AI Could Bring Back the Dark Ages
Elliot Ackerman argues that the central question about AI is not simply how to regulate private industry, but whether democratic governments will retain control over technologies capable of threatening society....
Elliot Ackerman
New York Times bestselling author, journalist, and commentator on conflict, politics, and culture.
About
Elliot Ackerman is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel 2034 and numerous acclaimed works of fiction and nonfiction, including The Fifth Act, 2084, Dark at the Crossing, and Places and Names. His work explores war, politics, culture, and the human condition through fiction, journalism, and commentary.
Books
A selection of fiction and nonfiction exploring war, politics, culture, technology, and the human condition.
Featured Essays
America Will Regret Withdrawing from Iraq
Drawing on his service in Iraq, Elliot Ackerman examines the latest U.S. withdrawal and the long-term responsibility to preserve stability after war.
A Turning Point in Ukraine?
After four years of reporting from Ukraine, Elliot Ackerman returned from Kyiv and Kharkiv with a different assessment of the war. Writing in The Free Press, he examines drone warfare,...
Heroes Still Walk Among Us
Twenty-five years after 9/11, Elliot Ackerman reflects on Band of Brothers, his own wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and what he learned about the enduring nature of heroism.
Featured Conversations
Elliot Ackerman and James Stavridis on America’s Book Club
Elliot Ackerman and James Stavridis join David Rubenstein on C-SPAN’s America’s Book Club to discuss their novels, military service and the writing life.
When Does an Airstrike Become a War Crime?
CBS News contributor Elliot Ackerman joins Major Garrett to discuss U.N. findings concerning U.S. airstrikes in Iran, the role of intent in assessing potential war crimes, and the difficult distinction...
How War Reporting Changed After 9/11
Elliot Ackerman joins Steve Coll, Azadeh Moaveni, Joby Warrick and Kimberly Dozier at the Future Security Forum to reflect on 25 years of reporting from America’s post-9/11 wars and how...
Ukraine and Russia Target Energy Infrastructure
Recently returned from Ukraine, Elliot Ackerman joins CBS News to discuss attacks on energy infrastructure, conditions at the front, the approaching winter, and drone incursions near NATO territory.
Book Club
October 2026 Book Club Pick - Shadow Before the Flame
Catherine Grace Katz explores the Hindenburg disaster through individual lives, technological ambition, and the political world of the 1930s.
September 2026 Book Club Pick - Catch-22
Discuss Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 with Elliot Ackerman’s verified reading context and questions about military bureaucracy, institutional absurdity, and survival.
August 2026 Book Club Pick - Biological War: A Scenario
Elliot Ackerman's August 2026 Book Club selection is Biological War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen. Drawing on extensive interviews with military, intelligence, medical, and government experts, Jacobsen presents a realistic...
July 2026 Book Club Pick - Alexander the Great
Elliot Ackerman's July 2026 Book Club selection is Alexander the Great by Robin Lane Fox. This acclaimed biography combines rigorous historical scholarship with psychological insight to examine the military genius,...
Upcoming Events
Elliot Ackerman at Charleston Literary Festival
Elliot Ackerman interviews 2026 Pulitzer Prize winner Daniel Kraus about his World War I novel Angel Down at the Charleston Literary Festival on November 12, 2026.