Profiting from War

Profiting from War

Facebook
Twitter
Email
Flipboard
Pocket

Shortly after the US conquered Baghdad, the US Defense Intelligence Agency distributed a now famous deck of cards bearing the images of “Iraq’s Most Wanted.” This hit list of top Iraqi officials became a pop-cultural phenomenon, as well as a critical crutch for the US press, which virtually never reports on newly captured Baathists these days without noting their appropriate card rank among the US deck of fifty-five.

Now the Ruckus Society, a nonviolent anarchist group based in Oakland, has matched and raised the Defense Department with its own “War Profiteer” playing cards featuring fifty-three individuals and institutions in the oil, military, government, and media sectors who supported and are now profiting from the US war on Iraq. Players include three of hearts Condoleezza Rice, king of diamonds George P. Schultz, ten of clubs Vince D. Coffman, CEO of Lockheed Martin, and “wildcard” President George W. Bush.

The decks are stylish, funny and replete with good, accurate information on exactly the sort of people who are currently most responsible for the corruption of our country. And, unlike the deck produced by the US military, the Ruckus Society’s pack is widely available. So order a set today.

Co-written by Jonah Engle.

We cannot back down

We now confront a second Trump presidency.

There’s not a moment to lose. We must harness our fears, our grief, and yes, our anger, to resist the dangerous policies Donald Trump will unleash on our country. We rededicate ourselves to our role as journalists and writers of principle and conscience.

Today, we also steel ourselves for the fight ahead. It will demand a fearless spirit, an informed mind, wise analysis, and humane resistance. We face the enactment of Project 2025, a far-right supreme court, political authoritarianism, increasing inequality and record homelessness, a looming climate crisis, and conflicts abroad. The Nation will expose and propose, nurture investigative reporting, and stand together as a community to keep hope and possibility alive. The Nation’s work will continue—as it has in good and not-so-good times—to develop alternative ideas and visions, to deepen our mission of truth-telling and deep reporting, and to further solidarity in a nation divided.

Armed with a remarkable 160 years of bold, independent journalism, our mandate today remains the same as when abolitionists first founded The Nation—to uphold the principles of democracy and freedom, serve as a beacon through the darkest days of resistance, and to envision and struggle for a brighter future.

The day is dark, the forces arrayed are tenacious, but as the late Nation editorial board member Toni Morrison wrote “No! This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

I urge you to stand with The Nation and donate today.

Onwards,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

Ad Policy
x