Exposing the machinery of empire — and its human cost.
Shadows of Empire is a digital magazine, online news publication, and living archive.
We cover the machinery of imperial power — how it justifies war, rationalizes conquest, and launders atrocity into policy — through investigative reporting, essays, criticism, philosophy, and creative work.
One publication, many forms, the same three questions beneath them all: Who profits from the way the world is run? Who pays? And what can we build in its place? What solutions can we begin putting to work today?
We must capture the narrative from the grasp of Empire and help facilitate its move toward new sustainable movements for all of our tomorrows. We are in a war between two sides only. Empire vs. Humanity.
What you’ll find here
News · Investigations · Essays · Creative Writing · Philosophy · Arts & Humanities
The reporting follows the money, the weapons, and the stories that turn power into policy and people into collateral.
The essays and creative work sit alongside it for a reason: empire runs not only on arms and capital but on the narratives that make it thinkable — the myths of destiny, exception, and inevitability. We take both apart.
The flagship investigation is The Sudan War and Its Enablers — an ongoing series on the foreign powers keeping Sudan’s war supplied, and the American policy that names the killing genocide while still arming its backers.
Stand-alone essays trace the same logic elsewhere, from Gaza to the founding crimes of the American West and more.
Our standards
How we check facts, back up claims, and correct mistakes.
This is dissent journalism, not opinion shouted louder. Every strong claim is meant to be earned by a source, not by volume. We prefer more than one credible source for contested facts; we attribute allegations to whoever is making them (”according to a UN report…,” “Human Rights Watch found…”) rather than stating them as settled fact; and we keep three registers distinct on the page — established fact, credible allegation, and analysis — so a reader always knows which is which. If we get something wrong, we correct it in the open.
Who’s behind it
Shadows of Empire is written and published by Dede Bell, NBCT — a writer, a National Board Certified Teacher, experienced librarian, and the publisher of this magazine covering empire, war, and the culture that sustains them. Her reporting also appears at Manufacturing Dissent, where she is a contributing writer. She is also a member of the global team for Gaza Great Minds Foundation, where she volunteers as content coordinator for GGM over a few of their digital platforms. Dede initiated and administers GGM’s Patreon and Redbubble platforms and she co-administers GGM’s Substack platform. Dede administers GGM’s Medium platform and also publishes on Gaza Great Minds’ official blog on GGM’s website.
Shadows of Empire is reader-supported and unbought.
A free or paid subscription keeps the reporting independent; paid members make the deeper, more time-intensive investigations possible. If you’d like to fund the sourcing behind a specific piece directly, you can buy me a coffee.
Sharing the work is super helpful. It costs nothing and does as much as anything.
Declaration of Generative AI Use
I put my disclaimer here so I don’t have to repeat it and where it is easily found.
I have been elated while learning more about web development and how to use generative AI as a type of virtual assistant which helps me quickly retrieve and research specific topics within the parameters given it. I can get so much more work done so much faster. Self-taught coding is all I use to create virtual agent(s) capable of retrieving research articles and information while I work on my projects. I have more time to write, more time to read, more time to reflect and synthesize. This has been paradigm shifting for my work.
I use generative AI to research given diverse topics, pre-organize and pre-draft material according to my theses and instructions, and format citations in CMOS style. Because publishers and writers need editors, I also use generative AI to act as a proof reader to correct typos and language, and to suggest improvements (if any) for clarity. The words, thoughts, ideas, theses, direction, analyses, judgments, and conclusions in all of my work are my own. I review every piece carefully before publishing and take full responsibility for its content.
A word on AI-detection tools: they are not reliable. They routinely flag polished, well-structured, or heavily sourced writing as machine-generated, regardless of how it was actually produced. A high score on an AI detector is not proof of authorship one way or the other — and the accountability for this work rests with me.
My vision for this digital magazine and newsletter is that it becomes a place where people come for straight-forward detangling of current events and information, clear-cutting analysis, truth-telling empowerment, and hope for tomorrow.
A home for live repositories, digital archives, and a library which is home to a diverse group of writers, dissidents, and voices from under and within the shadows of empire.
In Closing
I am deeply grateful for each and every one of you. Whether you’re a free or a paid subscriber, your support is crucial.
With deepest gratitude, thank you. — Dede
All of my work is free to read, copy, repost, or share. Every free subscriber, every share, every repost is important. Your support helps me get crucial information published and seen. Let’s do this. Together.
If you are interested in becoming a guest writer or a contributing writer to Shadows of Empire, email me at info@dedebell.org or send me a message on Substack, LinkedIn, or Bluesky. I don’t use any META so sorry, no WhatsApp. Although I do have an X account, I really only use it to help promote Gaza Great Minds. (I deleted my old Twitter with over 5K followers a few years ago when Elon Musk bought it. My current X account was opened for my work with GGM.)
