Best Defense

Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

What don’t the presidential candidates get about national security? Try this on

Here’s a list. For explication of the points, read the whole damn thing.

2687444500_e8beddd5e7_b
2687444500_e8beddd5e7_b

 

 

Here’s a list. For explication of the points, read the whole damn thing.

They Pander to Simplicity

They Don’t Know Normal

They Misunderstand and Misportray Terrorism

They Lack Long-Term Strategy

They Lack Confidence in Their Own Military Judgment

They Fail to Understand How Drones Change Their Power

Their Worldview Model is Unraveling

They Get Cause and Effect Wrong

They Wait Too Long To Name Security Advisors

They Talk the Wrong Talk

They Don’t Get The Costs of Endless War, Or How to Exit Them

They Don’t Get Imperfection

They Don’t Get to Declare War Anymore

They Lead An Electorate That Doesn’t Know Peace

They Don’t Understand The Meaning of Power

They Haven’t Learned That Foreign Wars Aren’t About Domestic Audiences

They Aren’t Dealing With China

They Don’t Understand The Technology Of Today, and Thus The Wars of Tomorrow

They Aren’t Taking Resilience Seriously

They Fail to Understand Their Words Matter, Abroad

Photo credit: Anderson Mancini/Flickr

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

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.