william j astore - Page 2 of 2

Why American Efforts to Create Foreign Armies Fail

By William J. Astore, TomDispatch Oct 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 )

The American Cult of Bombing

By William J. Astore, TomDispatch Aug 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 )

Drafted by the National Security State

By William J. Astore, TomDispatch Jun 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 )

The Business of America Is War

By William J. Astore, TomDispatch Oct 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 )

Drone Warfare Is Neither Cheap, Nor Surgical, Nor Decisive

By William J. Astore, TomDispatch Mar 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 )