In Praise of Charles Cameron
[by Mark Safranski, a.k.a. “zen“]
I am not sure how many of the readers ever make it to the “About” page, but there are blurbs for all of the bloggers here, done in my usual ad hoc style. This is what it reads for Charles Cameron:
Charles Cameron, has also posted at Small Wars Journal, All Things Counterterrorism, for the Chicago Boyz Afghanistan 2050 roundtable and elsewhere. Charles read Theology at Christ Church, Oxford, under AE Harvey, and was at one time a Principal Researcher with Boston University’s Center for Millennial Studies and the Senior Analyst with the Arlington Institute.
All well and good, though that does not begin to scratch the surface of Charles who has a most interesting biography as a poet, bohemian adventurer and independent scholar. There’s a bit more available at his Sembl project page. If you ever have the chance to sit and talk with Charles F2F over coffee or a beer, you are in for a treat, if wide-ranging intellect and deep learning delivered with gentlemanly grace is your thing.
The reason for this post is that there is a new addition to Charles’ bio – he is now the Managing Editor of zenpundit.com.
Charles’s contributions here in terms of writing are invaluable, but he has also been an increasing factor behind the scenes. His ideas for potential round table projects, soliciting guest posts, recruiting new bloggers and raising the profile of ZP have been all to the good. I have come to realize that my own limitations in terms of schedule to execute some of these ideas Charles has brought may be preventing good things from happening that the readership would enjoy. It is time for me to step back a bit and give Charles the freedom to grow the blog and move zenpundit.com forward. I can’t think of anyone better suited for the role than Charles Cameron.
Yes, I will still be here, as will Scott Shipman and Lynn Rees, but it’s time for a new hand at the wheel.
“Truth is lived, not taught”
– Herman Hesse
October 10th, 2013 at 1:10 pm
Congratulations, Charles! Great news!
October 10th, 2013 at 1:19 pm
Huzzah! … Shiny Glass Beads… Hmmm, maybe a 10 minute Cameron Roundtable at Scott’s Saturday night?
October 10th, 2013 at 1:50 pm
Congrats, Charles.
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Will you be publishing more poems? Considering crazy 250 word short short stories on subjects wide and far from commenters? Ha ha, just kidding. My 250 short short story phase is so 2003/4.
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🙂
October 10th, 2013 at 2:21 pm
I am honored to say that I have known Charles for over 10 years. He is truly a remarkable scholar.
October 10th, 2013 at 4:39 pm
Blogs are funny things. They have an organic life of their own. They start out as one person talking, but most become communities if they don’t die out. People come in, participate, the direction and feel of the blog is a “changing same” with no clear break point, but it finds itself in new places over time. Charles’s contribution is unique and hugely important precisely because Charles is HERE, a blog focused on politics and history and strategy, not on a blog where the focus is on one of many of Charles’ other interests, that he is making a truly unique contribution. Charles brings an amalgam of knowledge, insight and ways of thinking which expand the conversation in this particular realm, which is highly susceptible to “stovepipe” limitations on thinking. This is a fascinating development, and I am sure we will see further great things here. Congratulations to Charles, and sustained, thunderous applause to Mark for what he has build at Zenpundit over the years.
October 10th, 2013 at 5:54 pm
My thanks to all, and especially to Zen, who as Lex says, deserves thunderous applause.
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When Zen mentioned the possibility to me, I checked with Google, and learned:
I like that — this is still very much Zen’s place, and my first obligation is to maintain the standard he has set. I deeply appreciate the team he has assembled and am honored to be a part of it, and of the friendships that accumulate here around it.
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I also have a few ideas…
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So thanks for your support, Scott, Critt, Madhu, Jim and Lex…
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And many, many thanks, Mark — and thanks Zenpundit!
October 10th, 2013 at 7:22 pm
Hi Charles
This is Jenny from the MOOC. I have added my email address above – can you access it?
Best regards.
October 10th, 2013 at 7:31 pm
Thanks, Jenny — and yes.
October 10th, 2013 at 7:36 pm
Lex’s comments are on target.
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Congratulations Charles.
October 10th, 2013 at 9:23 pm
Congratulations Charles.
In the spirit of (what Wikipedia claims is) Clan Cameron’s war cry:
October 11th, 2013 at 3:12 am
Yup, that’s us:
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October 11th, 2013 at 4:02 am
My grandmother, Mary Gold Armstrong (Milligan), was enthusiastic about her English Borderer Scottish heritage. Clan Armstrong’s arms were omnipresent growing up:
Here is Grandma standing unvanquished c. 1948 (the one with poise, second from right):
October 11th, 2013 at 6:33 am
English boarder heritage, ha! My mother was an Armstrong, but it would be hard for me to picture her with that group. On the other hand, between the Armstrongs, Wallaces and Dunbars I think I know what the Scots are capable of 🙂
October 11th, 2013 at 6:37 am
Well Mister Cameron, I think the British are fat for the taking, strike at the harvest 🙂
October 11th, 2013 at 12:40 pm
Congratulations, Charles, Glad to see your inspiration is still fertile!
October 11th, 2013 at 4:07 pm
Many congratulations, and best wishes from one digital hermitage to another.
October 11th, 2013 at 4:14 pm
P.S. A rolling glass bead gathers no moss?
October 11th, 2013 at 9:34 pm
It’s wonderful to receive warm regards, here, and on twitter & FB too, from friends from so many & varied layers of my life — I feel just a tad archaeological, with myself as the buried ruins to be explored!
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Thanks, all. I’ll be trying to keep up the good work!
October 12th, 2013 at 7:58 pm
“… I think the British are fat for the taking …” — The ENGLISH I think you mean!
October 12th, 2013 at 8:04 pm
LOL — well there’s also the little matter of Glencoe to settle!