pakistan this past week has been terrific.) The Atlantic Monthly, in my opinion, does it best.

Following that trend, Foreign Policy magazine’s website (which is part of the Slate group) relaunched this week as a mix of journal content, op-eds, and blogs by both established bloggers (Dan Drezner, the old “Passport” blog team, Marc Lynch), veteran journalists (Tom Ricks) and new bloggers from the academy and beyond (Stephen Walt, Philip Zelikow, David Rothkopf).  Here’s a sampling of the many offerings at ForeignPolicy.com this week:

• Must-read interview with General David Petraeus from FP magazine.
• The Argument: A daily blog of expert commentary on global economic issues has a take on the Gazprom crisis here.
• The Cable: A Gawker for national security obsessives and wannabes (gossip on who’s getting what jobs at State is here; chatter about the now-postponed dinner party this evening at Senator Kerry’s home is here.)
• The Shadow Government: Promises to be a commentary on the foreign policy of Obama administration from experienced members of the loyal opposition (from academia and government).  Philip Zelikow gets started with a critique of the Bolton/Yoo op-ed on restoring senate control over treaty making (which Peter discussed here).

This is an extraordinarily ambitious relaunch with an impressive group of contributors who have already begun to enliven the blogosphere.  Congratulations to Foreign Policy!