Tom Nichols | |
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 Nichols in 2009 | |
| Born | Thomas Michael Nichols (1960-12-07)December 7, 1960 (age 64) Holyoke, Massachusetts, U.S. |
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| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Boston University (BA) Columbia University (MA) Georgetown University (PhD) |
| Thesis | The politics of doctrine: Khrushchev, Gorbachev and the Soviet military (1988) |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | |
Thomas Michael Nichols[1] (born December 7, 1960) is an American writer, academic specialist oninternational affairs, and retired professor at theU.S. Naval War College. His work dealt with issues involving Russia, nuclear weapons, and national security affairs.
Born inHolyoke, Massachusetts, Nichols grew up inChicopee, Massachusetts, where he attended public schools in the 1960s and 1970s.[2][3] His paternal grandparents were Greek immigrants, and his mother is of Irish descent.[4][5] He stated in a speech at theHeritage Foundation that he did not come from an educated family, noting that his parents were "both Depression era kids who dropped out of high school".
Nichols was awarded aBA degree inpolitical science fromBoston University in 1983, anMA degree in political science fromColumbia University in 1984, a certificate from theHarriman Institute of Columbia University in 1985, and a PhD in government fromGeorgetown University in 1988. His doctoral thesis was entitledThe politics of doctrine: Khrushchev, Gorbachev and the Soviet military.[6]
Nichols is a five-timeJeopardy! champion, winning during regular season play in 1994. Nichols initially lost his fifth game, but was invited back due to "a clue discrepancy."[7] He later participated in the 1994 Tournament of Champions and the 2005 Ultimate Tournament of Champions, losing in the quarterfinals[8] and the first round,[9] respectively. In a 2022 interview withNewsweek, Nichols advocated for the reinstatement of a five-day limit for winners that had been eliminated in 2003.[10]
Following completion of his doctorate at Georgetown University, in 1989 Nichols received a faculty appointment atDartmouth College. He remained there until 1997, teaching political science and Russian affairs.[11][12]
Concurrent during his tenure at Dartmouth, Nichols served as legislative aide for defense and foreign affairs to U.S. SenatorJohn Heinz (R-PA).[13][14]
In 1997, Nichols became professor of strategy at theU.S. Naval War College, a position he retained until 2008.[13] Subsequently, Nichols was named professor of national security affairs at the war college. He retired in 2022.[13] He also was a senior associate of theCarnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs that is based in Manhattan (2004-2005).[15]
In 2005, Nichols was appointed to visiting and adjunct faculty roles atLa Salle University andHarvard University, respectively.[13] Nichols was named a fellow at the HarvardJohn F. Kennedy School of Government in 2008.[15]
He is a staff writer atThe Atlantic and the author of one of its electronic newsletters,The Atlantic Daily.[16]
Nichols registered with theRepublican Party in 1979. He described himself in 2016 as aNever Trump conservative.[17] During the 2016 presidential campaign, Nichols argued thatconservatives should vote forHillary Clinton, whom he detested, becauseTrump was "too mentally unstable" to serve ascommander-in-chief.[18] Nichols continued that type of argument for the2018 midterm elections and advocated that Republicans could save the party by electing as many Democrats as possible in that election.[19]
Following the confirmation ofBrett Kavanaugh to theSupreme Court of the United States, Nichols announced on October 7, 2018, that he would leave the Republican Party to become an independent. He claimed that SenatorSusan Collins's "yes" vote on the confirmation convinced him that the Republican Party exists solely to exercise raw political power.[20] He stated that the Republicans had become a threat to the rule of law and to constitutional norms. Nichols also criticized theDemocratic Party for being "torn between totalitarian instincts on one side and complete political malpractice on the other". He said that with the exception of SenatorsChris Coons,Sheldon Whitehouse, andAmy Klobuchar, the behavior of the members of the Democratic Party during the Kavanaugh hearings was "detestable."[20]
In an opinion column published in 2019, Nichols cited theMueller Report to argue that Trump failed in his role as a citizen and then as commander-in-chief, by not doing more to prevent and punish theRussian interference in the 2016 United States elections.[21] In April 2022, Nichols was quoted regarding theRussian invasion of Ukraine, stating: "If Putin's goal was to cement his grip on power by making Russia hated for decades to come, well, congratulations, I guess."[22]
Nichols’ statement said live on air generated intense controversy and backlash on social media, with critics demanding a retraction and some calling the remarks extreme. Nichols said on MSNBC: “The American president has said, ‘I can point the U.S. military any place I want and kill anyone I want.’ That, eventually, is going to become a principle in the domestic use of the military. He is acclimating people to the notion that the military is his private army, unconstrained by law, unconstrained by norms, unconstrained by American traditions”. He warned that such normalization could pave the way for the military to be used against Americans whenever the president chooses.[23]
After his previous marriage ended in divorce, Nichols married Lynn in 2014.[24][25] Nichols has one daughter; the family lives inMiddletown, Rhode Island.[26][11] He is aGreek Orthodox Christian.[27]
Nichols had a cameo role on the HBO television seriesSuccession, appearing as right-wing political commentator Ben Stove in the episode entitled "America Decides."[28]
Nichols plays video games in his spare time, includingBaldur's Gate 3 and games from theFallout series.[29]
Nichols had a cat, Carla, whom he revered as having saved his life. Carla died in 2024.[30]
