Welcome to Transpacifica

[NOTE TO FRIENDS: Please update your blogrolls]

As of today, Transpacific Triangle is now Transpacifica (transpacifica.net). The old address and all links will continue to work, but visitors are redirected to the new site. Here’s some of what you can expect from this site in its new incarnation:

• After a year focusing on China–Japan–U.S. relations, this site will include a wider variety of content. I’m still interested in this important trilateral relationship, and it will still consume much of my attention, but I have come to be interested in other transpacific issues. One is the role of Latin America. Over the last year I have followed the ASEAN and APEC fora, as well as the six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear activities, but this new “transpacific” emphasis will allow me to follow these issues within the site’s declared scope.
• One of the most important changes around here is that I now live in an Asian capital instead of the U.S. capital. Living in Beijing means my life is much more China-oriented than before, and this site is no different. International issues are still the core of this project, but I have decided to include posts about Beijing and China here instead of starting another blog for the purpose.
• Things you will see more of:
  • The Environment: For anyone living on Earth, this is one of the biggest questions of the day. For someone living in Beijing, every day is a reminder of the urgent need for change. I will be following Chinese and international efforts to address environmental issues with greater energy from now on.
  • The Arts: One of the most powerful modes of international communication, especially among young people, is the flow of cultural creations. Washington, D.C., is no center for innovative art (though not devoid of it completely). Beijing, on the other hand, has a growing art and music scene where international reactions to the work are nearly as interesting as the work itself. And, of course, it’s no chore for me to spend time learning about art and music.
  • Profiles of Excellent Resources: From very good blogs to useful databases to remarkable books, I plan to spend more time introducing resources for scholars, journalists, and other interested readers. If all goes as planned, one day I will have a body of resource profiles that will itself be a useful resource.
• Things you will see less of:
  • Daily News Links: I am stopping the practice of adding many articles every day to del.icio.us and posting them on this site. This worked well when I spent every day at a desk and could add them as I took breaks from work, but in this lifestyle it feels like a chore. My data shows that most readers weren’t all that interested in these entries anyway. Instead I will occasionally publish link posts with especially interesting links.
  • Insider Washington Talk: Leaving Washington, D.C., behind, I also left behind its think-tank events, its local scholar-gossip, and the tremendous resource of my former workplace. I still have friends and read, but my first-hand work is now in Beijing.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the new site. Comments are welcomed via e-mail at g7 atmark gwbstr period com.

–Graham