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

Paul McHale: Pivot to Asia in economics and diplomacy — but not militarily

I’ve long found Paul McHale, a former member of Congress and also a former Pentagon official, a clear thinker. Here he questions the Pentagon’s "pivot" to Asia: "Does it make sense for the United States Army to prepare for a protracted land war against China? . . . Should the Army really be focused on ...

By , a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy.
Flickr
Flickr
Flickr

I've long found Paul McHale, a former member of Congress and also a former Pentagon official, a clear thinker. Here he questions the Pentagon's "pivot" to Asia:

I’ve long found Paul McHale, a former member of Congress and also a former Pentagon official, a clear thinker. Here he questions the Pentagon’s "pivot" to Asia:

"Does it make sense for the United States Army to prepare for a protracted land war against China? . . . Should the Army really be focused on North Korea while paying insufficient attention to Iran? And if a post-2014 civil war in Afghanistan spills over the Durand Line and threatens the stability of Pakistan’s government, are there any issues in Myanmar that trump the possible acquisition of nuclear weapons by the Taliban?"

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

Read More On China | East Asia | Foreign & Public Diplomacy | Iran | Military | National Security Agency | Pakistan | U.S. Foreign Policy

Latest

Chinese Shadow Bank Can’t Pay Up

U.S. Congressional Fight Threatens to Derail Ukraine Aid

Is Biden Ignoring Iran’s Sanctions Evasion?

America’s Indo-Pacific Alliances Are Astonishingly Strong

Corporations Are Juicy Targets for Foreign Disinformation
See All Stories

Editors’ Picks

  1. 1
    What Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon’ Gets Wrong About War
  2. 2
    Was Henry Kissinger Really a Realist?
  3. 3
    The 7 Reasons Iran Won’t Fight for Hamas
  4. 4
    This Corporate Law Case Could Accidentally Overturn U.S. Taxes
  5. 5
    America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose

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. Was Henry Kissinger Really a Realist?
    Argument
    Stephen M. Walt

  2. America’s Indo-Pacific Alliances Are Astonishingly Strong
    Analysis
    Derek Grossman

  3. The 7 Reasons Iran Won’t Fight for Hamas
    Argument
    Arash Reisinezhad

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

  5. What Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon’ Gets Wrong About War
    Review
    Franz-Stefan Gady