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.

The President Who Loved Generals

Let’s think about the logic of it all for a moment. The 2016 Pentagon budget came in at just over $600 billion and that royal sum, larger than the combined military investments of the next seven countries, was hardly the full measure of the money U.S. taxpayers spent on what we like to call "national … Continue reading “The President Who Loved Generals”

The Forever Prisoners of Guantanamo

Originally posted at TomDispatch. Here’s a little fact of our age: Rear Admiral Peter Clark is the 16th commander of America’s notorious prison complex at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, opened in January 2002, and it seems he won’t be the last. As the New York Times recently reported, the Trump administration is already readying a draft … Continue reading “The Forever Prisoners of Guantanamo”

In Afghanistan, America’s Biggest Foe Is Self-Deception

Originally posted at TomDispatch. If you had asked Americans about Afghanistan before 1979, it’s a reasonable bet that most of us wouldn’t have known much about that country or even been able to locate it on a map. Perhaps only to the “freaks” of that era, in search of a superb hashish high, would its … Continue reading “In Afghanistan, America’s Biggest Foe Is Self-Deception”

At the Altar of American Greatness

Originally posted at TomDispatch. The members of what TomDispatch regular Andrew Bacevich, author of America’s War for the Greater Middle East, calls “the Church of America the Redeemer” are in some disarray these days and in quite an uproar over the new Pope and his aberrant set of cardinals now ensconced in Washington. Perhaps there … Continue reading “At the Altar of American Greatness”

Mission Unaccomplished, 15 Years Later

Originally posted at TomDispatch. If you’re going to surround yourself with generals in the Oval Office, as Donald Trump has done, that means one thing in these years: you’re going to appoint men whose careers were made (or unmade) by what was once known as the Global War on Terror. They will be deeply associated … Continue reading “Mission Unaccomplished, 15 Years Later”

The China Missile Crisis of 2018?

Originally posted at TomDispatch. Consider it an irony or simply a reality of our moment, but these days Donald ("America First") Trump is looking ever less like an old-fashioned, pre-World War II isolationist. In a mere three-plus weeks in office, he’s managed to mix it up royally with much of the rest of the planet. … Continue reading “The China Missile Crisis of 2018?”

Now Who’s the Enemy?

Let’s face it: since 9/11 everything in our American world has been wildly out of proportion. Understandably enough, at the time that attack was experienced as something other than it was. In the heat of the moment, it would be compared to city-destroying or world-ending Hollywood disaster films (“It was like one of them Godzilla … Continue reading “Now Who’s the Enemy?”

Investing in the Military (and Little Else)

Originally posted at TomDispatch. Last Friday, Donald Trump made his first visit to the Pentagon where he spoke of signing an order to begin “a great rebuilding of the armed services of the United States,” something he’s been advocating for quite a while. As TomDispatch regular Bill Hartung indicates today, this will mean a massive … Continue reading “Investing in the Military (and Little Else)”

A Living Nightmare of Intelligence Groupthink

Originally posted at TomDispatch. They call themselves the U.S. "Intelligence Community," or the IC. If you include the office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), which in 2005 began as a crew of 12 people, including its director, and by 2008 had already grown to a staff of 1,750, there are 17 members (adding … Continue reading “A Living Nightmare of Intelligence Groupthink”

The Iranian Connection in the Age of Trump

Originally posted at TomDispatch. Tell me if this sounds familiar: the leadership of a distant nation has its own ideas about whom you should vote for, or who should rule your country, and acts decisively on them, affecting an election. Such interference in the political life of another country must be a reference to… no, … Continue reading “The Iranian Connection in the Age of Trump”