Brian M Downing and the world at war. Timely, thoughtful, and nonpartisan analysis of military matters. @BrianMDowning1.
Brian M Downing Early concerns and defections Shortly after the Vietnam buildup in 1965, Sen William Fulbright (D-Arkansas) chaired hearings. Foreign policy and military experts, including George F Kennan questioned the strategic justifications for the war and the way it was being fought. Fulbright’s investigations were on television. Public support for the Read More …
Brian M Downing In 1965 the US took on the main combat load in Vietnam. Each year saw more US troops, more fighting and casualties, and few if any signs of progress. Two years in, popular and elite opposition was rising. The following year public opposition was all the higher Read More …
Brian M Downing Mark Twain noted that events rhymed, but not all recurrences are as pleasing as poetic couplets. Many are poorly constructed, graceless, violent, and tragic. The Vietnam War did grave damage to American beliefs and institutions. Population pressures, police blunders, a polarizing president, and ossified political parties have Read More …
Brian M Downing Donald Trump will leave the White House on January 20th, perhaps a bit sooner. Even he now says he will depart, albeit reluctantly. There’s hope that the country will return to at least a modicum of comity. The trials are behind us, a new day is dawning. Read More …
Brian M Downing The new foreign policy team has shown no reluctance to send troops into danger. That’s clear from their positions in previous administrations and at research institutes between political appointments. They may be more cautious after the failure of the Afghan surge, the aftermath of ousting Qaddafi, the Read More …
Brian M Downing The September 11 attacks brought overwhelming unity to the American people. Comparisons were drawn to the spirit that followed Pearl Harbor and led to determined campaigns in Europe and the Pacific. Victory came in less than four years. The al Qaeda attacks killed three thousand Americans and Read More …
Brian M Downing Concern with immense, sinister forces working behind the scenes has been with us since the country’s founding, if not before. Richard Hofstadter sketched some manifestations in The Paranoid Style in American Politics (1964) – the Bavarian Illuminati, Freemasonry, Roman Catholicism, and World Communism. Hofstadter noted a few Read More …
Brian M Downing The images are fresh in our minds: angry marchers in Charlottesville, Virginia, and heavily-armed men in tactical gear standing outside and sometimes in state capitals. This book, though published between those two events, scrutinizes the white-power movement which comprises neo-Nazis, KKK members, private militias, and a miscellany Read More …
Brian M Downing The country has been rocked by a powerful social movement. Urban landscapes have been altered and attempts have been made to establish autonomous zones. Politicians and corporations accede to the movement – or at least tread cautiously so as not to run afoul of its demands and Read More …
Brian M Downing The Civil War continues to be contested a century and a half after Lee handed his sword to Grant. A sterner president might have treated harshly, though not unjustly, with the defeated generals and politicians. Very harshly. The gallows would have suited many. They were traitors to Read More …