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

Ugly writing from the Army War College

This wordy, jargony, clichéd, heavily Latinate writing just gets on my nerves: Following the financial crisis, it was the declinist narrative, and now it appears to be verging on a competency, or weariness, narrative. We recognize our fundamental strengths and lean away from global responsibilities. Pundits from both sides of the aisle wonder about the direction ...

via Flickr/David Reber
via Flickr/David Reber
via Flickr/David Reber

This wordy, jargony, clichéd, heavily Latinate writing just gets on my nerves:

This wordy, jargony, clichéd, heavily Latinate writing just gets on my nerves:

Following the financial crisis, it was the declinist narrative, and now it appears to be verging on a competency, or weariness, narrative. We recognize our fundamental strengths and lean away from global responsibilities. Pundits from both sides of the aisle wonder about the direction of our nation and the unease this has caused in the rest of the world. Signs of retrenchment and floundering abound, and the concern over the future leadership role of the United States is not just a partisan endeavor. The National Intelligence Council’s Global Trends 2030 listed as one of its potential game-changers the uncertain "role of the United States." 

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

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