Tom Nichols

Tom Nichols is a staff writer at The Atlantic and a contributor to the Atlantic Daily newsletter. He is a professor emeritus of national-security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College, where he taught for 25 years, and an instructor at the Harvard Extension School. He has served as a legislative aide in the Massachusetts House and the U.S. Senate. He writes about international security, nuclear weapons, Russia, and the challenges to democracy in the United States and around the world—along with occasional contrarian views on popular culture. His books include The Death of Expertise and Our Own Worst Enemy: The Assault From Within on Modern Democracy. He is also a five-time undefeated Jeopardy champion.

Latest

  1. The Trump Team’s Denials Are Laughable

    The president’s officials must know that what they did in the Signal group chat was wrong—and dangerous.

    A photo of Michael Waltz and Pete Hegseth with red text bubbles
    Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Annabelle Gordon / Getty; Mandel Ngan / Getty.
  2. They’re Cheering for Trump in Moscow—Again

    Russia, among other autocratic states, is surely thrilled by the president’s decision to close Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Martí, and Radio Free Asia.

    A radio mic with an RIP sign attached to it
    Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Getty.
  3. The Pentagon’s DEI Panic

    What are the nation’s warfighters so afraid of?

    Photo of the Enola Gay plane
    Illustration by Akshita Chandra / The Atlantic. Sources: Photo12 / Universal Images Group / Getty; J. David Ake / Getty.
  4. Democrats Are Acting Too Normal

    In her response to Trump’s address, Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin failed to capture the hallucinatory nature of our national politics.

    Senator Elissa Slotkin speaks at a podium in front of American flags while she is filmed.
    Paul Sancya / Getty
  5. It Was an Ambush

    Friday marked one of the grimmest days in the history of American diplomacy.

    Photo of Donald Trump, J. D. Vance, and Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office
    Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA / Getty