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Alfred McCoy

Alfred McCoy is the J.R.W. Smail Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A TomDispatch regular, he is the author of In the Shadows of the American Century: The Rise and Decline of US Global Power and Policing America’s Empire: The United States, the Philippines, and the Rise of the Surveillance State.

Arms SpendingSeptember 11, 2017

The Pentagon’s Next Frontier for War Might be Space

And that should scare us.

Alfred McCoy
War and PeaceAugust 24, 2017

Growing Up With Big Brother

A historian tracks half a century of evolving state surveillance.

Alfred McCoy
World LeadersApril 3, 2017

Donald Trump’s Election Was Part of a Startling Global Trend in 2016

Around the world, violent populism is on the rise.

Alfred McCoy
February 22, 2016

The Drug That Makes the Taliban Possible

Until Washington deals with Afghanistan’s economic dependence on opium, the Taliban aren’t going anywhere.

Alfred McCoy
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WorldSeptember 15, 2015

Barack Obama Is a Foreign Policy Grandmaster

The president has executed a subtle geopolitical strategy with the potential to extend American empire well into the 21st century.

Alfred McCoy
PoliticsJune 8, 2015

Will the 21st Century Pit Washington Against China?

The drawbacks of Washington’s grand strategy for global dominion.

Alfred McCoy
Foreign PolicyJanuary 21, 2014

Surveillance and Scandal: Time-Tested Weapons for US Global Power

One key goal of NSA surveillance of world leaders is not US national security but political blackmail—as it has been since 1898.

Alfred McCoy