Norman Solomon reflects on ‘the madness of militarism’ in the Ellsberg Lecture
By Norman Solomon, Nation of Change
In this year’s Ellsberg Lecture, Norman Solomon reflects on what Martin Luther King Jr. called ‘the madness of militarism’ and offers an overview of present-day U.S. militarism, its consequences, and possibilities for overcoming its pervasive effects.
Norman Solomon is the national director of RootsAction.org and executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy. He is the author of a dozen books including War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death (Wiley, 2005) and War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine (The New Press, 2023). He has been an activist since the late 1960s.
We are very grateful to the Media Education Foundation for filming the lecture and producing this video.
Recent Posts
Israeli settlers held US lawmaker Ro Khanna at gunpoint in occupied West Bank
July 12, 2026
Take Action Now Settlers carrying US-made rifles blocked the congressman’s delegation as it visited a Palestinian village ethnically cleansed by…
Wall Street Wants to Change the Rules for Your 401(k). It Could Put Your Retirement at Risk.
July 11, 2026
Take Action Now Financial firms want a bigger piece of the $10 trillion in America’s 401(k) plans, and the Trump administration is planning a…
‘We Cannot Stand Silent’: Sheinbaum to Seek Criminal Charges Over ICE Detention Deaths
July 10, 2026
Take Action Now “We cannot turn a blind eye to the Mexicans who have died,” said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.By Jake Johnson, Common…
Israel Is Deliberately Targeting Lebanon’s Journalists
July 9, 2026
Take Action Now The list of civilians deliberately killed by Israel in Lebanon includes journalists trying to report on the invasion. The Union of…




