Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Burris for North Korean ambassadorship

I think as he peddles his fifth version of events, Sen. Roland Burris (D-Blagojevich), is showing all the qualities necessary to become the first U.S. ambassador to Pyongyang. I’d even be willing to make it a lifetime appointment. Alex Wong/Getty Images

By
588416_090218_84740063_resized2.jpg
588416_090218_84740063_resized2.jpg
WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 11: U.S. Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL) speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill February 11, 2009 in Washington, DC. The event was to recognize the 100th anniversary of the creation of the NAACP. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

I think as he peddles his fifth version of events, Sen. Roland Burris (D-Blagojevich), is showing all the qualities necessary to become the first U.S. ambassador to Pyongyang. I’d even be willing to make it a lifetime appointment.

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1
Tag: North Korea

latest

Can the U.S. and China Cooperate on Green Technology Again?

Can India and Pakistan’s Historic Water Pact Endure?

Congress Wants to Hold Sri Lanka’s Feet to the Fire on Human Rights

North Korean Talks Collapsed but Didn’t Fail

BRICS Invitation Puts Argentina in a Tough Spot
See All Stories

Editors’ Picks

  1. 1
    Trudeau’s Allegations Upend India-Canada Ties
  2. 2
    America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want
  3. 3
    BRICS Invitation Puts Argentina in a Tough Spot
  4. 4
    America Can’t Stop China’s Rise
  5. 5
    How China Uses Shipping for Surveillance and Control
  6. 6
    North Korean Talks Collapsed but Didn’t Fail

More from Foreign Policy

An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.
An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.

A New Multilateralism

How the United States can rejuvenate the global institutions it created.

A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.
A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.

America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want

Embedded with U.S. forces in the Pacific, I saw the dilemmas of deterrence firsthand.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seen in a suit and tie and in profile, walks outside the venue at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Behind him is a sculptural tree in a larger planter that appears to be leaning away from him.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seen in a suit and tie and in profile, walks outside the venue at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Behind him is a sculptural tree in a larger planter that appears to be leaning away from him.

The Endless Frustration of Chinese Diplomacy

Beijing’s representatives are always scared they could be the next to vanish.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.

The End of America’s Middle East

The region’s four major countries have all forfeited Washington’s trust.

Trending

  1. America Can’t Stop China’s Rise
    Essay
    Tony Chan, Ben Harburg, Kishore Mahbubani

  2. America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want
    Report
    Zuri Linetsky

  3. Trudeau’s Allegations Upend India-Canada Ties
    South Asia Brief
    Michael Kugelman

  4. How China Uses Shipping for Surveillance and Control
    Argument
    Elaine Dezenski, David Rader