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

Shoutouts of the year

Thanks and a "Best Defense" salute to Robert Gates, who has proven to be a great secretary of Defense. To Sen. John McCain, for showing Dick Cheney how he should have behaved after President Obama took office.  To David Finkel, for a great book about the Iraq war. To everyone getting ready to go back ...

By
TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³/flickr
TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³/flickr
TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³/flickr

Thanks and a "Best Defense" salute to Robert Gates, who has proven to be a great secretary of Defense. To Sen. John McCain, for showing Dick Cheney how he should have behaved after President Obama took office.  To David Finkel, for a great book about the Iraq war. To everyone getting ready to go back to Iraq or Afghanistan. And to their spouses and children. 

Thanks and a "Best Defense" salute to Robert Gates, who has proven to be a great secretary of Defense. To Sen. John McCain, for showing Dick Cheney how he should have behaved after President Obama took office.  To David Finkel, for a great book about the Iraq war. To everyone getting ready to go back to Iraq or Afghanistan. And to their spouses and children. 

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
Tags: Afghanistan, George W. Bush, Iraq

latest

U.S. Defense Secretary Tours Africa

Israel Reopens Gaza Border Crossing

Attention-Seekers and Autocrats Are a Combustible Mix

Green Hydrogen Isn’t a Silver Bullet 

Why the Iraq War AUMF Is Still Dangerous
See All Stories

Editors’ Picks

  1. 1
    The Morality of Ukraine’s War Is Very Murky
  2. 2
    The Scrambled Spectrum of U.S. Foreign-Policy Thinking
  3. 3
    Washington Is Losing Credibility Over the Canada-India Spat
  4. 4
    The U.S. Shouldn’t Worry About the India-Canada Rift

More from Foreign Policy

A photo illustration shows Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden posing on pedestals atop the bipolar world order, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Russian President Vladamir Putin standing below on a gridded floor.
A photo illustration shows Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden posing on pedestals atop the bipolar world order, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Russian President Vladamir Putin standing below on a gridded floor.

No, the World Is Not Multipolar

The idea of emerging power centers is popular but wrong—and could lead to serious policy mistakes.

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.

The Chinese flag is raised during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics at Beijing National Stadium on Feb. 4, 2022.
The Chinese flag is raised during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics at Beijing National Stadium on Feb. 4, 2022.

America Can’t Stop China’s Rise

And it should stop trying.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on prior a meeting with European Union leaders in Mariinsky Palace, in Kyiv, on June 16, 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on prior a meeting with European Union leaders in Mariinsky Palace, in Kyiv, on June 16, 2022.

The Morality of Ukraine’s War Is Very Murky

The ethical calculations are less clear than you might think.

Trending

  1. The U.S. Shouldn’t Worry About the India-Canada Rift
    South Asia Brief
    Michael Kugelman

  2. Washington Is Losing Credibility Over the Canada-India Spat
    Analysis
    Howard W. French

  3. The Scrambled Spectrum of U.S. Foreign-Policy Thinking
    Analysis
    Ash Jain

  4. Yes, Blame WHO for Its Disastrous Coronavirus Response
    Voice
    Salvatore Babones

  5. The Best International Relations Schools in the World
    Feature
    FP Editors