The end of the Cold War, September 11, and the continuing war in Iraq have produced a large and noisy global idea industry devoted to rethinking America's role in the world and, here in the US, how we organize major sectors of American society. The failure of communist ideology to produce social, political and economic benefits dreamed of by its proponents is not the same as a "global liberal capitalism triumphant." No single world view or ideology has yet to emerge as a serious opponent to global liberal capitalism. On any given topic, however, there are a host of challengers and pretenders trying to elbow their way into the marketplace of ideas and influence.

Out of this constant stream of new products from the global idea industry, Chez Nadezhda will collect items we find especially informative, provocative or substantive. Our goal is not only to keep a current inventory of the newest theory or the state of play within these grand debates. We're also trying to help our own thinking about these issues, to find (or impose) some coherence within the cacophony, to filter or reduce the noise level so we can hear whether some conversations are taking place.

Conversation is the operative word -- Chez Nadezhda is intended as an experiment in extended, in depth conversation. We don't know how or whether we'll get there, but our goal is to use the web to explore with others -- people we don't yet even know exist -- a set of subjects about which we're passionate. We're sure many others share that passion, and we'll provide an open place where they can contribute to a readily accessible knowledge base as well as a space to express, exchange and refine their ideas.

There are many places to go on the web to keep track of the latest news on foreign affairs or policy debates. The explosion of blogging offers a large number of spaces for commenters to exchange reactions, opinions and, even sometimes, useful information. So far, however, there are not many places on the web that are devoted to fostering in depth examinations or that produce something more than an ephemeral exchange of opinion and the latest news. Those sites that provide richer, less ephemeral content are mostly produced by full-time knowledge professionals -- academics, think tank denizens, professional intellectuals or pundits.

In the evolution of the web and blogosphere to date, the role offered to non-professionals has been limited to "audience," which can be more or less participatory depending on the site. The web formats so far have not offered many other opportunities to the large number of people who not only are intensely engaged in following these topics but who also have life experiences directly relevant to the subjects at hand. The web has the potential to give those people a voice, and to allow the rest of us to learn from their perspectives and experience.

It's early days, and there are going to be lots of new tools to try out and lots of experiments to come. BTW, in case you're wondering, Chez = French for home, Nadezhda = Russian for hope. 

Welcome to Chez Nadezhda!