The FP Twitterati 100

A who's who of the foreign-policy Twitterverse in 2011.

BY FOREIGN POLICY | JUNE 20, 2011

ASIA

William Andrew Albano (@niuB) — Taipei-based tech writer who has built a handy list of other China feeds to follow. (Not to be confused with @niubi, another excellent feed by tech CEO Bill Bishop, who is based in Beijing.)

Melissa Chan (@melissakchan) — Intrepid China correspondent for Al Jazeera English.

Gady Epstein (@gadyepstein) — Wickedly funny Beijing correspondent for the Economist, formerly with Forbes.

Steve Herman (@W7VOA) — Voice of America reporter based in Seoul.

Kaiser Kuo (@KaiserKuo) — American-raised blogger, dot-com entrepreneur, and rock guitarist based in Beijing; spokesman for search engine company Baidu.

Mark MacKinnon (@markmackinnon) — Peripatetic Asia correspondent for Canada's Globe and Mail.

Evan Osnos (@eosnos) — Staff writer for the New Yorker; former Beijing bureau chief and Middle East correspondent for the Chicago Tribune.

Hiroko Tabuchi (@HirokoTabuchi) — Tokyo correspondent for the New York Times.

EUROPE

Alastair Campbell (@campbellclaret) — Former advisor to British Prime Minister Tony Blair; master of spin.

Miriam Elder (@MiriamElder) — Freelance journalist in Moscow.

Edward Lucas (@edwardlucas) — International editor for the Economist, with a focus on Eastern Europe.

Alex Massie (@alexmassie) — Scottish writer and blogger for the Spectator.

Hans Rosling (@HansRosling) — Swedish demographer and global health expert.

Doug Saunders (@DougSaunders) — Europe bureau chief for Canada's Globe and Mail.

Jon Snow (@jonsnowC4) — Anchor for Britain's Channel 4 News.

Andrew Stroehlein (@astroehlein) — Brussels-based communications chief for the International Crisis Group.

Praveen Swami (@praveenswami) — Diplomatic editor for the Daily Telegraph; terrorism expert.

RECOVERING OFFICIALS

Jared Cohen (@JaredCohen) — Director of Google Ideas; formerly a member of the policy planning staff at the U.S. State Department.

Philip J. Crowley (@PJCrowley) — Former State Department spokesman, now unleashed.

Will McCants (@will_mccants) — Former counterterrorism analyst at the State Department; now an expert at CNA.

Vali Nasr (@vali_nasr) — Iranian-American academic and professor at the Fletcher School at Tufts University; former State Department advisor on Pakistan .

Anne-Marie Slaughter (@SlaughterAM) — Professor at Princeton University and former head of policy planning at the State Department.

WASHINGTON WONKS

Spencer Ackerman (@attackerman) — National security correspondent for Wired's Danger Room; tweets on everything from Afghanistan policy to comic books to punk rock.

Joe Cirincione (@Cirincione) — President of the Ploughshares Fund, expert on nonproliferation issues, Washington Nationals fanatic.

Steve Clemons (@SCClemons) — Washington impresario, Atlantic editor, and realist blogger at the Washington Note.

Andrew Exum (@abumuqawama) — Former Army Ranger, blogger, and counterinsurgency guru at the Center for a New American Security.

Joshua Foust (@joshuafoust) — Irascible former intelligence analyst, blogger, and expert on South and Central Asia; unforgiving media critic.

James Joyner (@drjjoyner) — Managing editor at the Atlantic Council, blogger at Outside the Beltway, Gulf War veteran.

Micah Zenko (@MicahZenko) — Analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations; drone critic.

TURTLE BAY

Lou Charbonneau (@lou_reuters) — Reuters reporter at the United Nations.

Mark Leon Goldberg (@MarkLGoldberg) — Blogger for the United Nations Foundation's UN Dispatch, which covers the inner workings of Turtle Bay and Foggy Bottom.

POLITICOS

Mark Knoller (@markknoller) — Longtime White House correspondent for CBS News; fount of obscure presidential trivia.

Ben Smith (@benpolitico) — Breathtakingly fast political reporter and blogger for Politico

Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) — ABC News correspondent; master of Twitter snark.

Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) — Reporter (and self-described "political junkie") for NBC News

PUNDITS

Jackson Diehl (@JacksonDiehl) — Deputy editorial page editor at the Washington Post.

David Frum (@davidfrum) — Canadian pundit and former speechwriter for George W. Bush; sort of coined the phrase "Axis of Evil."

Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) — Crusading columnist for the New York Times; has traveled to every member of the Axis of Evil at least twice.

Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) — Outspoken executive director of Human Rights Watch.

