TomDispatch
banner
tomdispatch.bsky.social
TomDispatch
@tomdispatch.bsky.social
For those seeking a deeper understanding of our post-9/11 world & a clear sense of how our imperial globe actually works. https://tomdispatch.com/
Alfred McCoy's vision of empire and energy from the 15th century to late tomorrow night is, I believe, unique and uniquely insightful. -Tom
Ozymandias on the Potomac
At the dawning of the British Empire in 1818, the romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley penned a memorable sonnet freighted with foreboding about the inevitable decline of all empires, whether in ancient Egypt or then-modern
tomdispatch.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Ozymandias on the Potomac: Energy Policy and the Politics of American Decline
Ozymandias on the Potomac
At the dawning of the British Empire in 1818, the romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley penned a memorable sonnet freighted with foreboding about the inevitable decline of all empires, whether in ancient Egypt or then-modern
tomdispatch.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:37 PM
From TomDispatch this morning: Alfred McCoy's vision of empire and energy from the 15th century to late tomorrow night is, I believe, unique and uniquely insightful -- Alfred McCoy, "Ozymandias on the Potomac, Energy Policy and the Politics of American Decline" tomdispatch.com/ozymandias-o...
Ozymandias on the Potomac
At the dawning of the British Empire in 1818, the romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley penned a memorable sonnet freighted with foreboding about the inevitable decline of all empires, whether in ancient...
tomdispatch.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:43 PM
@jricole.bsky.social at TomDispatch today: The mystery of why the high-tech sector is now trying to kill climate science in a world that hasn’t yet found a way to get on a trajectory likely to decrease carbon dioxide emissions substantially.
Bill Gates, Hurricane Melissa, And a Civilization Under Threat
In late October, Hurricane Melissa (that should have been called “Godzilla”) battered western Jamaica with 185-mile-an-hour winds. It tossed the roofs of buildings about like splintering javelins, demolished municipal buildings and hospitals, snapped telephone poles
tomdispatch.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:52 AM
The mystery of why the tech sector is now trying to kill climate science in a world that hasn’t yet found a way decrease carbon dioxide emissions substantially -- Juan Cole, "The Hot Tub of Death? Bill Gates, Hurricane Melissa, And a Civilization Under Threat" tomdispatch.com/the-hot-tub-...
Bill Gates, Hurricane Melissa, And a Civilization Under Threat
In late October, Hurricane Melissa (that should have been called “Godzilla”) battered western Jamaica with 185-mile-an-hour winds. It tossed the roofs of buildings about like splintering javelins, dem...
tomdispatch.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Mattea Kramer at TomDispatch today: The fight to protect free speech in an increasingly embattled country.
An Unexpected Con to End Free Speech
Rooting out terrorism and antisemitism was the supposed reason that plainclothed ICE agents arrested doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk on a street in Somerville, Massachusetts, after she coauthored an op-ed calling on Tufts University to divest
tomdispatch.com
November 21, 2025 at 2:10 AM
Creating a New East Wing of Heaven, While Sending the Rest of Us to Hell in a Handbasket
by Tom Engelhardt
A President Delivering Us to World's End?
When I began TomDispatch in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and the invasion of Afghanistan, believe me, the world did not look good. But I guarantee you one thing: if you had told me
tomdispatch.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Tom Engelhardt at TomDispatch today: Imagining Donald Trump as a genuine symptom of this world’s end (at least as we human beings once knew it).
A President Delivering Us to World's End?
When I began TomDispatch in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and the invasion of Afghanistan, believe me, the world did not look good. But I guarantee you one thing: if you had told me
tomdispatch.com
November 19, 2025 at 1:27 AM
A President Delivering Us to World's End?
A President Delivering Us to World's End?
When I began TomDispatch in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and the invasion of Afghanistan, believe me, the world did not look good. But I guarantee you one thing: if you had told me
tomdispatch.com
November 18, 2025 at 11:27 PM
As @johnfeffer.bsky.social writes in his weekly essay at FPIF, Trump indeed does deserve the Nobel War Prize (and no, that "war" is not a mistake).
