War Hawks' 'Credibility' Obsession Makes America Less Credible
Trump is making the same mistakes Nixon did, doubling down on pointless threats to save face.
Vietnam
How the U.S. Sold Its Longest War with a Bodyguard of Lies
Filmmaker Dan Krauss explains how U.S. leaders misled the public about Afghanistan, why the media failed to push back, and how money and power kept America’s longest war alive long after it was lost.
Trump Promised 'Reciprocal' Tariffs. The Numbers Tell a Different Story.
In most cases, Trump's tariffs are significantly higher than the tariffs charged by other countries on American goods.
Trump's Trade Deals Won't End the Harm Caused by His Tariffs
In each case, tariffs remain much higher than they were before the deals.
Trump Seeks Even Higher Tariffs: 'Between 15 Percent and 50 Percent' on Imports From All Countries
The 10 percent baseline reciprocal tariff rate was bad for America; the 15 percent rate is even worse.
Trump's New Trade Deal Has a Clear Winner: Vietnam
Americans will continue to pay higher tariffs, while Vietnamese businesses won't pay anything. Whatever happened to reciprocity?
That Time the FBI Conspired To Get George Foreman an Award for Boxing
In 1968, the feds thought that the boxing champion—and future grill salesman—could be a potent weapon against the left.
Trump's New Tariffs on These 3 Countries Look Particularly Foolish
What tariffs on Singapore, Brazil, and Vietnam can tell us about how Trump misunderstands the value of trade.
5 of the Worst USAID Scandals in History
The agency's low points, from working with child sex abusers to enabling drug trafficking
War Is a Self-Licking Ice Cream Cone
Washington risks Americans’ lives in wars of choice, then uses their deaths to justify more war.
Biden and Trump Are Both Disastrously Wrong About Tariffs
Yes, cheap imports hurt some American companies. But protectionist trade policy harms many more Americans than it helps.
Trump and Biden Both Get Globalization Wrong
Free trade brings us more stuff at lower prices.
How Capitalism Beat Communism in Vietnam
It only took a generation to go from ration cards to exporting electronics.
Libertarian History/Philosophy
Jennifer Burns: Why Milton Friedman Matters More Than Ever
The biographer of the Nobel laureate says he made us "free to choose" in areas far beyond economics.
Annie Duke: Quitting Is Totally Underrated
The psychologist and poker champion says too many of us don't understand the power of knowing when to walk away.
North Carolina's Bad Billion-Dollar Bet on a Struggling E.V. Company
Vietnamese electric vehicle manufacturer VinFast has lost $5.8 billion in three years, during which time the state of North Carolina pledged $1.2 billion in state incentives.
Goodbye to George Santos and Henry Kissinger
Plus: an unexpected digression into the world of Little Debbie dessert snack cakes.
Henry Kissinger's Deadly Career Gives the Lie to the Myth of the Disinterested Statesman
But his cynical brand of realism did at least lead him to caution against some of America's ideological military adventures.
The Creator Is a Pro-A.I., Pro-Freedom, Anti-Imperialist Sci-Fi War Movie
Conceptually, it's all a bit vague, but it sure looks amazing.
How Rage Against the Machine Used Capitalism To Sell Communism
A calculated corporate deal propelled these radical rockers all the way to the Hall of Fame.
Barbie Banned in Vietnam!
The glitter-filled movie got involved in authoritarian geopolitics by allegedly displaying Chinese propaganda.
RIP Daniel Ellsberg, Who Told the World the Truth About the Vietnam War
The Pentagon Papers leaker risked prison to reveal that American military officials were lying to Congress and the public about Vietnam. He died today at age 92.
Daniel Akst: The World War II Pacifists Who Changed America Forever
"Christian libertarians" Bayard Rustin and David Dellinger challenged state power and ended up leading the civil rights movement and anti-Vietnam War protests.
Banning Chinese Products in the Name of 'National Security' Could Have Disastrous Consequences
It would result in shortages, decreases in productivity, and higher production costs affecting millions of American workers and nearly every consumer.
Markets Aren't Perfect, but Government Is Worse
The free market allows people to cooperate, fix errors, and adapt to changing circumstances.
Dump the Draft Forever Instead of Making Women Register
Why is registration for involuntary servitude still a thing?
RIP Mike Gravel, Unapologetic Opponent of War and Star of Absurdist Presidential Campaign Ads
A heterodox hero and committed antiwar activist, Gravel put the Pentagon Papers in the public record.
The Publication of the Pentagon Papers Still Sets an Example 50 Years Later
Whistleblowers and publishers are crucial for keeping government officials reasonably honest.
No, COVID-19 Isn't Like the Vietnam War. It Isn't Like Any War.
The coronavirus pandemic has killed roughly as many Americans as died in Vietnam. But the war metaphor serves mostly to sweep aside skepticism and dodge difficult questions.
American Manufacturing Is Growing, but Trump's Tariffs Aren't the Reason Why
A new report shows that American imports from Asia continue to grow, although the tariffs might be responsible for shifting some manufacturing from China to Vietnam and elsewhere.
How Vietnam Gave Us C-SPAN
Brian Lamb, the network's founder, is stepping down as CEO after 40 years of putting cameras on Congress, hosting in-depth interviews, and creating an enduring home for diverse civil discourse.
Why Is the Trump Administration Trying to Deport Thousands of Vietnamese Immigrants?
The administration is trying to reinterpret a 2008 agreement with the Vietnamese government.
The Wild Rise of Lyndon LaRouche
What a conspiracy theorist, a Vietnam War deserter, and a Trump adviser have in common
No More Vietnam Syndrome
If only the lessons of Vietnam, or even of Iraq, would actually stick.
Vietnam and the Rise of White Power
A new book ties racist reactionary politics to the war, but overreaches when it comes to militias.
Stop Whining About Not Being 'Allowed' to Criticize John McCain
Your unfettered expression is only one click away, and the late senator himself engaged in ritual self-criticism, Matt Welch argues on Bloggingheads.
John McCain, the Senate's Most Influential Hawk, Is Dead
The late Arizona senator's relentless energy and patriotic sense of honor led him to heroic acts of defiance, but also misguided support for disastrous foreign interventions.
My Conversations with John Bolton
Trump's new National Security Adviser is a preemptive warrior, a nonproliferation obsessive, and someone who has described himself as a "hawkish libertarian."
When a Mash Note to a War Criminal Hit the Top 40
Friday A/V Club: My Lai's musical apologists
The Vietnam Syndrome: How We Lost It and Why We Need It Back
How could we be repeating the mistakes of Vietnam already?
