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 Military-Industrial Complex in Iraq

Originally posted at TomDispatch. Call it what you will – Iraq War 3.0, the war against ISIS, the new Syrian War – it was regularly headline-making news in this country in the second half of last year: the stunning advances of the Islamic State (IS) movement; its newly proclaimed “caliphate”; the collapse of the Iraqi … Continue reading “The Military-Industrial Complex in Iraq”

Unpacking the War on Terror

Originally posted at TomDispatch. About a year ago, I hit the road for a couple of months. I went to Albany and Albuquerque, Berkeley and Boston, Chapel Hill and Chicago, Seattle and Schenectady. I wasn’t reporting. I wasn’t writing. I sure wasn’t vacationing. No, I was out on a book tour in support of the … Continue reading “Unpacking the War on Terror”

How the Iraq War Began in Panama

Originally posted at TomDispatch. So many years and wars later, it’s easy to forget what a total television hit the first Gulf War of 1991 was. Just in case you no longer remember – and why should you? – that was the war that was to bury America’s defeat in Vietnam forever and signal the … Continue reading “How the Iraq War Began in Panama”

The Senate Drone Report of 2019

Originally posted at TomDispatch. It was December 6, 2019, three years into a sagging Clinton presidency and a bitterly divided Congress. That day, the 500-page executive summary of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s long fought-over, much-delayed, heavily redacted report on the secret CIA drone wars and other American air campaigns in the 18-year-long war on terror … Continue reading “The Senate Drone Report of 2019”

Beyond the Senate Torture Report

Originally posted at TomDispatch. It came from the top and that’s never been a secret.  The president authorized the building of those CIA "black sites" and the use of what came to be known as "enhanced interrogation techniques" and has spoken of this with a certain pride. The president’s top officials essentially put in an … Continue reading “Beyond the Senate Torture Report”

The Pentagon as President Obama’s Great White Whale

Originally posted at TomDispatch. There’s finally good news when it comes to the renewal of the Faith. I’m talking, of course, about the nuclear faith. In case you happen to have forgotten, that’s the Cold War belief that a U.S. arsenal big enough to destroy several Earth-sized planets and on a hair-trigger alert remains crucial … Continue reading “The Pentagon as President Obama’s Great White Whale”

Thank You for Making War!

Originally posted at TomDispatch. Often enough when something goes missing, it takes a while to realize that it’s gone. An example that came to me recently is the once-commonplace word “peace.” It’s not just that, in a time of public dissatisfaction with America’s wars, there’s no mention of a “peace movement” or “peace signs,” but … Continue reading “Thank You for Making War!”

One Family, Two Doors, Nowhere to Run

Originally posted at TomDispatch. During the Israeli attacks on Gaza this past summer, U.S. officials were unusually vocal. After shelling killed four young Palestinians on a beach, for example, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki called it “horrifying.” “The tragic event makes clear that Israel must take every possible step to meet its standards for protecting … Continue reading “One Family, Two Doors, Nowhere to Run”

The War Party Ascendant

Originally posted at TomDispatch. It was the end of the road for Chuck Hagel last week and the Washington press corps couldn’t have been more enthusiastic about writing his obituary. In terms of pure coverage, it may not have been Ferguson or the seven-foot deluge of snow that hit Buffalo, New York, but the avalanche … Continue reading “The War Party Ascendant”

Seeing the Reality of the Vietnam War, 50 Years Late

Originally posted at TomDispatch. Introduction, Sunday, November 24, 2014: When I scanned the front page of the New York Times one recent morning and spotted this headline, “In a Shift, Obama Extends U.S. Role in Afghan Combat,” I instantly wanted to pick up the phone. It was an urge I had to repress by reminding … Continue reading “Seeing the Reality of the Vietnam War, 50 Years Late”