Spencer Ackerman, a senior correspondent for The American Prospect, is a senior reporter for The Washington Independent.
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Spencer Ackerman
The Obama Doctrine, Revisited
Is the president living up to his foreign-policy promises to quash fear and promote dignity? He's doing better abroad than he is at home. Read more
Human Wrongs
With A Problem from Hell, Samantha Power changed the way we talk about liberalism and human rights. Read more
A Glossary of Iraq Euphemisms
The Iraq War has been characterized by euphemism since its inception. Here's a guide to some of the most pronounced, and pernicious, euphemisms of the Iraq War. Read more
Iron Man Versus the Imperialists
What's missing in the movie is what has sustained the comic book series for most of its history. Iron Man is actually a scathing critique of American imperialism. Read more
The Obama Doctrine
Barack Obama is offering the most sweeping liberal foreign-policy critique we've heard from a serious presidential contender in decades. But will voters buy it? Read more
Five Years Later
According to interviews with detained members of al-Qaeda in Iraq, the most powerful recruitment tool for Islamic extremists is ... the war itself. Read more
WireTAP: A Dialogue about <em>The Wire</em> (Episode 10)
Prospect writers discuss the final episode of the critically acclaimed HBO series. Read more
Iraq, Intelligence Failures, and Kelly Clarkson
TAP Online talks with A.J. Rossmiller, author of Still Broken, the new book about his experiences as an intelligence officer in Iraq. Read more
WireTAP: A Dialogue About <em>The Wire</em> (Episodes 4-6)
Prospect writers discuss the fifth season of the critically acclaimed HBO series. Read more
The Counter-Narrative Candidate
Never mind the rampant VP speculation. Just by speaking at the Democratic Convention, Sen. Jim Webb has a chance to undercut one of the most enduring--and corrosive--GOP narratives of the last 25 years. Read more
WireTAP: A Dialogue about The Wire (Episodes 1-3)
Prospect writers discuss the fifth season of the critically acclaimed HBO series. Read more
Petraeus '12
General David Petraeus has a sterling reputation, the love of the press, and the adoration of the GOP. Don't be surprised if a Democratic presidential win in '08 starts an effort to recruit Petraeus as the Republican candidate in '12. Read more
The Coming Fight for Northern Iraq
With just days left before the deadline for the Article 140 referendum on who will control northern Iraq, both Kurds and Sunnis are pledging violence over the outcome. Read more
Exporting the Anbar Awakening
Bush's latest ploy in the war on terror is to recycle tactics from Iraq in Pakistan. But it's unlikely that the strategy of allying with tribal figures against al-Qaeda will work in Pakistan -- and it's unclear whether it worked in Iraq. Read more
The Problem with Militias
Concerned Local Citizens groups represent the United States' first attempt at actually creating Iraqi militias, and U.S. officials are enthusiastic about the effort. Few seem to have noticed the potential pitfalls. Read more
Good News for Iraq?
There's an opportunity for reconciliation and actual statecraft right now in Iraq. It remains to be seen if the United States will take advantage of it. Read more
In Iraq Forever
Despite the Bush administration's party line, construction of permanent U.S. bases along with long-term plans for troop presence continue apace. Read more
The Disgruntled General
Ricardo Sanchez's mishandling of the Iraq War during his year as ground commander is legend. It should come as no surprise, then, that his recent account of who's to blame for Iraq is so bitter and distorted. Read more
Iraq Forever?
Last week's intense focus on whether the surge was working obscured the real Bush agenda -- a long-term U.S. presence in Iraq. Read more
The Petraeus Workout
Petraeus describes the Iraq War as a war of figurative inches. Before Congress, he's likely to emphasize these smaller achievements instead of the bigger picture -- which is unquestionably bleak. Read more
