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

The disasters that don’t happen

I was on a panel last night in Manhattan with retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey, the bane of the New York media, and Alex de Waal. McCaffrey was his usual interesting self. Darfur expert De Waal made a comment that struck me: When catastrophe is averted — famine, civil war, genocide — the media tends to ...

By , a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy.
587857_090311_85254869_res2.jpg
587857_090311_85254869_res2.jpg

I was on a panel last night in Manhattan with retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey, the bane of the New York media, and Alex de Waal. McCaffrey was his usual interesting self. Darfur expert De Waal made a comment that struck me: When catastrophe is averted — famine, civil war, genocide — the media tends to shrug and ignore the good outcome. The implication, I think, is that successes tend to be neglected while failures are overemphasized, and bureaucrats and diplomats wind up looking more incompetent than they are. I think he is right. As of this morning I don’t have any good ideas about how the media might do better in this area, but I’d be interested in suggestions.

De Waal also was quite critical of the International Criminal Court’s issuance of an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. Nothing good will come of it, he said, if I am summarizing his views correctly.

ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP/Getty Images

Thomas E. Ricks is a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy. Twitter: @tomricks1

Read More On Corruption | Human Rights | Sudan

Latest

Why Xi Thinks He Got the Better of Biden

Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage

India Looks to Seize Opportunity at COP28

Negotiators Race to Extend Israel-Hamas Truce

Looks Like ‘Axis of Evil’ Is Back on the Menu
See All Stories

Editors’ Picks

  1. 1
    Is Nationalism Good for You?
  2. 2
    Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage
  3. 3
    America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose
  4. 4
    Solving the Mystery of Henry Kissinger’s Reputation
  5. 5
    Bukele’s Bitcoin Mess and the U.S.-Backed Bank That Enabled It
  6. 6
    Why Gaza Won’t End Up Like East Timor or Kosovo

More from Foreign Policy

The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.
The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.

America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose

Global war is neither a theoretical contingency nor the fever dream of hawks and militarists.

A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.
A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.

The West’s Incoherent Critique of Israel’s Gaza Strategy

The reality of fighting Hamas in Gaza makes this war terrible one way or another.

Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.
Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.

Biden Owns the Israel-Palestine Conflict Now

In tying Washington to Israel’s war in Gaza, the U.S. president now shares responsibility for the broader conflict’s fate.

U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.
U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.

Taiwan’s Room to Maneuver Shrinks as Biden and Xi Meet

As the latest crisis in the straits wraps up, Taipei is on the back foot.

Trending

  1. Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak
    Argument
    Annie Sparrow

  2. Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage
    Obituary
    Michael Hirsh

  3. Why Gaza Won’t End Up Like East Timor or Kosovo
    Argument
    Marc Weller

  4. Why Xi Thinks He Got the Better of Biden
    Analysis
    James Crabtree

  5. Bukele’s Bitcoin Mess and the U.S.-Backed Bank That Enabled It
    Deep Dive
    Danielle Mackey