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

Quote of the day: ‘No peace in Iraq’?

I am always wary of generalizing from one soldier’s observation, because they tend to see only their area of operations. That said, put enough of those observations together, and soon you can get a pretty good picture: When we were briefed it was almost like a peacekeeping mission," said Sgt. Mark L. Norfleet, 30, from ...

By , a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy.
The U.S. Army/flickr
The U.S. Army/flickr
The U.S. Army/flickr

I am always wary of generalizing from one soldier's observation, because they tend to see only their area of operations. That said, put enough of those observations together, and soon you can get a pretty good picture:

I am always wary of generalizing from one soldier’s observation, because they tend to see only their area of operations. That said, put enough of those observations together, and soon you can get a pretty good picture:

When we were briefed it was almost like a peacekeeping mission," said Sgt. Mark L. Norfleet, 30, from Uniontown, Ala., referring to the briefing before his current deployment. But, he said, "There’s no peace in Iraq."

Some Iraqis also are worried, and are curtailing their daily routines because of the recent increase in violence. Yes, Jwing, it is far from the bad old days of late 2006 and early 2007, but still.   

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

Read More On Iraq | Middle East and North Africa

Latest

What Cities Can Tell Us About Geopolitics

The Original Authoritarian

Russia’s Military Cruelty Begins With Its Own Conscripts

Is There Such Thing as a Global South?

What Milei’s Dollarization Plan Would Mean for Argentina’s Economy
See All Stories

Editors’ Picks

  1. 1
    It’s Time to Reconsider Turkey’s NATO Membership
  2. 2
    Is There Such Thing as a Global South?
  3. 3
    America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose
  4. 4
    How Will This War End? How Can the Next One be Prevented?
  5. 5
    Russia’s Military Cruelty Begins With Its Own Conscripts
  6. 6
    Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak

More from Foreign Policy

Children are hooked up to IV drips on the stairs at a children's hospital in Beijing.
Children are hooked up to IV drips on the stairs at a children's hospital in Beijing.

Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak

Authorities are covering up the spread of antibiotic-resistant pneumonia.

Henry Kissinger during an interview in Washington in August 1980.
Henry Kissinger during an interview in Washington in August 1980.

Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage

The late statesman was a master of realpolitik—whom some regarded as a war criminal.

A Ukrainian soldier in helmet and fatigues holds a cell phone and looks up at the night sky as an explosion lights up the horizon behind him.
A Ukrainian soldier in helmet and fatigues holds a cell phone and looks up at the night sky as an explosion lights up the horizon behind him.

The West’s False Choice in Ukraine

The crossroads is not between war and compromise, but between victory and defeat.

Illustrated portraits of Reps. MIke Gallagher, right, and Raja Krishnamoorthi
Illustrated portraits of Reps. MIke Gallagher, right, and Raja Krishnamoorthi

The Masterminds

Washington wants to get tough on China, and the leaders of the House China Committee are in the driver’s seat.

Trending

  1. It’s Time to Reconsider Turkey’s NATO Membership
    Argument
    Sinan Ciddi

  2. Russia’s Military Cruelty Begins With Its Own Conscripts
    Argument
    Kristaps Andrejsons

  3. The Global Credibility Gap
    Essay
    Jared Cohen, Ian Bremmer

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

  5. The Shortest Path to Victory in Ukraine Goes Through Crimea
    Argument
    Luke Coffey, Peter Rough