Donald Trump

Michael Hughes: The U.S. military-industrial complex is not some conspiracy theory, but a living creature on the verge of dashing hopes President Donald Trump will deliver on his “America First” credo and resist ordering a troop escalation in Afghanistan. The United States has achieved little after pouring some $1 trillion into the Afghan war, but a troop surge seems inevitable because of the ubiquitous tentacles of the defense industry. After all, these very forces helped persuade Trump’s peace prize-winning predecessor to boost troop levels in Afghanistan, hence the tycoon-in-chief is likely to follow suit, even in the face of the dreary assessment of the situation delivered by his own top intelligence official. Click here to read more.