Politics

American History for Truthdiggers: Reconstruction, a Failed Experiment

Maj. Danny Sjursen / Truthdig Sep 29, 2018 After many thousands of Northerners died in a war aimed in part at freeing the slaves, white America lacked the will to follow through. Dig deeper ( 20 Min. Read )

Confederate Monuments

Jeff Danziger / Truthdig Aug 15, 2018 Dig deeper

Syria Declares Capital Back Under Its Control

ZEINA KARAM / The Associated Press May 21, 2018 With the capture from Islamic State militants of an enclave in southern Damascus, the city and its suburbs are now in the hands of Syrian President Bashar Assad for the first time since 2011. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Department of Offense

Maj. Danny Sjursen / Truthdig Apr 26, 2018 What defense? Offensive war is the new normal for the U.S. military, which has been playing "away games" since 1898 and losing since 1950. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

France, U.K. Gamble in Joining Trump’s Syria Strike

ANGELA CHARLTON, DANICA KIRKA and RAF CASERT / The Associated Press Apr 14, 2018 Critics swiftly accuse the two U.S. allies of playing loyal deputies to an unpredictable American leader, viewed by many in Europe with suspicion or outright scorn. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

‘Mission Accomplished’ in Syria, Trump Declares on Twitter

ROBERT BURNS, JILL COLVIN and ZEKE MILLER / The Associated Press Apr 14, 2018 But Syrian allies Russia and Iran call the use of force by Western allies a "military crime" and "act of aggression" with the potential to worsen a humanitarian crisis. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Arm America? John Wayne Would Lose Real Shootouts

Allen Barra / Truthdig Mar 3, 2018 Some of the ideas to solve gun violence are right out of Hollywood—because in reality, more "good guys with guns" only increase the odds of tragedy. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

The Coming Constitutional Crisis

Bill Blum / Truthdig Dec 11, 2017 Are we on the threshold of another Watergate—or something worse? Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

The Confederacy Endures

Maj. Danny Sjursen / Truthdig Dec 8, 2017 The inconvenient truth is that the military, especially the Army, has long reflected a political and cultural divide in the United States. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

Dear John Kelly: Slavery Was Wrong—and Muslims Helped Us See That

Juan Cole / Informed Comment Nov 1, 2017 Trump's chief of staff implied that the South can't be blamed for trying to retain the practice in the 1860s because at the time most of the world's people favored slavery. Not true. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly Criticized for Civil War Comments

Jon Queally / Common Dreams Oct 31, 2017 The former Marine general is facing harsh criticism for arguing that "lack of ability to compromise" led to the Civil War and for praising Robert E. Lee as a "noble man." Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Is Nationalism Fracturing Our Planet?

John Feffer / TomDispatch Oct 25, 2017 Across the United States, Europe and the Middle East, unitary states are splintering under the leadership of divisive nationalist demagogues. Dig deeper ( 13 Min. Read )