How to Be Wrong, but Remain Relevant, as an International Affairs Analyst

How to Be Wrong, but Remain Relevant, as an International Affairs Analyst
British newspapers report on the results of the Brexit referendum, London, United Kingdom, June 24, 2016 (DPA photo by Michael Kappeler via AP Images).

Editor’s note: This will be Richard Gowan’s final weekly column for World Politics Review. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Richard for the keen analysis, luculent prose and delightful wit he has offered WPR readers each week for the past six years. We wish Richard the best of luck at International Crisis Group and look forward to his periodic contributions to WPR in the future.

If you want to write seriously about politics, you need to know how to get things wrong.

Political analysts are generally praised for getting things right. They win kudos by surveying current affairs intelligently and predicting what comes next correctly. This is what we all hope to do. We often fail to do it. Even the smartest analyst is bound to be wrong about many issues.

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