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

The father of a gay Syrian blogger confronts would-be official rapists

Wow. Read this chilling exchange between a father and a couple of security goons. If this is true, this is a real example of moral courage. (HT to Andrew S.)

By
ANWAR AMRO/AFP/Getty Images
ANWAR AMRO/AFP/Getty Images
ANWAR AMRO/AFP/Getty Images

Wow. Read this chilling exchange between a father and a couple of security goons. If this is true, this is a real example of moral courage.

Wow. Read this chilling exchange between a father and a couple of security goons. If this is true, this is a real example of moral courage.

(HT to Andrew S.)

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: Middle East and North Africa, Syria

latest

BRICS Invitation Puts Argentina in a Tough Spot

Ursula von der Leyen Is Europe’s Ruthlessly Efficient Machine

Why Everyone Is Courting Mauritania

U.S. Sudan Sanctions Won’t Work Without the UAE’s Help

Azerbaijan Clinches Cease-Fire With Armenian Separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh
See All Stories

Editors’ Picks

  1. 1
    Why Does Eastern Germany Love Putin So Much?
  2. 2
    America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want
  3. 3
    America Can’t Stop China’s Rise
  4. 4
    How China Uses Shipping for Surveillance and Control
  5. 5
    U.S. Sudan Sanctions Won’t Work Without the UAE’s Help

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

  3. Does the BRI Increase China’s Influence?
    Analysis
    Ethan B. Kapstein, Jacob N. Shapiro