Thomas E. Ricks's Blog, page 31

What if defense spending doesn’t matter that much, and national R&D is a better measure of the future of national security?

Meditating on Bergdahl: Of course he’s a knucklehead, but he’s OUR knucklehead

5 things you didn’t know about Khe Sanh

The strategic value of remote solutions

The Pentagon’s top intelligence official sees Russian revanchism as a major threat

What Russia Could Look Like in 2035, if Putin Gets His Wish

Sorry, Europe:
It ain't a pretty picture.

Not So Happy In Iran

Iran’s ayatollahs are going nuts over a harmless video. But they’re not the first autocrats to obsess about the impact of popular culture.

'I Do Not Want Red Square to Look Like Tiananmen Square'

The secret
history of Mikhail Gorbachev's ill-timed trip to Beijing -- and why Russia
still fears the contagion of Tiananmen.

Hong Kong's Angry, Anti-Mainland Counter-Vigil

Some here think the usual Tiananmen commemoration is too soft on the Communist Party.

To Save Lives, or Not to Save Lives

The U.N. is debating whether it can legally
defy Bashar al-Assad and deliver aid across Syria's borders. Meanwhile,
millions of people are suffering.