Dominic Tierney

Dominic Tierney is associate professor of political science at Swarthmore College. He is the author of How We Fight: Crusades, Quagmires, and the American Way of War. More

Dominic Tierney is associate professor of political science at Swarthmore College, and a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. He completed his PhD in international politics at Oxford University and has held fellowships at the Mershon Center at Ohio State University, the Olin Institute at Harvard University, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

He is the author of Failing to Win: Perceptions of Victory and Defeat in International Politics (Harvard University Press, 2006), with Dominic Johnson, which won the International Studies Association award for the best book published in 2006, and FDR and the Spanish Civil War: Neutrality and Commitment in the Struggle that Divided America (Duke University Press, 2007).

His latest book is How We Fight: Crusades, Quagmires, and the American Way of War (Little, Brown 2010), which Ambassador James Dobbins, former Assistant Secretary of State for Europe, described as "A great theme, beautifully written and compellingly organized, it's a fitting update to Russell Weigley's classic [The American Way of War] and an important contribution to a national debate over the war in Afghanistan which is only gathering steam." (More on Facebook.)

Dominic's work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, TIME.com, and on NPR.
Plots to Destroy America, From British Redcoats to Al Qaeda

Plots to Destroy America, From British Redcoats to Al Qaeda

The U.S. has faced three eras of destruction: the age of invasion from 1783-1941, the age of missiles from 1941-1989, and since 1989, the age of viruses More »

Finland's 'Baby Box': Gift from Santa Claus or Socialist Hell?

Finland's 'Baby Box': Gift from Santa Claus or Socialist Hell?

Finnish parents receive one from the government with every new child. What lessons can the U.S. learn from the country's accepted cultural tradition? More »

Wary Warriors: The American Public and Libya

Wary Warriors: The American Public and Libya

Obama's real challenge may be the American public, which wants to fight a dove's war and win a hawk's peace More »

The Shoals of Tripoli

The Shoals of Tripoli

Obama must navigate rival agendas as international forces soar into Libyan skies. Is the mission to stop Qaddafi from harming civilians or to compel his surrender? More »

The F-35: A Weapon That Costs More Than Australia

The F-35: A Weapon That Costs More Than Australia

The U.S. will ultimately spend $1 trillion for these fighter planes. Where's the outrage over Washington's culture of waste? More »

America's Thirst for Total Victory

America's Thirst for Total Victory

Today, reeling from a national hangover, Americans promise moderation. But soon we'll drink again from the military cup. More »

'The Mother of All Battles': 20 Years Later

'The Mother of All Battles': 20 Years Later

Before the Gulf War, Saddam Hussein promised "the mother of all battles." What he got was the battle of all mothers. More »

It's a Bad World, but You're Wonderful

It's a Bad World, but You're Wonderful

When we judge others, malevolent acts outweigh virtuous ones, but when judging ourselves, it's just the opposite More »

Mubarak's Chaos Theory: Did It Backfire?

Mubarak's Chaos Theory: Did It Backfire?

The regime deliberately instigated disorder in an attempt to deligitimize the protesters. Did it work? More »

'Our S.O.B.s' and America's Revolutionary Dilemma Abroad

'Our S.O.B.s' and America's Revolutionary Dilemma Abroad

How can the U.S. promote social change without opening the gates to anti-American forces? More »

Why Obama Can Get Away With Being a Hawk

Why Obama Can Get Away With Being a Hawk

As a liberal, the president can push conservative policies and escape with relatively little criticism More »

Do Americans Love War?

Do Americans Love War?

They're bloody, expensive, and often fail. But, some conflicts meet our approval. More »

Time for a Tea Party at the Department of Homeland Security?

Time for a Tea Party at the Department of Homeland Security?

Want to cut waste and inefficiency? Look no further than the Department of Homeland Security More »

A Secret History of the Obituary Page

A Secret History of the Obituary Page

The lives of those who died in 2010 were often connected in profound ways, both expected and surprising More »

Black Hawk Up: The Forgotten American Success Story in Somalia

Black Hawk Up: The Forgotten American Success Story in Somalia

How 43 U.S. soldiers gave their lives to help save 100,000 people More »

Why Don't Americans Hate the Taliban?

Why Don't Americans Hate the Taliban?

The urge to retaliate fades dramatically when the moral lines become blurred and confusing More »

After the 'Shellacking,' Could a Strike on Iran Save Obama Politically?

More »

'The Battle Hymn of the Republic': America's Song of Itself

'The Battle Hymn of the Republic': America's Song of Itself

The anthem, first published in The Atlantic Monthly 150 years ago, mirrors how the country feels about war More »

The Dragon and the American Dream

The Dragon and the American Dream

What will the rise of China mean for U.S. national identity? More »

Robots vs. Suicide Terrorists

Robots vs. Suicide Terrorists

The way wars are fought is diverging. On one side, countries are using machines to deliver death. On the other, humans now carry bombs themselves More »

The Biggest Story in Photos

Photos of Tornado Damage in Moore, Oklahoma

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