By William J. Astore, TomDispatchOct 16, 2014
When confronting IS and its band of lightly armed irregulars, a reputedly professional military melted back into the populace. What this behavior made clear was that U.S. efforts to create a new Iraqi army to the tune of $25 billion over 10 years had failed miserably. Dig deeper ( 11 Min. Read )
By William J. Astore, TomDispatchAug 21, 2014
When you do something again and again only to see indifferent or even negative results, you wouldn’t be surprised if a neutral observer questioned your sanity. Yet few Americans question the sanity or cult-like behavior of American presidents as they continue to seek solutions to complex issues by bombing Iraq (as well as numerous other countries across the globe). Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )
By William J. Astore, TomDispatchJun 13, 2014
This country has changed a lot since I joined ROTC in 1981, was fingerprinted, typed for blood, and otherwise poked and prodded. Nowadays, in Fortress America, every one of us is, in some sense, government issue in a surveillance state gone mad. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )
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By William J. Astore, TomDispatchOct 21, 2013
There is a new normal in America: our government may shut down, but our wars continue. Congress may not be able to pass a budget, but the U.S. military can still launch commando raids in Libya and Somalia, and the military-industrial complex can still dominate the world’s arms trade. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )
By William J. Astore, TomDispatchMar 26, 2013
Encouraging politicians to seek seemingly low-cost, Olympian solutions to complex human problems -- like Zeus hurling thunderbolts from the sky -- has fostered fantasies of illimitable power emboldened by contempt for human life. But the mortals on the receiving end have shown surprising strength in frustrating the designs of the air power gods. The fact requires explanation. Dig deeper ( 10 Min. Read )
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