Jenny Thompson, PhD, Historian & Author

“Choose Peace” may be a nice slogan. But these days, America’s slogan appears to be “Choose War.”

The term “war of choice” is often used to deride the George W. Bush-led invasion and occupation of Iraq. That is an armed conflict, critics argue, that is not necessary. It is, to use another more wonkish term, a “ Read More 

Magical Thinking

In the field of psychology, displacement refers to the subconscious shifting of one's emotions onto a neutral or acceptable object rather than confronting the thing, idea, or behavior that is truly the source of one's mental distress.

It is a classic defense mechanism, a way to avoid facing the true cause of one's discomfort,  Read More 

Obama's speech before the world on Tuesday, December 1, 2009, committed the US to an increase of 30,000 troops to Afghanistan.

The speech, delivered at West Point Military Academy, was predictable. Indeed, prior to winning the office of president, Obama had expressed his belief that the war in Afghanistan was the "right" war to fight.

The long-awaited  Read More 

"Obama will soon have to make an unpopular and controversial decision about America’s involvement in Afghanistan. The president has two choices: One is to drastically increase the number of troops in Afghanistan by 40,000 to 60,000. Another is to do nothing or order a purely symbolic increase."

Thus spake the Washington Post on October 28, 2009.

The  Read More 

Mark Rudd's memoir of his days with the Weathermen Underground, _Underground: My Life with SDS and the Weathermen_ (2009),offers one of the most fascinating and trenchant studies of a grass roots anti-war operation, initially sprung to life with the student protest movement in the 1960s.

Rudd's book is not what one might expect from  Read More 

Journalists Jeremy Scahill (Blackwater) and Naomi Klein (Shock Doctrine) have done a first rate job in exposing ways in which war has been redefined in the hands of the private sector. A company or an individual that makes money through the waging of wars (and engaging in long-term occupation) used to be called a "war profiteer."

Over  Read More 

The term "embedded" has become a kind of signature term for this era of conflict. Journalists use it to refer to their status alongside military personnel in covering the conflict. As the conflict has continued, however, the number of "embedded" journalists has dwindled.

In the meantime, however, war has become more staunchly "embedded" in  Read More 

The length of a war does not necessarily translate into its severity. And any war, to my mind, is a terrible waste and an assault against humanity. Diplomacy should always be the goal--settling disputes without bloodshed.

But throughout the 20th century, diplomacy failed time and again; and wars of varying lengths were fought.

World  Read More 

Some of the books that have most influenced my thinking about war:

Chris Hedges, War is the Force that Gives Us Meaning.

George Mosse, Fallen Soldiers: Reshaping the Memory of the World Wars.

Willa Cather, One of Ours.

Humphrey Cobb, Paths of Glory.

Michael Herr, Dispatches.

Gerda Klein, All But My Life.