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 Anniversary From Hell

Four years ago, the United States invaded Iraq. It’s the anniversary few want to remember; and yet, for all the disillusionment in this country, getting out of Iraq doesn’t exactly seem to be on the agenda either. Not really. Here’s a little tip, when you want to assess the “withdrawal” proposals being offered by members … Continue reading “The Anniversary From Hell”

A Journalist Writes Bloody Murder… and No One Notices

Let me see if I’ve got this straight. Perhaps two years ago, an “informal” meeting of “veterans” of the 1980s Iran-Contra scandal – holding positions in the Bush administration – was convened by Deputy National Security Adviser Elliott Abrams. Discussed were the “lessons learned” from that labyrinthine, secret, and illegal arms-for-money-for-arms deal involving the Israelis, … Continue reading “A Journalist Writes Bloody Murder… and No One Notices”

Iraq as a Cauldron of State Terrorism

When it comes to surging in Iraq, it’s “encouraging” out there. So the president tells us (“Yet even at this early hour, there are some encouraging signs…”); so Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, the surge commander in Baghdad, tells us (“[It’s] too early to discern significant trends, [but] there have been a few encouraging signs…”). No, … Continue reading “Iraq as a Cauldron of State Terrorism”

Guantánamo Is Not a Prison

Once upon a time, our offshore prison at Guantánamo was the sort of place where even an American National Guardsman, only pretending to be a recalcitrant prisoner “extracted” from a cell for training purposes, could be beaten almost senseless. This actually happened to 35 year-old “model soldier” Sean Baker, who had been in Gulf War … Continue reading “Guantánamo Is Not a Prison”

The Last Hot-Button Issue for the Bush Administration

Let’s start with the obvious waste. We know that hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have lost their lives since the Bush administration invaded their country in March 2003, that almost 2 million may have fled to other countries, and that possibly millions more have been displaced from their homes in ethnic-cleansing campaigns. We also know … Continue reading “The Last Hot-Button Issue for the Bush Administration”

Will Iraq Become the Democrats’ War?

Nothing reminds us more of how much the American constitutional system has been transformed, of just how extreme the “imperial presidency” has become, than Congress’ generally woeful record in the second half of the last century and in the first years of this one to exert any significant control over or brakes on White House … Continue reading “Will Iraq Become the Democrats’ War?”

Will We Suffer from the Iraq Syndrome?

In recent days, we’ve have two reports on timing, when it comes to the future of the president’s “surge” plan for Baghdad. According to Richard A. Oppel of the New York Times, “The plan, which calls for 17,000 additional troops in Baghdad, will continue until at least this fall, the second-ranking commander in Iraq, Lt. … Continue reading “Will We Suffer from the Iraq Syndrome?”

Talking Points for the Next War

At 10:16 p.m. on March 19, 2003, after copious military preparations in the Persian Gulf region and beyond, after months of diplomatic maneuvers at the United Nations, after a drumbeat of leaked intelligence warnings and hair-raising statements by top U.S. officials and the president about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and how close Saddam Hussein … Continue reading “Talking Points for the Next War”

Surging Into
Catastrophe in Iraq

U.S. casualties, which are at a post-invasion high: According to an Associated Press analysis, more American troops were “killed in combat in Iraq over the past four months – at least 334 through Jan. 31 – than in any comparable stretch since the war began”; and February, with 34 American deaths in its first nine … Continue reading “Surging Into
Catastrophe in Iraq”

Thelma and Louise Imperialism: Over the Cliff with George and Dick?

Let me make an argument about Bush administration Iran policy – about the possibility that a regime-change-style, shock-and-awe air assault might someday be launched on Iranian nuclear facilities and associated targets – based on no insider knowledge, just the logic of George and Dick’s Thelma-and-Louise-style imperialism. Of course, we all know at least half the … Continue reading “Thelma and Louise Imperialism: Over the Cliff with George and Dick?”