Trump Should Win the Nobel War Prize - FPIF
War with Venezuela, military intervention in Mexico, the attack in Iran, the deployment of military force in U.S. cities, a trillion dollar military budget: Trump deserves a Nobel prize, but not for peace.
fpif.org
November 18, 2025 at 3:59 AM
At Responsible Statecraft, Senator Rand Paul offers a striking(ly grim) context for the upcoming possible U.S. war against Venezuela. And while I wouldn't agree with him on many things, he's genuinely on target here. -Tom
America First? For DC swamp, it's always 'War First'
These ideologues have been willing to sacrifice our citizens and sow chaos with their recycled experiments in regime change. Next stop: Venezuela.
responsiblestatecraft.org
November 18, 2025 at 3:01 AM
The Wrath of the Con Man
by Ashley Gate & William Hartung
The Wrath of the Con Man
Kathryn Bigelow’s new nuclear thriller, A House of Dynamite, has been criticized by some experts for being unrealistic, most notably because it portrays an unlikely scenario in which an adversary chooses to attack the United
tomdispatch.com
November 18, 2025 at 2:20 AM
The Trump campaign in the Caribbean now has a grim name: "Southern Spear." And all sorts of ships, including an aircraft carrier task force and 15,000 U.S. troops, are now in the region. Watch out!
Trump Escalates Pressure on Venezuela, but Endgame Is Unclear
President Trump’s aides have provided conflicting accounts of what, exactly, they are seeking to achieve, as America’s largest aircraft carrier heads toward the Caribbean region.
www.nytimes.com
November 18, 2025 at 1:38 AM
Ashley Gate & William Hartung at TomDispatch today: Donald Trump's "Golden Dome" missile defense system will cost a fortune and do next to nothing to defend us.
The Wrath of the Con Man
Kathryn Bigelow’s new nuclear thriller, A House of Dynamite, has been criticized by some experts for being unrealistic, most notably because it portrays an unlikely scenario in which an adversary chooses to attack the United
tomdispatch.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:41 PM
"Westerners could admit at any point that we have misread our place in the cosmos and shift toward this older, still living worldview."
The last frontier of empathy: why we still struggle to see ourselves as animals | Megan Mayhew Bergman
Champions of exceptionalism say humans hold a unique moral status. Yet there’s only one species recklessly destroying the planet it needs to survive
www.theguardian.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:51 AM
"But new ideas are hard precisely because they threaten the story that keeps our lives coherent."
The last frontier of empathy: why we still struggle to see ourselves as animals | Megan Mayhew Bergman
Champions of exceptionalism say humans hold a unique moral status. Yet there’s only one species recklessly destroying the planet it needs to survive
www.theguardian.com
November 16, 2025 at 6:39 PM
As Dave DeCamp reports at @antiwarcom.bsky.social the U.S. military is ever more involved in Syria, though there's very little reporting on the subject in the mainstream media.
CENTCOM Says Its Forces Conducted 22 Operations Against ISIS in Syria Over the Past Month - News From Antiwar.com
US Central Command said in a press release on Wednesday that its forces in Syria "advised, assisted, and enabled" more than 22 military operations over the past month that resulted in the killing of five alleged ISIS members and the capture of 19. CENTCOM said the operations were conducted with…
news.antiwar.com
November 16, 2025 at 3:39 AM
Emma Graham-Harrison sums up the nightmare in Gaza now and -- if Trump and crew have their way -- in the future (and, believe me, it isn't pretty).
US military planning for divided Gaza with ‘green zone’ secured by international and Israeli troops
Exclusive: Almost all Palestinians have been displaced to ‘red zone’ where no reconstruction is planned
www.theguardian.com
November 16, 2025 at 2:23 AM
Chris Lehmann offers a striking summary of the Epstein/Trump tale from hell and how Epstein all too improbably became what could be this administration’s greatest threat.
The Epstein Files Could Finally Sink Donald Trump | The Nation
New e-mails show Trump knew of Epstein’s trafficking. As sickening as it is, it should be no surprise.
www.thenation.com
November 15, 2025 at 11:58 PM