The Tragedy of the American Military

The story of “a country willing to do anything for its military except take it seriously.” How the public and politicians became disconnected from those who serve.

Source: The Atlantic
Published: Dec 31, 2014
Length: 41 minutes (10,355 words)

Obama, Explained

An analysis of the presidency, in historical context:

“I spoke with current and past members of this administration, officials from previous administrations, current and past members of the Senate and the House, and some academics. Compared with the last two times a Democrat was in the White House—during Jimmy Carter’s administration in the late 1970s and Bill Clinton’s in the 1990s—I found Democrats much more careful about criticizing their own party’s president during an election year. It’s not that Democrats have become so much more disciplined, nor, obviously, that they have no complaints, but rather that they seem more worried about the risks of helping the other side. I asked someone who has been close to Obama if I could interview him about his experiences. He said, ‘I’m not going to say anything that might hurt during the campaign.'”

Source: The Atlantic
Published: Feb 10, 2012
Length: 50 minutes (12,561 words)

Hacked!

When she came back to her desk, half an hour later, she couldn’t log into Gmail at all. By that time, I was up and looking at e‑mail, and we both quickly saw what the real problem was. In my inbox I found a message purporting to be from her, followed by a quickly proliferating stream of concerned responses from friends and acquaintances, all about the fact that she had been “mugged in Madrid.” The account had seemed sluggish earlier that morning because my wife had tried to use it at just the moment a hacker was taking it over and changing its settings—including the password, so that she couldn’t log in again.

Source: The Atlantic
Published: Nov 1, 2011
Length: 31 minutes (7,806 words)

Dirty Coal, Clean Future

To environmentalists, “clean coal” is an insulting oxymoron. But for now, the only way to meet the world’s energy needs, and to arrest climate change before it produces irreversible cataclysm, is to use coal—dirty, sooty, toxic coal—in more-sustainable ways. The good news is that new technologies are making this possible. China is now the leader in this area, the Google and Intel of the energy world.

Source: The Atlantic
Published: Nov 9, 2010
Length: 32 minutes (8,217 words)

The Fifty-First State?

Going to war with Iraq would mean shouldering all the responsibilities of an occupying power the moment victory was achieved. These would include running the economy, keeping domestic peace, and protecting Iraq’s borders, and doing it all for years, or perhaps decades. Are we ready for this long-term relationship?

Source: The Atlantic
Published: Nov 1, 2002
Length: 38 minutes (9,715 words)

How to Save the News

Plummeting newspaper circulation, disappearing classified ads, “unbundling” of content—the list of what’s killing journalism is long. But high on that list, many would say, is Google, the biggest unbundler of them all. Now, having helped break the news business, the company wants to fix it.

Source: The Atlantic
Published: Jun 1, 2010
Length: 36 minutes (9,132 words)

Cyber Warriors

When will China emerge as a military threat to the U.S.? In most respects the answer is: not anytime soon—China doesn’t even contemplate a time it might challenge America directly. But one significant threat already exists: cyberwar.

Source: The Atlantic
Published: Mar 1, 2010
Length: 8 minutes (2,177 words)

How America Can Rise Again

Is America going to hell? After a year of economic calamity that many fear has sent us into irreversible decline, the author finds reassurance in the peculiarly American cycle of crisis and renewal, and in the continuing strength of the forces that have made the country great.

Source: The Atlantic
Published: Feb 1, 2010
Length: 10 minutes (2,744 words)