Best Defense

Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

On the overwhelming moral superiority of the faculty of Northwestern University

Some 46 members of the faculty of Northwestern University are objecting to the selection of retired General and Ambassador Karl Eikenberry to lead a big new institute on foreign policy there.

091112_rickseikenberrykarzai21
091112_rickseikenberrykarzai21

Some 46 members of the faculty of Northwestern University are objecting to the selection of retired General and Ambassador Karl Eikenberry to lead a big new institute on foreign policy there.

Some 46 members of the faculty of Northwestern University are objecting to the selection of retired General and Ambassador Karl Eikenberry to lead a big new institute on foreign policy there.

They are claiming the moral high ground. They don’t want some clumsy soldier-turned-diplomat swimming in their pristine pond.

Now, I am not Eikenberry’s biggest fan. I had some issues with the way he and the Obama Administration handled his ambassadorship in Afghanistan.

But I have no doubt that Eikenberry is just as knowledgeable and informed as are most faculty members. And he is vastly more experienced. Despite our differences, I have no doubt that he’s a thoughtful guy. And if I recall correctly, he is fluent in Chinese. He also has a couple of master’s degrees and has been teaching at Stanford.

So I am guessing that the issue here is his lack of an academic union card, which is known in those circles as a Ph.D.

But I am sure the 46 members of the faculty believe they are acting nobly and in the best interests of their institution.

Shah Marai/AFP/Getty Images

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
Tag: Sports

More from Foreign Policy

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping give a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping give a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21.

Can Russia Get Used to Being China’s Little Brother?

The power dynamic between Beijing and Moscow has switched dramatically.

Xi and Putin shake hands while carrying red folders.
Xi and Putin shake hands while carrying red folders.

Xi and Putin Have the Most Consequential Undeclared Alliance in the World

It’s become more important than Washington’s official alliances today.

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

It’s a New Great Game. Again.

Across Central Asia, Russia’s brand is tainted by Ukraine, China’s got challenges, and Washington senses another opening.

Kurdish military officers take part in a graduation ceremony in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, on Jan. 15.
Kurdish military officers take part in a graduation ceremony in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, on Jan. 15.

Iraqi Kurdistan’s House of Cards Is Collapsing

The region once seemed a bright spot in the disorder unleashed by U.S. regime change. Today, things look bleak.