Stories by Tom Engelhardt

 Tom Engelhardt, co-founder of the American Empire Project and the author of The American Way of War: How Bush’s Wars Became Obama’s as well as The End of Victory Culture, runs the Nation Institute's TomDispatch.com. His latest book, The United States of Fear (Haymarket Books), has just been published in November. Sign up to receive the latest updates fromTomDispatch.com here. subscribe to Tom Engelhardt's feed

Flailing Empire: Afghanistan and the Great American Unraveling

Posted on: Jul 3, 2011, Source: TomDispatch.com

It's not really much of a mystery what happens to overextended imperial powers that find themselves fighting "little" wars they can’t win as their treasuries head south.

What's Victory? The Nine Orwellian Propaganda Terms That Define Our War State

Posted on: Jun 24, 2011, Source: TomDispatch.com

Here are nine common terms, including "victory" and "enemy" used by our government and military that probably don’t mean what you think they mean.

The Militarization of America: How the Military Mindset Is Permeating Our Political Culture and Society

Posted on: Jun 14, 2011, Source: TomDispatch.com

Our president and elected representatives must serve as a check on the military establishment, rather than issuing blank checks to them.

100% Scared: How the National Security Complex Grows on Terrorism Fears

Posted on: Jun 10, 2011, Source: TomDispatch.com

Americans don't expect 100% safety from illness, car crashes, or even shark attacks. But our obsession with 100% safety from terrorism is fueling the military-industrial complex.

Are We Living in Post-Legal America?

Posted on: May 30, 2011, Source: TomDispatch.com

At least in terms of what used to be called "foreign policy," and more recently "national security," the United States is now a post-legal society.

Why Haven't We Learned Anything After 10 Years of Fighting in Afghanistan?

Posted on: May 19, 2011, Source: TomDispatch.com

Almost 10 years after the Bush administration invaded Afghanistan, we find ourselves in a state that might otherwise be achieved only if you mated déjà vu with a Mobius strip.

China as Number One? Don't Bet Your Bottom Dollar

Posted on: May 8, 2011, Source: TomDispatch.com

The specter of China as the USA's future enemy once again has reared its ugly head.

Osama Bin Laden's American Legacy

Posted on: May 5, 2011, Source: TomDispatch.com

The world bin Laden really changed forever wasn't in the Greater Middle East. It was here.

Imperial Decline: How Does It Feel to Be Inside a Dying Empire?

Posted on: Apr 19, 2011, Source: TomDispatch.com

Could this be what it’s like to watch, paralyzed, as a country on autopilot begins to come apart at the seams while still proclaiming itself “the greatest nation on Earth”?

Why We Should Start Using New Terms to Describe U.S. Air Power

Posted on: Mar 17, 2011, Source: TomDispatch.com

To put it simply, it’s time for Americans to take the "war" out of "air war."

The American Empire Is Collapsing Before Our Eyes in the Mideast

Posted on: Mar 2, 2011, Source: TomDispatch.com

As the sun peeks over the horizon of the Arab world, dusk is descending on America.

With an $80 Billion Budget, How Did Our Intel Agencies Fail to See the Revolution That Exploded in Egypt?

Posted on: Feb 15, 2011, Source: TomDispatch.com

You don’t need an $80-billion-plus budget and a morass of 17 intelligence agencies to look at the world and draw a few intelligent conclusions.

How Hosni Mubarak Became One of the Richest Men in the World on Our Dime

Posted on: Feb 13, 2011, Source: TomDispatch.com

The fortune amassed by Egypt’s former president and his two sons (both billionaires) could reach $70 billion.

Steep Oil Prices, Food Shortages Will Likely Spark Deadly Riots This Year

Posted on: Jan 23, 2011, Source: TomDispatch.com

From now on, rising prices, powerful storms, severe droughts and floods, and other unexpected events are likely to play havoc with the fabric of global society.

Needed: A 12-Step Program for the Warmongers -- The Pentagon Has Been Hooked on Empire for 30 Years

Posted on: Jan 5, 2011, Source: TomDispatch.com

Washington, the Pentagon, and the U.S. military need to enter rehab for their addiction to waging war and empire across the planet.

How Quickly Our Heroic Troops Are Forgotten When They Die

Posted on: Dec 9, 2010, Source: TomDispatch.com

The casualties of the imperial venture Afghanistan rarely make much news anymore.

How to Schedule a War: The Incredible Shrinking Withdrawal Date

Posted on: Nov 24, 2010, Source: TomDispatch.com

Every date that's set by military commanders always contains a verbal escape hatch into the future.

The Evidence Is Overwhelming: We Aren't Getting Out of Afghanistan or Even Iraq

Posted on: Nov 14, 2010, Source: TomDispatch.com

Embassies the size of pyramids and military bases to stagger the imagination are still being built. Washington is not packing up its tents -- not even in Iraq.

Conservatives Are Still Fighting the Crusades -- We Must Overcome Their Destructive Islamophobia

Posted on: Nov 7, 2010, Source: TomDispatch.com

The increased power of GOP militants in Congress suggests that we'll be living with Islamophobia for some time. Let's hope Crusades 2.0 have a shorter lifespan than the original.

