Tom Engelhardt: The Torture Wars
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 … Continue reading
Tom Engelhardt: The Cost of Endless War
The money should stagger you. Journalist James Risen, author of Pay Any Price: Greed, Power, and Endless War, a revelatory new book about the scammers, counterterrorism grifters, careerist bureaucrats, torture … Continue reading
Tom Engelhardt: Afghanistan mi amor
From the beginning, it was to be “Russia’s Vietnam.” First the administration of President Jimmy Carter, then that of President Ronald Reagan was determined to give the Soviet Union a … Continue reading
Tom Engelhardt: Edward Snowden and the Golden Age of Spying
Here’s a Ripley’s Believe It or Not! stat from our new age of national security. How many Americans have security clearances? The answer: 5.1 million, a figure that reflects the … Continue reading
Tom Engelhardt: On Being An Indispensable Nation
President Barack Obama delivers the commencement speech to the U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 2012 at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 23, 2012. It was May 23, … Continue reading
Tom Engelhardt: America’s Soundtrack of Hysteria
It happened so fast that, at first, I didn’t even take it in. Two Saturdays ago, a friend and I were heading into the Phillips Museum in Washington, D.C., to … Continue reading
Tom Engelhardt: How America Made ISIS
Whatever your politics, you’re not likely to feel great about America right now. After all, there’s Ferguson (the whole world was watching!), an increasingly unpopular president, a Congress whose approval ratings … Continue reading
Tom Engelhardt: Guns, Guns, Guns
One of the grimmer small events of recent American life occurred just as 2014 was ending. A mother had her two-year old toddler perched in a shopping cart at an … Continue reading →