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Thomas E. Ricks

トーマス・E・リックス

Thomas E. Ricks

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1955-09-25 （Beverly, Massachusetts, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Grew up in New York → Lived in Kabul, Afghanistan (attended American International School) → Washington, D.C. (work)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Journalist, Editor, Educator
Active Years
1977-
Affiliations
Center for a New American Security (think tank), The Washington Post (former), The Wall Street Journal (former), Foreign Policy (blog contributor)
Memberships
Harvard University Senior Advisory Council on the Project on U.S. Civil-Military Relations
Influenced By
Earlier journalists and military historians
Influenced
Contemporary military journalists and writers
Nominations
2007 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction finalist (Fiasco)

Education

Yale University
Degree: BA
Period: 1973–1977
Year of Graduation: 1977
Country: United States
Bachelor's degree (1977)
American International School, Kabul
Period: 1968–1970
Country: Afghanistan
Attended part of high school here

Awards

Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting
2000
Work: "Price of Power" series (Wall Street Journal team)
Organization: Columbia University / Pulitzer Prize Board
Result: winner
Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting
2002
Work: Reporting by The Washington Post team on the early counteroffensive against terrorism
Organization: Columbia University / Pulitzer Prize Board
Result: winner
Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction
2007
Work: Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq
Organization: Columbia University / Pulitzer Prize Board
Result: finalist
Society of Professional Journalists Award for Best Feature Reporting
Organization: Society of Professional Journalists
Result: winner
Scarsdale High School Distinguished Alumnus
2007
Organization: Scarsdale Alumni Association
Result: recipient

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Making the Corps

1997 Nonfiction (military / education)

A report on the training and culture of the U.S. Marine Corps, examining how training and institutions shape individuals and the organization.

military culturetraining and institutionsleadership

Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq

2006 Nonfiction (military / contemporary history)

A critical history examining the failures of U.S. military strategy and policy in the Iraq War, analyzing strategic decisions and command problems.

strategic failurepolicy–military relationscommand structure

The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006–2008

2009 Nonfiction (military / politics)

A detailed account of the strategic shift in Iraq from 2006 to 2008 and General David Petraeus's role in that effort.

force employmentleadership decision-makingdefense policy

The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today

2012 Nonfiction (military history)

An analysis of the evolution and contemporary challenges of American military leadership since World War II.

military leadershiphistorical changeinstitutional analysis

Churchill & Orwell: The Fight for Freedom

2017 Nonfiction (biography / intellectual history)

Compares the ideas and actions of Winston Churchill and George Orwell in their respective fights for freedom.

freedomintellectual historyleadership

First Principles: What America's Founders Learned from the Greeks and Romans and How That Shaped Our Country

2020 Nonfiction (intellectual history / politics)

Discusses what America's founders learned from ancient Greece and Rome and how those principles shaped the United States.

reception of the classicspolitical thoughtfounding principles

Waging a Good War: A Military History of the Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1968

2022 Nonfiction (military history / civil rights)

Reexamines the civil rights movement from a military-historical perspective, analyzing strategy and organization.

civil rights movementstrategy and organizationnonviolence and counteraction

Bibliography

  • Making the Corps (1997)
  • Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq (2006)
  • A Soldier's Duty (2001)
  • The Gamble (2009)
  • The Generals (2012)
  • Churchill & Orwell (2017)
  • First Principles (2020)
  • Waging a Good War (2022)
  • Everyone Knows But You (2024)
  • We Can't Save You (forthcoming 2025)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
investigative nonfictionnarrative, source-based reportinghistorical writing with critical analysis
Recurring Motifs
civil–military relationsorganizational and command failuresevaluation of leadership

Legacy

Thomas E. Ricks has had significant impact on contemporary military journalism and policy critique. Through Pulitzer-winning reporting and numerous books, he illuminated strategic failures and command issues, contributing to public policy discussion.

Quotes

  • Fox was operating as a wing of the Republican Party.
    Source: Interview with Jon Scott; reported in Politico (2012)

Trivia

  • Spent part of his childhood in Kabul, Afghanistan.
  • Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner as part of teams at The Wall Street Journal (2000) and The Washington Post (2002).
  • Fiasco was a finalist for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.