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.

No Justice at Guantánamo

With only nine months to go, in the fashion of modern presidents, Barack Obama is already planning his post-presidential library, museum, and foundation complex. Such institutions only seem to grow more opulent and imperial as the years and administrations pass. Obama’s will reportedly leave the $300 million raised for George W. Bush’s version of the … Continue reading “No Justice at Guantánamo”

Words About War Matter

Originally posted at TomDispatch. At the moment, there are a maximum of 3,870 U.S. military personnel (or 7,740 actual boots on the ground) in Iraq supporting the war against the Islamic State. That’s the “official cap” imposed by the Obama administration, because everyone knows that the president and his top officials are eager to end … Continue reading “Words About War Matter”

What a Waste, the US Military

Originally posted at TomDispatch. Late last year, I spent some time digging into the Pentagon’s “reconstruction” efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, countries it invaded in 2001 and 2003 in tandem with a chosen crew of warrior corporations. As a story of fabled American can-do in distant lands, both proved genuinely dismal no-can-do tales, from roads … Continue reading “What a Waste, the US Military”

The Wars in Our Schools

Originally posted at TomDispatch. The third time around, the Pentagon evidently wants to do it right – truly right – this time. What other explanation could there be for dispatching 12 generals to Iraq (one for every 416 American troops estimated to be on the ground in that country, according to Nancy Youssef of the … Continue reading “The Wars in Our Schools”

Writing a Blank Check on War for the President

Originally posted at TomDispatch. It was a large banner and its message was clear. It read: “Mission Accomplished,” and no, I don’t mean the classic “mission accomplished” banner on the USS Abraham Lincoln under which, on May 1, 2003, President George W. Bush proudly proclaimed (to the derision of critics ever since) that “major combat … Continue reading “Writing a Blank Check on War for the President”

America’s Post-Democratic Military

Originally posted at TomDispatch. In recent times, one of the strangest aspects of war, American-style, has been the inability of the most powerful military on the planet to extricate itself from any of the conflicts it’s initiated or somehow gotten itself involved in – even those it’s officially walked away from. Like the sirens in … Continue reading “America’s Post-Democratic Military”

The American Way of War as a Do-Over

Originally posted at TomDispatch. With General John Campbell’s tour of duty in Afghanistan finished, a new commander has taken over. Admittedly, things did not go well during Campbell’s year and a half heading up the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) there, but that’s par for the course. In late 2015, while he was in the … Continue reading “The American Way of War as a Do-Over”

Energy Wars of Attrition

Originally posted at TomDispatch. Three and a half years ago, the International Energy Agency (IEA) triggered headlines around the world by predicting that the United States would overtake Saudi Arabia to become the world’s leading oil producer by 2020 and, together with Canada, would become a net exporter of oil around 2030. Overnight, a new … Continue reading “Energy Wars of Attrition”

The Grief of Others and the Boasts of Candidates

Originally posted at TomDispatch. Here’s a what-if that continues to haunt me. What if some disturbed “lone wolf,” “inspired” by the Islamic State’s online propagandists, went out with an assault rifle or two and – San Bernardino-style – shot up a wedding, killing the bride and killing or wounding many others at the ceremony? Let’s … Continue reading “The Grief of Others and the Boasts of Candidates”