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

Watch out for them ‘Muslamic rayguns’

The rationale of the English Defence League as explained by one of its marchers. I have no idea what he means about the rayguns. Anyone wanna try?   (HT to CR)

By
629835_ricks1_153.jpg
629835_ricks1_153.jpg

The rationale of the English Defence League as explained by one of its marchers.

The rationale of the English Defence League as explained by one of its marchers.

I have no idea what he means about the rayguns. Anyone wanna try?  

(HT to CR)

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: Europe, Religion

latest

The Biden Administration Is Dangerously Downplaying the Global Terrorism Threat

Poland Is Throwing All Its Neighbors Under the Bus

Nigeria’s Unhappy Birthday

As China’s Property Sector Crumbles, Who Takes the Fall?

Hungary Severs Aid to Ukraine
See All Stories

Editors’ Picks

  1. 1
    Cultural Decoupling From China Is Not the Answer
  2. 2
    Indonesia Asks Where the Money Is for Green Transition
  3. 3
    Hungary Severs Aid to Ukraine
  4. 4
    No, the World Is Not Multipolar
  5. 5
    The Biden Administration Is Dangerously Downplaying the Global Terrorism Threat
  6. 6
    How the U.S. Created Its Own Reality

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. Poland Is Throwing All Its Neighbors Under the Bus
    Dispatch
    Paul Hockenos

  2. No, the World Is Not Multipolar
    Essay
    Jo Inge Bekkevold

  3. How the U.S. Created Its Own Reality
    Excerpt
    Heather Cox Richardson

  4. Hungary Severs Aid to Ukraine
    World Brief
    Alexandra Sharp

  5. Iran Is Doubling Down on Headscarves
    Analysis
    Sina Toossi