My gift

Today is my brother’s birthday — sort of. It’s the 25th, but as he’s living in Sydney, Australia, and it’s sixteen hours ahead there, it is essentially today. When I asked him what he wanted for his B-day, among the (tongue-in-cheek) options he gave me was: 1) Buy him a small island; or — and ...

By , a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast.

Today is my brother's birthday -- sort of. It's the 25th, but as he's living in Sydney, Australia, and it's sixteen hours ahead there, it is essentially today. When I asked him what he wanted for his B-day, among the (tongue-in-cheek) options he gave me was: 1) Buy him a small island; or -- and let me quote him here:

Today is my brother’s birthday — sort of. It’s the 25th, but as he’s living in Sydney, Australia, and it’s sixteen hours ahead there, it is essentially today. When I asked him what he wanted for his B-day, among the (tongue-in-cheek) options he gave me was: 1) Buy him a small island; or — and let me quote him here:

2) “create a web site dedicated to extolling my virtues to the world at large, declaring, in no uncertain terms, my unrecognized genius…. Given your recent fame on the web, I think this would be a fairly easy task for you to complete.”

He’s right — it was pretty easy. Happy birthday, JBD!!

Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner

More from Foreign Policy

Vladimir Putin speaks during the Preliminary Draw of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia at The Konstantin Palace on July 25, 2015 in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Vladimir Putin speaks during the Preliminary Draw of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia at The Konstantin Palace on July 25, 2015 in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

What Putin Got Right

The Russian president got many things wrong about invading Ukraine—but not everything.

Dmitry Medvedev (center in the group of officials), an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who is now deputy chairman of the country's security council, visits the Omsktransmash (Omsk transport machine factory) in the southern Siberian city of Omsk.
Dmitry Medvedev (center in the group of officials), an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who is now deputy chairman of the country's security council, visits the Omsktransmash (Omsk transport machine factory) in the southern Siberian city of Omsk.

Russia Has Already Lost in the Long Run

Even if Moscow holds onto territory, the war has wrecked its future.

Sri Lankan construction workers along a road in Colombo.
Sri Lankan construction workers along a road in Colombo.

China’s Belt and Road to Nowhere

Xi Jinping’s signature foreign policy is a “shadow of its former self.”

Dalton speaks while sitting at a table alongside other U.S. officials.
Dalton speaks while sitting at a table alongside other U.S. officials.

The U.S. Overreacted to the Chinese Spy Balloon. That Scares Me.

So unused to being challenged, the United States has become so filled with anxiety over China that sober responses are becoming nearly impossible.