 

MKEARLEY

11:19 PM ET

June 19, 2011

The FP Twitterati 100

The Middle East without Mona El Tahawy (@monaeltahawy) ? She could be the most important one.

 

SJC

12:37 AM ET

June 20, 2011

Why no academics?

I have to question the fact that there are no academics on this list, other than the ones who write for FP. Don't you think that is i a little weird. I mean, it's great that some current ministers/government types tweet, but they're not going to say anything interesting, provocative or new.

On the other hand, there are some great IR academic tweeters out there. The international studies association has such a list: http://twitter.com/#!/isanet/following/people

I hate to say it, but it's possibly a much better FP list than the heavily bureaucratic/wonkish one here.

Goes to show you how influence is changing....

 

JESSHEEHAN

1:31 PM ET

June 21, 2011

Academic Twitterati

There are a few out of Princeton - in addition to @SlaughterAM, there is @PrincetonLISD (Princeton think tank with experts on Middle East, Afghanistan, etc.) @kramdas and @WilsonSchool. Plus @Joe_Nye over at Harvard, @BRRubin for Afghansitan info and @cshirky on social media.

 

GEORGE D

3:35 AM ET

June 20, 2011

A good list, but a few omissions.

Obviously, a list like this will focus where FP and the United States do. Europe, the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The rest of the world is somewhat marginal to the interests of this magazine. Nevertheless, there are some notable Twitter users who engage heavily and deserve inclusion on this list.

@ASEANSG - Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary General of ASEAN, a regional grouping of states with a population greater than Europe.
@dinopattidjalal - Indonesia's Ambassador to the US.
@kenroth - Executive Director of Human Rights Watch
@RoryMedcalfe - Program Director of the Lowy Institute, probably the Southern Hemisphere's leading foreign affairs thinktank.

I'm sure these are others, but these are some of the best.

 

GEORGE D

3:51 AM ET

June 20, 2011

And how could I forget...

...Chris Albon! @chrisalbon

 

LEMARIETTA

8:22 AM ET

June 20, 2011

lemarietta

It would be even better if you created lists including these suggested users...

 

MUNDODUNYA

8:34 AM ET

June 20, 2011

I think your list includes

I think your list includes wonderful people. I currently follow several of them, and I often RT their comments or news. Nevertheless... Although I understand that FP focus just on several regions, a list of twitter users "around the world" and no Latin America? That's a funny-shaped world you live in.

 

GEORGE D

5:33 PM ET

June 20, 2011

Unless the United States...

...has plans to invade, then you're not of foreign policy interest. Since Bush II, Latin America has fallen off the US map. This list reflects those interests.

But more importantly, Latin Americans tweet in Spanish. This is a list for monolinguals. America has problems speaking languages other than its own. This is a problem for them more than other people.

 

HR ACTIVIST

10:12 AM ET

June 20, 2011

Sad to see that you have

Sad to see that you have added Kaiser Kuo to this list in Asia. He does nothing to promote internet freedom in China, in fact just the opposite.
Mouthpiece for Baidu, he is out of place next to the greats like Evan Osnos and Gady Epstein. Twitter has been one of the tools used by people standing for freedom in countries that otherwise do not have a voice.
Kaiser Kuo, just out for his own self promotion.

 

GALINDES

11:01 AM ET

June 20, 2011

FT's Blurred Vision.

Hey, FT, have you hear about a region called Latin-America or you chauvinism is such that it blurs you vision? @Galindes

 

MARCO44

1:05 PM ET

June 21, 2011

Nice list.

Already following a couple of these, but have followed another 15+. This will definitely make for some interesting reading.The Middle East ones will be the most interesting for me.

 

JBAPOWELL

3:05 PM ET

June 21, 2011

Here's the list on Twitter...

http://twitter.com/#!/jbapowell/fp-2011/members

 

ANGELA NICHOLLS

9:41 PM ET

June 21, 2011

latin america is invisible for Foreign Policy?

It is incredible that a magazine that is Title Foreign Policy ignore Latinamerica, not only politicians, but civil society groups. Are we only visible as an underdeveloped region? try to learn about us>
@alvarouribevel
@tratadepersona
@fsantosrcn
@elcolombiano

 

ELIYAH

2:43 AM ET

June 23, 2011

The Twitter Explosion

It's pretty amazing how twitter has really taken off. I see social media playing a big part in the upcoming elections. Thanks for the List

 

OZPOLICY

8:06 AM ET

July 7, 2011

Twitter and social media was

Twitter and social media was very big in last elections too. It would be interesting to see what new applications Google brings out for the election.

 

MARIOBONIFACIO@YAHOO.COM

9:09 AM ET

June 23, 2011

Is it me, or does this list

Is it me, or does this list pretend that the Americas don't exist? Perhaps an appendix is in order?