American Empire Produces 11 Global Winners -- Hint: They Aren't the Good Guys

Posted on: Nov 4, 2010, Source: TomDispatch.com

Predicting the fortunes of Osama bin Laden, China, Pakistan and Israel.

Ballot Box Blues: The Most Dispiriting Election of a Lifetime

Posted on: Nov 2, 2010, Source: TomDispatch.com

However breathlessly reported as a Republican triumph or Democratic save or Tea Party miracle (or anything else), the election will result in more political gridlock.

The War Addicts: the Pentagon and Military Would Do Almost Anything to Continue Neverending War

Posted on: Oct 3, 2010, Source: TomDispatch.com

Perpetual war is in the military and Pentagon's blood -- and they're ready to face down the commander-in-chief to make it continue.

Is the Military Undermining the Constitution?

Posted on: Sep 26, 2010, Source: TomDispatch.com

According to Bob Woodward's new book, the Pentagon gamed the Afghan war decision to the military's liking (with Woodward's help.) Meanwhile, perpetual war is on Petraeus' agenda.

Why the Decline of America Can Be a Good Thing for America

Posted on: Sep 21, 2010, Source: TomDispatch.com

First and foremost, decline means the troops are coming home and the warmongers won't be able to stop it.

So You Think Know About the American Empire? -- 11 Questions to Test Your Knowledge

Posted on: Sep 14, 2010, Source: TomDispatch.com

Now’s your chance to pit your wits (and your ability to suspend disbelief) against the best the Pentagon has to offer.

Will Our Generals Shut Up? How Military Leaders Have Taken Over Our Global Policy

Posted on: Sep 12, 2010, Source: TomDispatch.com

Generals mouth off on a range of policy issues, pushing their pro-war propaganda on the American public. They are trying to take control of our foreign policy.

5 Radical Ideas to Transcend Washington's War Mentality

Posted on: Aug 15, 2010, Source: TomDispatch.com

Construction at Bagram Air Base tells the real, ugly story about the future of the Afghan war.

Could "Success" in Afghanistan Be Worse Than Failure?

Posted on: Jul 11, 2010, Source: TomDispatch.com

Success means that the fifth poorest country in the world and foremost narco state is ours for years to come.

America's Tragic Descent into Empire

Posted on: Jul 6, 2010, Source: Haymarket Books

Engelhardt's new book, "The American Way of War," explores the U.S.'s jaw-dropping transformation into a global military empire.

Are We Going Down Like the Soviets?

Posted on: Jun 20, 2010, Source: TomDispatch.com

The Soviets made a devastating miscalculation: they mistook military power for power on this planet. Sound familiar?

Does the Obama Administration Know What It's Doing in Afghanistan and Iraq?

Posted on: May 17, 2010, Source: TomDispatch.com

For all the policy reviews and shuttling officials, the surging troops, extra private contractors, and new bases, Obama’s wars are worsening.

The Pentagon's Wasteful Ways -- The Numbers Are Staggering

Posted on: Apr 6, 2010, Source: TomDispatch.com

The Pentagon has been fighting its wars in these last years like a compulsive shopper without a 12-step recovery program in sight.

Why We Really Should Think Twice About Exporting Our Ideas of Democracy Abroad

Posted on: Apr 1, 2010, Source: TomDispatch.com

The fact is we have no word adequate to describe what, at the national level, we still persist in calling "democracy."

What Makes Us Think We Can Help "Govern" Afghanistan?

Posted on: Feb 20, 2010, Source: TomDispatch.com

Why do American officials think they have the special ability to teach Afghans to embark on good governance in their country if we can't do it in Washington?

Cars, Riptides, Lightning -- All More Likely to Kill You Than Terrorists

Posted on: Feb 14, 2010, Source: TomDispatch.com

Any attempted terror attack, no matter how poorly executed, raises a national alarm -- and our paranoia only adds to the power of the imperial presidency.

Could U.S. Air Strikes Push Pakistan into Khmer Rouge Type Genocide?

Posted on: Feb 7, 2010, Source: TomDispatch.com

As in the 1960s in Cambodia, U.S. air strikes are having a devastating effect in Pakistan, not just on the targeted communities, but on public consciousness throughout the region.

Mercenaries, Robot Planes and the CIA Produce Lethal Mix for Secret Afghan War

Posted on: Jan 10, 2010, Source: TomDispatch.com

In Afghanistan, a militarized mix of CIA operatives and ex-military mercenaries as well as native recruits and robot aircraft is fighting a war in the shadows.

2020: China Rises, the U.S. Declines and the Planet Strikes Back

Posted on: Jan 5, 2010, Source: TomDispatch.com

Much will change in 10 years. China will rise, the global South will grow in importance, the U.S. will decline. These phenomena will be eclipsed by devastating planetary changes.

US Is Increasing Its Hegemony As the "Global War Gladiator" Under Obama

Posted on: Jan 3, 2010, Source: TomDispatch.com

What to watch for in 2010 from the country that spends more on war than the next 25 combined.

The 9 Surges of Obama's War

Posted on: Dec 13, 2009, Source: TomDispatch.com

The troop surge is only one part of the escalation of the Afghanistan war. Here are 8 more signs of how fully the President has committed us.

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