What's In A Name?

We’ve had a few queries lately about our choice of site name: some people wonder what we’re doing covering Iran or Afghanistan with a name like "Enduring America", and a few others think that we’re clearly a CIA-funded front (we’re not). I thought I’d take advantage of a quiet day on EA and write a quick post explaining why we chose the name and what it means to us.

For those who didn’t catch the reference, Enduring America takes its inspiration from Operation Enduring Freedom. We were struck by the ambiguity behind this name, with "Freedom" being both enduring and endured. This double meaning is also present in our feelings towards America and US foreign policy: is it enduring or endured? Or both?

Secondly, and vitally for this blog, is there anywhere in the world where America and its foreign policy has no impact? We think not. While we build from analysis of American politics and foreign policy, it’s clear that we cannot limit ourselves to the borders of the United States.

And finally, on a more practical note, we were constrained by what was already out there. As anyone who’s ever launched a website will know, finding an original site name and domain these days is no mean feat. "Enduring America" fit the bill for this too.

We've been running for just over a year now- here's to Enduring America for many more years to come.