Wednesday linkage

• The top ten worst countries in which to be a blogger.
• The Obama Administration has selected its Japan ambassador. Analysis and more links here.
• Instead of recruiting overseas for the ADF, why doesn't Australia encourage recruitment in the Afghan Army by promising Australian citizenship at the end of service?
• And here's how the ADF could solve the recruitment and obesity problems at a stroke!
• As foreign minister, Alexander Downer oversaw a massive expansion of DFAT's consular function. Nowadays, however...

After about 10 minutes as foreign minister I was a little surprised to learn I was "responsible" for miscreant Australians who got into trouble in foreign countries. No, no, no, don't get it wrong - drug traffickers, drunks, kleptomaniacs and fraudsters weren't responsible for their own stupidity - I was. It's about time that great nanny in Canberra, the Federal Government, turned around and told people they are responsible for their own decisions.