Thomas E. Ricks

Thomas E. Ricks is a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy.

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Ulysses S. Grant. (Wikimedia Commons)
Ulysses S. Grant. (Wikimedia Commons)

War and Reconstruction: Ron Chernow’s marvelous new biography of U.S. Grant

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Thomas E. Ricks
Malcolm X and Bayard Rustin. (Wikimedia Commons)
Malcolm X and Bayard Rustin. (Wikimedia Commons)

Malcolm X, Bayard Rustin and MLK Jr. Hailed in the ‘Marine Corps Gazette’

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Thomas E. Ricks
Lt. Gen. John H. Cushman in the classroom. (U.S. Army)
Lt. Gen. John H. Cushman in the classroom. (U.S. Army)

An Appreciation of Recently Departed Lieutenant General John H. Cushman

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Thomas E. Ricks
Brian Jones, of Orange High School ROTC, holds an American flag on color guard duty during a Veterans Day observance Nov. 11, 2002 in Orange, California. (David McNew/Getty Images)
Brian Jones, of Orange High School ROTC, holds an American flag on color guard duty during a Veterans Day observance Nov. 11, 2002 in Orange, California. (David McNew/Getty Images)

We Were Students Once … and Young: A Tribute to a Military-Heavy Public School

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Thomas E. Ricks
Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Bob Gates and former Air Force Chief of Staff Merrill McPeak. (Wikimedia Commons)
Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Bob Gates and former Air Force Chief of Staff Merrill McPeak. (Wikimedia Commons)

Quote of the Day: McPeak and Prine on Robert Gates, and on the Defense Media

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Thomas E. Ricks
The East India Company's iron steamship, Nemesis, destroying Chinese war junks at the Second Battle of Chuenpi on Jan. 7, 1841. (Wikimedia Commons)
The East India Company's iron steamship, Nemesis, destroying Chinese war junks at the Second Battle of Chuenpi on Jan. 7, 1841. (Wikimedia Commons)

Fifty to One: Why China Is Weaker Than it Looks Militarily in Maritime East Asia

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Thomas E. Ricks
U.S. navy aircraft on the deck of the USS Enterprise on the first day of the Battle of Midway.
U.S. navy aircraft on the deck of the USS Enterprise on the first day of the Battle of Midway.

The Quantum Gap with China

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Thomas E. Ricks
Crew members aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier.
Crew members aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier.

Three Carriers Carrying on SE of North Korea

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Thomas E. Ricks
The author, pictured near the Golden Gate Bridge. (D.J. Skelton)
The author, pictured near the Golden Gate Bridge. (D.J. Skelton)

D.J.’s open letter to the VA

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Thomas E. Ricks
The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. (Wikimedia Commons)
The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. (Wikimedia Commons)

Babylon Revisited: Melancholy Thoughts After a Short Trip to Washington, D.C.

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Thomas E. Ricks
Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe, Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890 - 1969) drinks a cup of coffee at Allied Headquarters in Paris, in a scene from the World War II documentary 'The True Glory', directed by Garson Kanin and Carol Reed, circa 1945. (FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe, Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890 - 1969) drinks a cup of coffee at Allied Headquarters in Paris, in a scene from the World War II documentary 'The True Glory', directed by Garson Kanin and Carol Reed, circa 1945. (FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

Coffee: The Military Essential That Fuels Combat, Camaraderie and Communion    

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Thomas E. Ricks
The Ratification of the Treaty of Münster, 15 May 1648. (Rijksmuseum Amsterdam via Wikimedia Commons)
The Ratification of the Treaty of Münster, 15 May 1648. (Rijksmuseum Amsterdam via Wikimedia Commons)

Edgar on Strategy (Part X): Build your approach on the understanding that the global state system is here to stay

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Thomas E. Ricks
U.S. Navy SEALs train on the flight deck of USS Enterprise. (Lance H. Mayhew Jr./US Navy/Getty Images)
U.S. Navy SEALs train on the flight deck of USS Enterprise. (Lance H. Mayhew Jr./US Navy/Getty Images)

What’s Going on With the Alleged Murder of a Special Forces Soldier by Two SEALS?

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Thomas E. Ricks
Bust of Athena at the Glyptothek museum in Munich, Germany. (Wikimedia Commons)
Bust of Athena at the Glyptothek museum in Munich, Germany. (Wikimedia Commons)

Reading rainbow: And yes, a list of security related books by women

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Thomas E. Ricks
Gold coins from the Roman town of Pompeii on display in Chicago, Illinois on Oct. 18, 2005. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Gold coins from the Roman town of Pompeii on display in Chicago, Illinois on Oct. 18, 2005. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Two Unexpected Ways in Which Mercenaries Affected Ancient Battles

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Thomas E. Ricks
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