militarism

The "Great" Powers are Seeing Remarkably Diminished Returns from War

by Tom Englehardt

The legacy of the victory culture engendered by World War II has been a string of costly defeats and stalemates against theoretically overmatched foes and the destructive subordination of the economy and democracy to "national defense" and militarism. 

A Known and Unknown War

by Michael Brenes

"Time and distance are essential to the historian’s craft. They help us pursue the false promise of objectivity. I should embrace them when thinking about the Iraq War, but I don’t."

We're Living in the World (un)Made by the Iraq War

Three New Yorker writers look at the impact of the Iraq invasion, from the rise of Trump to the collapse of public trust in experts and authority. 

Aside from Bush and Cheney, Who's Most Responsible for Iraq?

Historians, journalists, and international relations scholars assess whether lesser-known figures in government, media and intelligence deserve more blame for the Iraq invasion. 

Despite Ike's Warning, We're Still Nailed to a Cross of Iron

by William Astore

At the start of his presidency, Eisenhower warned of the dangers and costs of escalating militarism. By the end of his term, he was convinced the Military-Industrial Complex had entrenched itself. It was only getting started. 

Militarized Super Bowl Abuses Truth of Pat Tillman's Life and Death

by William Astore

Tillman’s statue captures the essence of a man full of life. His death by friendly fire in a misbegotten war, made worse by the lies told to the Tillman family by the U.S. military, reminds us that the essence of war is death. The NFL, as a sponsored partner of the Pentagon, would like us to forget.

On Ukraine, International Law is Against Russia—But to What Consequence?

by Lawrence Wittner

If the United Nations can define the rules of international relations, but sufficiently powerful nations can flout them without consequence, it's time for a change in global governance. 

Why the Kremlin Made "Z" its Symbol of the Ukraine Invasion

by Alexander Etkind

Can Russia's aggression against Ukraine be explained by its leaders fetishizing the small differences in national life, and the divergent fortunes of the post-Soviet generation, in the two countries? Are those gaps so small that only an invented symbol could express them? 

Will Ukraine Be the Death of German Pacifism?

by Stephen Milder

The real transformation wrought in Europe by the Russian invasion isn't the return of war (which was certainly present in the 1990s) but the turn of Germany away from a post-fascist pacifist posture to a potential remilitarization. 

Peace is Not Our Profession

by William J. Astore

The unveiling of the newest stealth bomber underscores the fundamental insanity and cruel wastefulness of the policy of peace through nuclear deterrence, argues a historian and retired USAF lieutenant colonel. 

The Passing of the Generation that Remembers the Last World War Makes the Next One More Likely

by Stephen Wertheim

The United States faces a growing risk of conflict with other global powers without a strong awareness of how difficult and all-consuming it could be for the military, civilians, and the entire society. 

German Debate About Arming Ukraine is an Argument About Germany

by Anne Applebaum

Do Germany's lessons from the Nazi era mean that Germans should help other natins resist aggressive war, or that Germany shouldn't be involved? Germans still aren't sure. 

Destroying the Town is Not Saving It

by William Astore

An imagined graduation speech to the Air Force Academy encourages listeners to refuse to become death dealers. 

The Arsenal of Autocracy

by William Hartung

If the current global situation is getting you down, think of the arms manufacturers: they're doing great. 

Democracy's Enemies are Abroad, but Also at Home

by Jim Sleeper

If neoconservative warnings of a coming global struggle between Russia and "the West" are right, the west must consider what changes it is willing to make to allow for a victory without planetery catastrophe. 

Why I Can't Wave a Ukrainian Flag – A Dissenting Teach-In on Russia's Invasion

by Daniel Herman

"If Americans who fly Ukrainian flags actually want to help Ukrainians, they would be well advised to support diplomatic negotiations rather than limitless flows of weaponry."

A Tax Day Confessional from a Failed Tax Protester

by Rebecca Gordon

Reflections on the history of tax-based civil disobedience. 

The Ukraine Temptation – Can Biden Resist a New Cold War?

by Stephen Wertheim

A bid to restore global military primacy is no more merited today than it was before the invasion. 

Honoring Dr. King's Other, More Challenging Dream, 55 Years Later

King's famous Riverside Church speech on April 4, 1967 marked the leader's decisive opposition to the war in Vietnam and reflected his moral clarity and willingness to take unpopular positions in the pursuit of justice by calling out racism, capitalism and militarism as three intertwined evils. 

Who Speaks for the World when Great Powers Flex Their Muscle?

by Lawrence Wittner

"Are the people of the world condemned to live forever under the heels of the great powers?  Or is it still possible to take another step along the road to a peaceful, humane planet?"