Person

Spencer Ackerman

Bylines

The War on Terror Paved the Way for Trump’s Rise—Now He’s Making It His Own

Only the total abolition of the DHS can restore freedom.

by Spencer Ackerman via The Nation
This publication restricts nonsubscriber access to some or all of its articles.
on March 2, 2026
His Works Completed, Dick Cheney, Mass Murderer of Iraqis and American Democracy, Dies

As much as the Trumpists claim to disavow the War on Terror, they walk a path paved by the most powerful vice president in US history.

by Spencer Ackerman via The Nation
This publication restricts nonsubscriber access to some or all of its articles.
on November 4, 2025
Steve Coll’s Latest Shows Saddam Hussein’s Practical Side

‘The Achilles Trap’ reexamines the relationship between Hussein and four U.S. administrations.

by Spencer Ackerman via Washington Post
This publication restricts nonsubscriber access to some or all of its articles.
on February 27, 2024
Henry Kissinger, War Criminal Beloved by America's Ruling Class, Finally Dies

In a demonstration of why he was able to kill so many people and get away with it, the day of his passage will be a solemn one in Congress and newsrooms.

by Spencer Ackerman via Rolling Stone
This publication restricts nonsubscriber access to some or all of its articles.
on November 30, 2023
St. Augustine's 9/11 Anniversary

Lord, implored President Biden, let us "turn the page" on the War on Terror. Just not yet.

by Spencer Ackerman via Forever Wars on September 11, 2023
Return To Little Pakistan: Bobby Khan v. The Police

An immigrant born to working-class activism stands up to an NYPD reborn in the CIA's image.

by Spencer Ackerman via Forever Wars on September 14, 2021
The First Casualty

The selling of the Iraq war.

by Spencer Ackerman, John B. Judis via The New Republic
This publication restricts nonsubscriber access to some or all of its articles.
on June 30, 2003

Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump

Spencer Ackerman

Viewing 1–8 of 8

The Dig

Podcast

The Dig

War on Terror

Episode one of The Dig's three-part War on Terror series. This discussion covers 9/11, bipartisan war fever, and George W. Bush.

September 10, 2021

Donald Rumsfeld in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in 2005 (Jim Young-Pool/Getty Images).

Lasting Cruelties

A new book situates the War on Terror as a story of domination which traces back to the founding of the US as a settler-colonial and slaveholding behemoth.

by Lyle Jeremy Rubin via Dissent on March 30, 2022

George W. Bush giving speech

In the Shadow of 9/11

Two new books argue that the War on Terror changed American politics, but what if the sources of its violence were already long present in the country?

by Samuel Moyn via The Nation on September 7, 2021

How the War on Terror Undermined American Democracy

Spencer Ackerman’s new book argues that the forever wars created the conditions for Trump’s rise.

by Patrick Iber via The New Republic on August 5, 2021

Have We Learned Nothing?

The comparison between last weekend's Hamas attack and 9/11 is apt.

by David Klion via n+1 on October 10, 2023

Black and white photo of U.S. soldiers outside Manila during the Philippine-American War.

The Resounding Darkness of America’s Black Sites

It is in the hidden spaces of American empire that the realities of power can truly be seen.

by Jonathan M. Katz via The Baffler on January 10, 2022

9/11 was a Test. The Books of the Last Two Decades Show How America Failed.

The books of the last two decades show how overreacting to the attacks unmade America’s values.

by Carlos Lozada via Washington Post on September 3, 2021

A photo of law enforcement emerging from a hazy cloud on a city street.

Trump Has Brought America’s Dirty Wars Home

The authoritarian tactics we’ve exported around the world in the name of national security are now being deployed in Portland.

by Stuart Schrader via The New Republic on July 21, 2020

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