Alfred W. McCoy

Alfred W. McCoy is the J.R.W. Smail Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The War on Drugs Is 50 Years Old

The War on Drugs Is 50 Years Old The War on Drugs Is 50 Years Old

It’s a war we were destined—and that we deserved—to lose.

Jul 7, 2021 / Blog / Alfred W. McCoy

US Navy Pacific Ocean

These 5 Academics Have Brought Us to the Brink of Geopolitical Disaster These 5 Academics Have Brought Us to the Brink of Geopolitical Disaster

Do you know their names?

Dec 3, 2018 / Alfred W. McCoy

Chinese naval officer stands next to rocket launcher

Is a Modern Chinese Navy a Threat to the United States? Is a Modern Chinese Navy a Threat to the United States?

China’s rising presence in the Indian and Pacific oceans has far-reaching implications for our world order.

Apr 9, 2018 / Alfred W. McCoy

Peterson Air Force Base

This Is What World War III With China Might Look Like This Is What World War III With China Might Look Like

Spoiler alert: We probably wouldn’t win.

Sep 26, 2017 / Alfred W. McCoy

Trump, Merkel, Erdogan at G20

Trump’s Foreign-Policy Meltdown Trump’s Foreign-Policy Meltdown

Undermining confidence and alienating allies, Trump has already undone years of American diplomacy.

Jul 17, 2017 / Alfred W. McCoy

You Must Follow International Law (Unless You’re America)

You Must Follow International Law (Unless You’re America) You Must Follow International Law (Unless You’re America)

How Washington gave itself a global get-out-of-jail-free card.

Feb 24, 2015 / Alfred W. McCoy

Surveillance Blowback

Surveillance Blowback Surveillance Blowback

The making of the US surveillance state, 1898–2020.

Jul 16, 2013 / Alfred W. McCoy

Beyond Bayonets and Battleships

Beyond Bayonets and Battleships Beyond Bayonets and Battleships

The future of US global power is in space warfare. 

Nov 8, 2012 / Alfred W. McCoy

Impunity at Home, Rendition Abroad Impunity at Home, Rendition Abroad

How two administrations and both parties made illegality the American way of life.

Aug 14, 2012 / Alfred W. McCoy

An Empire of Autocrats, Aristocrats and Uniformed Thugs Begins to Totter An Empire of Autocrats, Aristocrats and Uniformed Thugs Begins to Totter

Across the Greater Middle East from Tunisia and Egypt to Bahrain and Yemen, democratic protests are threatening to sweep away subordinate elites crucial to the wielding of American...

Apr 25, 2011 / Alfred W. McCoy and Brett Reilly

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