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...

read more

The Sea Island Conspiracy

Over the long weekend before the Mississippi and Michigan primaries, the sky above Sea Island was black with corporate jets. Apple's Tim Cook, Google's Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, Napster's Sean Parker, Tesla Motors' Elon Musk, and other members of the super-rich...

read more

On Killer Bipartisanship

One grim party game for election 2016 involves the question, which candidate will be the least bloodthirsty? There is no answer to be found, just educated guesses. Sen. Bernie Sanders and wildcard Donald Trump might be the least overtly, specifically hawkish...

read more

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,...

read more

Reviving Napoleon’s Army

It is curious how little military men know about war. You would think they would think about it more. Yet, oddly, they regularly misjudge practically everything concerning the dismal trade. Their errors are not the sort that inevitably must occur in a contest, as when...

read more