David Fitzgerald
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davidfitzgerald.bsky.social
David Fitzgerald
@davidfitzgerald.bsky.social
1.6K followers 620 following 36 posts
Historian of war, militarization and the US in the world at University College Cork.

Author of Uncertain Warriors: The United States Army betwen the Cold War and the War on Terror (https://cambridge.org/9781009235808).
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davidfitzgerald.bsky.social
I mean sure, but he and Meaney also wrote this back in 2018.

www.nytimes.com/2018/03/09/o...
Let’s call Mr. Trump’s vision what it is: radical American imperialism. He does not so much break with tradition as bring forward some of its most retrograde but persistent elements. Recognizing this is the start of an honest conversation about the Trump administration and America’s role in a changing world. So far, however, the right has come closer to grasping this point than the left or the center. Mr. Trump and his supporters do identify a conflict (indeed, almost endless conflict) between America’s interests and the world’s. As Rush Limbaugh recently put it, Mr. Trump wants to restore the “primacy of the United States,” whereas his critics think “American leadership should preside over the weakening of America.” The point is perverse, but it is coherent. Fearing decline, the Trumpian right seeks to get tough with the world and take all it can.
December 23, 2024 at 5:33 PM
davidfitzgerald.bsky.social
This bit in particular resonates.
An important period is from 2007 to 2011. After the invasion of Iraq became a mire of occupation, as Afghanistan became increasingly deadly and America's goals unclear, many military professionals doubled down on the warrior ethos. They became what one of my platoon commanders acerbically dubbed "Born-Again Hard." A lot of military personnel responded to Forever War with fanatical devotion to the profession of arms, seeking to mold themselves into perfect warriors — as if the American Century could be defended solely through max reps and personal asceticism. We would learn that no CrossFit routine could box jump America to victory; no Sparta kick could banish strategic mistakes.
November 24, 2024 at 9:34 AM
davidfitzgerald.bsky.social
For those around Cork, my book launch will be on 12th Dec at 5pm in the Dora Allman Room in UCC! It will include a conversation with Ruth Lawlor and Shaul Mitelpunkt about the book and a reception afterwards.
Book launch and panel discussion! Please joint us for the launch of Uncertain Warriors: The United States Army between the Cold War and the War on Terror (Cambridge University Press, 2023). Location: Dora Allman Room, the Hub. Time/date: 5pm, 12/12/2023. Panelists: Dr David Fitzgerald (UCC), Dr Ruth Lawlor (Cornell), Dr Shaul Mitelpunkt (York), Prof David Ryan (UCC). Reception to follow
November 21, 2023 at 12:31 PM
davidfitzgerald.bsky.social
First proper post on here and it's inevitably self-promotion, but still delighted to have gotten my hands on these! Publication date is today!
A stack of books
November 9, 2023 at 9:41 AM