LGM in the News

Did some media this week, mostly on the Iran War (do we need a better name for this?). First was Kentucky Edition, where we talked through all of the basic logic of the conflict and the reasons why it’s not likely to go away anytime soon. Second half of the interview is here. I tend to enjoy these things quite a bit, although it does mean that during times of international crisis I can become EXTREMELY busy (during the first weeks of the Russia-Ukraine War I was doing 10-12 interviews a week). While I still do some national stuff (like the AP, which earned me a mention of distinction in UKnow, the University of Kentucky’s daily newsletter) most of my media is now local. In part that’s because my appeal has become more selective, and in part because I have become more selective about the kind of engagements I do. Regarding the latter, I’m smarter now than I was fifteen years ago and now generally turn down most international requests unless I’m 100% certain it’s above board and understand the internal politics of the place I’m commenting on. But it’s also the case that talking about how foreign policy affects the Commonwealth of Kentucky has become an intellectual interest of mine. Many thousands of people can comment intelligibly on naval or air force policy; far fewer can answer the question “Why does this matter for Lexington?” or “How does this affect Kentucky?” in a useful way, because you have to know both the subject matter and the sociopolitical nature of the Commonwealth. One of my political and intellectual commitments has become that foreign policy matters a great deal more for localities than locals generally credit, and that gives me a lot of space to discuss the things I care about.

To this purpose, although of altogether different character, was ZRock 103.3’s Twitch and MJ Show doing a bit called “Explain it to Me Like I’m Twelve Years Old.” I will tell you without a whiff of hyperbole that ZRock was much more stressful than KET. It’s one thing to convey expertise when the point is to convey expertise; it’s quite another when your job is to be funny, and fortunately in this case I figured out that my job was actually just to make space for the hosts to be funny. Anyway, both were quite enjoyable, and hopefully worth your time.