Tom Nichols

Staff Writer, The Atlantic | Bestselling Author, "The Death of Expertise" and "Our Own Worst Enemy"
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Tom Nichols is a bestselling author and staff writer at The Atlantic. A professor emeritus of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College, he has expertise on a range of foreign policy issues including Russia, nuclear weapons, and the role of war in international affairs. Confidently contrarian, Nichols is renowned for his commentary on political issues, the decline of modern society, and threats to democracy at home and abroad. He writes The Atlantic Daily newsletter, guiding readers through the biggest news, ideas, and cultural happenings of the day.
Tom’s most well-known book, The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why It Matters, examines the collapse of trust in experts and the increase in attacks against science and learning from a public that thinks it knows as much as experts. He makes the case that this false egalitarianism is dangerous to democracy. The book, which has been published in fifteen languages, was deemed “a sweeping indictment of the deliberate, widespread and ultimately self-destructive devaluing of knowledge in America” by POLITICO. In April 2024, Nichols returns with The Death of Expertise, Second Edition, featuring updated evidence including the COVID pandemic to prove that the assault on expertise has only intensified in the seven years since the original publication. 
In Our Own Worst Enemy, Tom examines the decline of democracy and the rise of illiberal, anti-democratic movements in the United States and elsewhere. He challenges voters in the democracies to recognize how they themselves, after years of peace and prosperity, have endangered their own system of government with their own lack of civic involvement, their sense of entitlement, and their unwillingness to support basic values such as the rule of law and the equality of others. Publisher’s Weekly called it "a searing critique of contemporary political culture and the rise of illiberalism on both the right and the left."

Tom Nichols has been named to the POLITICO 50, one the “key thinkers, doers, and visionaries reshaping American politics and policy.” He taught at the U.S. Naval War College for over 25 years and at the Harvard Extension School for nearly 20 years. He served as Senior Associate of the Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs, as Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and is currently a Fellow of the International History Institute at Boston University. Nichols also worked as a legislative aide in the Massachusetts House and the U.S. Senate and served on Senator John Heinz’s defense and security affairs staff. Tom is a five-time undefeated Jeopardy! champion and was once listed as one of the top 100 players of the game.

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Videos

Tom Nichols on Trump's Threats to US Democracy and Cowardice in the GOP | CNN
Tom Nichols
Tom Nichols on Trump’s Recent Rhetoric: “An Actual Fascist Has Shown Up” | Amanpour and Company
Tom Nichols
Why sending NATO troops to Ukraine would help Putin stay in power
Tom Nichols
“The Death of Expertise” | Greater Boston WGBH
Tom Nichols
“Story in the Public Square”
Tom Nichols
Russia’s Challenge | Macdonald-Laurier Institute Canada
Tom Nichols
Putin feels emboldened to try out his worst ideas
Tom Nichols
Preventive War in the 21st Century | NWC Talks
Tom Nichols
President-elect Trump political system on State of Mind
Tom Nichols
Globalization, Populism, and American Politics | Carnegie Council
Tom Nichols
Current events discussion | The McLaughlin Group
Tom Nichols

Articles

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Donald Trump Is a National-Security Risk
The Atlantic
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It's Time to End the Election Wishcasting
The Atlantic
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Strategy Session with Special Guest Tom Nichols on the Dangerous Relationship Between the GOP, Trump & Russia
Resolute Square
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Trump told S.C. rally that he supports Russian aggression against NATO allies
NPR Morning Edition
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The Age of Incoherent Partisanship
The Atlantic
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Trump Wants Revenge—And So Does His Base
The Atlantic
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A Military Loyal to Trump
The Atlantic
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Tom Nichols on what a Trump 2nd Term Would Look Like
The Julie Mason Show
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Reclaiming Real American Patriotism
The Atlantic
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The Narcissism of the Angry Young Men
The Atlantic
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The Nuclear Question America Never Answers
The Atlantic
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Ukraine Stands, Fights, and Wins
The Atlantic
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Why the Russian Military Brutalizes Ukraine
The Atlantic

Podcasts

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