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.

History After ‘The End of History’

Originally posted at TomDispatch. It’s easy to forget just how scary the "good times" once were. I’m talking about the 1950s, that Edenic, Father-Knows-Best era that Donald Trump now yearns so deeply to bring back in order to "make America great again." Compared to the apocalyptic fears of those years, present American ones would seem … Continue reading “History After ‘The End of History’”

Special Ops, Shadow Wars, and the Golden Age of the Gray Zone

Originally posted at TomDispatch. Don’t think the fad for “draining the swamp” began on the campaign trail with Donald Trump. It didn’t, although the “swamp” to be drained in the days after the 9/11 attacks wasn’t in Washington; it was a global one. Of course, that’s ancient history, more than 15 years old. Who even … Continue reading “Special Ops, Shadow Wars, and the Golden Age of the Gray Zone”

All the President’s Generals

Originally posted at TomDispatch. In a sense, human history could be seen as an endless tale of the rise and fall of empires. In the last century alone, from the Hapsburgs and Imperial Japan to Great Britain and the Soviet Union, the stage was crowded with such entities heading for the nearest exit. By 1991, … Continue reading “All the President’s Generals”

Washington’s Commandos Without Borders

When Donald Trump enters the Oval Office, awaiting him will not only be his own private air assassination corps (those CIA drones that take out terror suspects globally from a White House "kill list"), but his own private and remarkably secret military. Ever since John F. Kennedy first made the Green Berets into figures of … Continue reading “Washington’s Commandos Without Borders”

American Military Power in Asia and the Trump Factor

Originally posted at TomDispatch. “Did China ask us if it was OK to… build a massive military complex in the middle of the South China Sea? I don’t think so!” tweeted President-Elect Donald Trump after shattering nearly 40 years of U.S.-China diplomatic protocol by having a telephone conversation with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. The call … Continue reading “American Military Power in Asia and the Trump Factor”

Yet Another Undeclared US War

Originally posted at TomDispatch. What is it about America and its twenty-first-century wars? They spread continually – there are now seven of them; they never end; and yet, if you happen to live in the United States, most of the time it would be easy enough to believe that, except for the struggle against ISIS … Continue reading “Yet Another Undeclared US War”

Obama’s Last Chance

Originally posted at TomDispatch. Imagine this scenario: you’ve occupied an office for eight years and now you’re about to move out. You know who’s going to move in and, by reputation, he’s a fellow with a minimal ability to control himself who might conceivably be a danger to others. So here’s one thing you undoubtedly … Continue reading “Obama’s Last Chance”