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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VIDEO: The Most Dangerous Moment in The Middle East in The 21st Century So Far (f/Democracy Now!)

I've been covering the War on Terror since nearly its inception. But as you'll see in this video, the war spinning out from Gaza is the most frightening I've seen yet.

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Iran's Opening Shots And The Logic of Escalation

Forget "not wanting" to escalate. War, especially this one, needs to be actively deescalated before we reach the abyss. PLUS: The White House smears a good reporter.

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The Escalation To Yemen Is Here. Now What? (Ft./American Prestige)

You did it, Joe! You escalated the war you spent the week saying shouldn't escalate. And you have a plan now, right? Right?

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South Africa's Genocide Case Against Israel Is Serious

Israel denounces it. The U.S. dismisses it. The International Court of Justice is hearing it. The rest of us can't flinch from reading it.

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U.S. Officials: The Iraqis Aren't Gonna Kick Us Out

PM Sudani isn't rushing the U.S. out the door, so people I spoke with aren't sweating it. But he says he's serious about the troops leaving. PLUS: Lloyd Austin, WTAF?

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Israel Is Not Promising To "Scale Back" Its War (Director's Cut)

Israel Is Not Promising To "Scale Back" Its War (Director's Cut)

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U.S. Military Presence in Iraq Could Be Unexpected Casualty of Israel's War on Gaza

Oh, what, we can't launch a drone strike on Baghdad anymore??? Didn't anyone tell you people we're here to help you???

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The One Surefire Thing Biden Can Do To Stop Houthi Attacks on Shipping

Hint: Biden doesn't seem like he's going to do it. But it'll both work and pay the biggest of dividends. PLUS: RIP to a Guantanamo attorney.

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"We Have To Strike Back At The Houthis"

Our last edition of 2023 asks: who's ready to Americanize the war in Yemen? PLUS: A Palestinian case before the European Court of Human Rights.

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A Working-Class Foreign Policy Is Coming (Director's Cut)

After a transformative year on the picket lines, the United Auto Workers’ ambitions for building worker power don’t stop at the US border.

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Somalis Whose Relatives Were Killed by U.S. Strikes 'Have Yet To Receive Acknowledgement'

A letter human rights groups sent to the Pentagon indicates that the U.S. has reverted its typical callousness. PLUS: 'From The River To The Sea,' a free eBook I contributed to

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My Life in No-Impact Journalism

The fourth-issue finale of WALLER VS. WILDSTORM is here. And this final behind-the-scenes post of mine will contain major spoilers, so read the issue first.

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College Students Could Never Give Hamas As Much Money As Netanyahu Did

Hey, Anti-Defamation League, I hear you're really concerned about who commits material support for terrorism! PLUS: A free screening of the groundbreaking documentary 'Israelism'!

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The Future of Warfare Is Happening In Gaza

Gaza is not just a (war-) crime scene, it's an AI laboratory. And it's clarifying that the point of AI-enabled war isn't precision—it's scale.

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My Kissinger Obit for ‘Rolling Stone’

A few notes on "Henry Kissinger, War Criminal Beloved by America’s Ruling Class, Finally Dies." If you like this piece, you'll love WALLER VS. WILDSTORM

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The Enduring Surveillance Act of 2023

Here comes the legislative vehicle to save the expiring NSA and FBI surveillance powers called Section 702. Its (predictable) offer to reformers is: nothing!

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Meanwhile, in The West Bank

The quasi-ceasefire in Gaza will thankfully last into Wednesday. But the West Bank continues to be riven by Israeli violence and displacement

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Peace Is Built, Not Handed Out

A pause in the bombing and a hostage release is the first sign of hope since Oct. 7. But the U.S. is bombing Iraq now, and the deal doesn't constrain Israel in the West Bank

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The Antisemite Defense League

To Elon Musk's rescue rides the ADL's Jonathan Greenblatt. When you conflate Anti-Zionism and antisemitism, it's a short step to saying only Anti-Zionism is antisemitism.

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Gaza Shows The Difference Between International Law And The 'Rules-Based International Order' (Director's Cut)

Gaza Shows The Difference Between International Law And The 'Rules-Based International Order' (Director's Cut)

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Usama bin Laden Was Bad, In Case I Really Have To Explain That

Sure, it's social-media manipulation pushing us to the Edgelord Singularity. But just because you were lied to about UBL doesn't make him redeemable.

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A Ceasefire/Hostage Release Might Have Saved These Elite U.S. Soldiers

It's been a simply horrific past 72 hours in Gaza, as Israel besieges hospitals and the latest round of U.S.-Iranian escalation unfolds.

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The Anti-Surveillance Coalition's Highest-Stakes Gamble

They're leveraging the renewal of Section 702 for by far the most sweeping surveillance reform since 9/11. But won't 702 immediately be used against Palestinians and their allies?

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The Weekend Biden’s Middle East Policy Collapsed (Director's Cut)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s diplomatic trip was a humiliating failure. The administration’s regional approach has gone down in flames

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Pentagon Confirms U.S. Drone Presence Over Gaza

They're not armed, DOD says. But drone footage, especially cumulatively, provides Biden a substantial look at the realities Israel is creating on the ground.