Tom Engelhardt

An editor in publishing for the last 25 years, Tom Engelhardt is the author of The End of Victory Culture, a history of American triumphalism in the Cold War era, now out in a revised edition with a new preface and afterword, and Mission Unaccomplished, TomDispatch Interviews With American Iconoclasts and Dissenters. He is at present consulting editor for Metropolitan Books, a fellow of the Nation Institute, and a teaching fellow at the journalism school of the University of California, Berkeley. Visit his Web site. This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To stay on top of important articles like these, sign up to receive the latest updates from TomDispatch.com.

12 Steps to a Misfit Military

Recently, the Washington Post, and then the New York Times, reported a top-secret assessment by the Marines’ chief of intelligence that focused on the catastrophic situation of his undermanned Corps in the heartlands of Iraq’s Sunni insurgency. He concluded, according to the Post‘s Tom Ricks, that “the prospects for securing that country’s western Anbar province … Continue reading “12 Steps to a Misfit Military”

The Real Link Between 9/11 and Iraq (Finally) Revealed

You’ve heard the president and vice president say it over and over in various ways: There was a connection between the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and Iraq. Let’s take this seriously and consider some of the links between the two. Numbers and Comparisons At least 3,438 Iraqis died by violent means during July (roughly … Continue reading “The Real Link Between 9/11 and Iraq (Finally) Revealed”

Before 9/11, There Was 11/9

With the collapse of the Berlin Wall, American leaders declared “victory” in the Cold War no less firmly or repeatedly than our president has promised “victory” in his Global War on Terror – no less than 12 times, in fact, in an August speech to the American Legion National Convention. However, as Andrew Bacevich, author … Continue reading “Before 9/11, There Was 11/9”

9/11 in a Movie-Made World

[This article, which will appear in the Sept. 25 issue of The Nation (on the newsstands this week), is posted here with the kind permission of the editors of that magazine.] We knew it was coming. Not, as conspiracy theorists imagine, just a few top officials among us, but all of us – and not … Continue reading “9/11 in a Movie-Made World”

Making Sense of Our Iraq Disaster

The single most basic fallacy underlying the present American catastrophe in Iraq is the belief that the U.S. can somehow solve that country’s problems, however extreme and intractable they may seem; that, in short, we are part of the solution in Iraq, not part of the problem. Once you’re thinking that way, it’s always a … Continue reading “Making Sense of Our Iraq Disaster”

Oliver Stone’s WTC
and the Iraq War

The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, remain both an overwhelming and under-considered horror. TomDispatch will devote the week leading up to the fifth anniversary of 9/11 to various reconsiderations of that moment. In the meantime, the anniversary season was inaugurated early by World Trade Center, Oliver Stone’s reverent blockbuster movie. Ruth Rosen went to see … Continue reading “Oliver Stone’s WTC
and the Iraq War”

Chaos Theory and the Middle East

Yesterday, the Israeli security cabinet authorized an expansion of the ground war in Lebanon (while its military suffered 15 dead and 25 wounded, the highest battlefield casualty rate thus far); Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah threatened to “transform our land in the south [of Lebanon] to a graveyard for Zionist invaders” and called on Haifa’s Arab … Continue reading “Chaos Theory and the Middle East”

The Damage in Lebanon –
and Beyond

The idea that you can solve social and political problems militarily from the air is, on the face of it, ludicrous. The historical record is filled with the dead dreams of air power solutions to ground-based problems. But that stops no one. Just yesterday, for instance, as part of the new American operation to – … Continue reading “The Damage in Lebanon –
and Beyond”

Bunker-Busting
the Nuclear Taboo

First, there was one, Little Boy, which the United States dropped on Hiroshima as a bitter war was nearing its end 61 years ago Sunday; then came Fat Man, dropped on Nagasaki three days later. Both cities were essentially obliterated. By the time the Russians got theirs – Joe (for Joe Stalin)-1 in 1949, the … Continue reading “Bunker-Busting
the Nuclear Taboo”