Spencer Ackerman

Author of REIGN OF TERROR: HOW THE 9/11 ERA DESTABILIZED AMERICA & PRODUCED TRUMP. Pulitzer/National Magazine Award/etc winning journalist. WALLER VS WILDSTORM for DC Comics, IRON MAN for Marvel.

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The War Crimes Trials That Never Happened

In 1971, one of the greatest journalists of the Vietnam War asked a question that echoes decades later. Join me... and ponder the question... What If?

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On U.S. Intelligence’s Wiki, Anxiety About Legal Challenges To Drone Strikes

Who wants to read a never-before-published document leaked by Edward Snowden? It’s weird

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The Only Man Who Could Have Stopped The Iraq War Is Dead

Colin Powell chose to sell a war he knew was wrong. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis were unavailable for comment on his death

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Terrorism, Structural Racism, And Facebook

The ‘radical indifference’ of the surveillance-capitalist giant reflects and entrenches a racialized understanding of political violence.

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Yes, Why Not Let Abu Zubaydah Testify?

On one hand: The CIA might not be able to get foreign spy services to torture people. On the other: A tortured man could pursue justice. 🤔

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Watching The FBI Lose, Destroy the Documents Justifying Surveillance

What started as an audit of the Carter Page espionage investigation has expanded and “identified systemic noncompliance” with crucial surveillance constraints.

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Disparate Fronts: Seth Meyers, Press Freedom, and Our Abortion Fundraiser

Just some random things thrown together as me and Sam report out larger stories. Also, an abortion-access fund update.

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‘A More Sustainable And Agile Counterterrorism Approach’

An overlooked speech by Joe Biden’s White House homeland-security adviser points to a return to the Sustainable War on Terror. It looks like we’re at the end of the war’s end.

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The Time The CIA Director Came To Hear My Band 

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The Time the CIA Director Came to Hear My Band

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Return to Little Pakistan: Mohammad Razvi Holds It Together

During COVID-19, as after 9/11, the son of a bodega owner navigated the city’s power structure on behalf of his frightened neighbors. Part 3 in a series

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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. Part 2 in a series

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Return To Little Pakistan: The Reign of Terror in Brooklyn after 9/11

Pundits and politicians declared America united while "unity” preyed upon New York City’s Muslim communities. We must never forget. Part 1 in a series

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Ms. Marvel, the Intersectional X-Men, and the War on Terror: A Conversation Between Spencer Ackerman and Saladin Ahmed

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Ms. Marvel, the Intersectional X-Men, and the War on Terror: A Conversation Between Spencer Ackerman and Saladin Ahmed

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Stream A New Ted Leo Song Inspired By REIGN OF TERROR

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Over 900,000 People Dead, a ‘Vast Undercount,’ and $8 Trillion Looted 

These are the findings of the Costs of War Project. What would you rather have had for the $8,094 that you, personally, spent on the War on Terror?

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Victims of A Drone Strike, Momentarily Visible

All eyes were on Kabul just in time to catch a glimpse of people the U.S. killed with its robot airframes. Will we look away now that U.S. troops have left Afghanistan?

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Biden Won't Free The Last Two Afghans at Guantanamo Bay

The Taliban won. The president said the war is over. But Asadullah Haroon and Muhammad Rahim will have to wait on the Periodic Review Board.

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This Could Be the Next Afghan Insurgency

Two leading anti-Taliban figures are ready to fight. One is a close CIA ally. What could possibly go wrong?

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White Replacement Theory v1.0 Is Returning

Before they chanted it in Charlottesville, they saw it in “sharia law.” As MAGA struggles for a line on Afghanistan, they’re finding it in refugees Biden isn’t even letting in.

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Everything That Will Follow A Taliban Victory Is Still A Part of America's War

Many Afghans are likely to suffer under the Taliban. The U.S. owes them reparations, not more bloodshed.

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REIGN OF TERROR Is Here

My book about the War on Terror arrives today. The first skirmish over it points to what may follow.

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The CIA’s Outsourced Torture Is Lost To History

The CIA's notorious practice of kidnapping and displacement gave birth to the post-9/11 torture program. We know nearly nothing about it.

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Out of The Newsroom   

I’ve been part of newsrooms since I was 19. Goodbye to all that.