Links to Recent Articles of Interest
By Andrew J. Bacevich, The Nation, posted July 27
On President' Biden's trip to the Middle East, most notably Saudi Arabia and Israel. The “not-so-subtle purpose” was “to signal that Biden has no intention of tampering with the fundamentals actually defining US policy in the region. First among those fundamentals is to serve as a supplier of weapons.” The author is a professor emeritus of history and international relations at Boston University.
By Steve Hopchstadt, History News Network, posted July 22
“Some Republicans cozy up to Nazis. Some Republicans, often the same ones, call Democrats Nazis. Many Republicans across the country are attacking the foundation of Holocaust teaching. These three arms of Republican behavior around the Nazis have a single result: to trivialize the Holocaust.” The author is a professor emeritus of history at Illinois College. His Sources of the Holocaust (2004) is a documents collection widely used in Holocaust courses.
By Paul R. Pillar, Responsible Statecraft, posted July 19
“Countries like China, Russia, and Iran have cause for frosty intra-relations but US foreign policy is bringing them together.”
The author is a 28-year veteran of the CIA who teaches in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University.
The author is a 28-year veteran of the CIA who teaches in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University.
By Kate Masur, Washington Post, posted July 14
On the increasingly bitterstruggles between states over fugitive slave laws. The author teaches history at Northwestern University and wrote Until Justice Be Done: America's First Civil Rights Movement, from the Revolution to Reconstruction (Norton, 2021), a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History..
By Nancy C. Unger, Washington Post, posted July 13
On the White Slave Traffic Act (“Mann Act”) of 1910 and its use to punish “immoral” sexual activity that had nothing to do with sex trafficking. The author teaches history at Santa Clara University and is president of the Society of Historians of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.
By Andrew Bacevich, TomDispatch.com, posted July 12
Reflections on the long-term resonance of publisher Henry Luce's 1941 Life Magazine essay entitled “The American Century.” That essay “stands in relation to the American empire as the Declaration of Independence once did to the American republic.”
The author is a professor emeritus of history and international relations at Boston University.
The author is a professor emeritus of history and international relations at Boston University.
By Stephen Kinzer, Boston Globe, posted July 11
“Like many Americans, Biden sees Russia through a lens at least as distorted as the one through which Russia views us. His latest step reflects his choice of war over peace — or as he might put it, his belief that peace can best be achieved through war.” The author is a longtime journalist and author of Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq (Times Books, 2006).
By Barry R. Posen, Foreign Affairs, posted July 8
Analyzes current Western strategies, predicts that Russia will not lose, and urges diplomatic settlement. The author teaches political science at MIT and is emeritus director of the MIT Security Studies Program.
By Daniel Larison. Responsible Statecraft, posted July 8
“The U.S. is now on the verge of new and ruinous arms races with both Russia and China at the same time, and they promise to be just as wasteful and dangerous as the Cold War arms race was. That makes working for disarmament that much more important.” The author is a contributing editor of Antiwar.com and has a PhD in history from the University of Chicago.
By Lawrence Wittner, Portside, posted July 8
“Like the activities of other mercenary enterprises, those of the Wagner Group continue the historic practice of hiring soldiers of fortune to wage war. And, like the problem of war, the problem of mercenary operations seems unlikely to be solved without a substantial strengthening of international security institutions, among them the United Nations.”.The author is a professor emeritus of history at SUNY Albany.
By Julian Reingold, Jacobin, posted July 6
Describes and analyzes the June 19 election of ex-guerrilla leader Gustavo Petro as president of Colombia (and of Afro-Colombian activist Francia Márquez as vice-president), with the hope of a break from the country's long history of rampant inequality and violent internal repression.The author is an environmental journalist who has traveled widely in Latin America.
Thanks to Rusti Eisenberg, Roger Peace, and an anonymous reader for suggesting articles included in the above list, and to Roger Peace for valuable consultation on the final composition of the list. Suggestions can be sent to jimobrien48@gmail.com.