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Bust of Abraham Lincoln.

Getting Wrong with Lincoln

… our more prominent pundits have actually repeated, and thus compounded, the movie star’s error. The bogus quotation … as follows: “The money power preys upon the nation in times of peace, and it conspires against it in times of … before he became president. He represented, among other clients, the Illinois Central Railroad, one of the largest …
Hessian troops surrendering to General George Washington after the Battle of Trenton.

The Return of the Mercenary

… phenomenon. This is why Congress should examine the recommendations made in a 2002 British government Green Paper … business enterprise. Neither heroes nor martyrs, their loyalty was to an employer, not to a cause or country. The … on the job. When the South African firm Executive Outcomes was hired by the government of Sierra Leone in 1995, the …

Tradition vs Charisma: The Sunni-Shi'i Divide in the Muslim World

… in the Islamic world and the reasons why they have become so explosive in Iraq, it is hardly surprising that … autocracies that ought to be replaced by Islamic regimes, such as that of the first four Rightly Guided Caliphs. … the transformation of shi'at 'Ali from a group of dynastic loyalists to sectarian activists. In particular, the shocked …
Group of women marching with signs: "GWU Women's Liberation," "I'm a second-class citizen," "Women demand equality"

A Slut from East Toledo (Prologued, Season 1, Episode 5)

… women's rights activism certainly continued, it did not compare to the widespread organization of the suffrage … would return to normal: that women would return to their homes vacating their positions as the men came back to take their jobs, and that minority communities would again settle on the fringes of American …
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea attend a working lunch in Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea on October 7, 2018.

Kim Jong-un and the “Madman Theory” of Diplomacy

… Korean peninsula. Nixon learned this first hand when he visited South Korea in 1953 as vice president. An … that I may start some action is a constant check on the Communists,” Rhee told Nixon. Nixon thought so highly of … As president, Nixon tried to convince the North Vietnamese that he was just crazy enough to use nuclear weapons, …

A Sea of Troubles: The Philippines and Pacific Geopolitics

… Sea.” About a year later, President Barack Obama visited Manila to mark the signing of a new Enhanced Defense … While not explicitly backing Manila, Obama stressed his commitment to preserving stability in  the South China Sea . … the geographical importance of the Philippines that Japan poured precious resources into its defense. Offshore from …
Monica Lewinsky's official government ID photo from 1997.

Another Watergate?

… perspective, the truth appears to lie between these extremes, but closer to the belief that the two scandals are not … at the Democratic national headquarters at the Watergate complex in 1972. An abbreviated list of what came to be … of course, crimes, but if Clinton were ever shown to have committed these offenses, these would be his only crimes. In …
A contractor for the U.S. Army kicking in a door during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.

From King George the Third to the Third President George: Mercenaries are Still a Bad Idea

… Time, transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the Works of Death, Desolation, and Tyranny already … Paul Brenner, III issued Order 17, which, as the New York Times writes, give “security companies working for the United … discipline. And, like all mercenaries, they have no loyalty to any government or any interest in the outcome of …
Hollywood Movie store in Hong Kong, 2010.

Film, Television, and China’s (New) Cold War

… the term “New Cold War” has mushroomed among analysts and commentators seeking to define contemporary geopolitics. … rapprochement with the US. Nixon, after all, famously visited the country in 1972; the Shanghai Communique was … actor protecting the “free world” against totalitarian regimes headed by figures like the Chinese president, Xi …
The Taras Shevchenko monument in Borodyanka, Ukraine damaged by the Russian attack, April 2022.

Taras Shevchenko, Poet of Ukraine

… He painted Ukrainian national landscapes and historical sites in an album he titled Picturesque Ukraine . He also … was, but we should keep this as it is now.” Learn More: The Complete Kobzar: The Poetry of Taras Shevchenko. Translated … ‘Kobzar’ Portrays Ukrainian Nationhood.” Moscow Times 16 March 2014. …
An image showing slaves working on a plantation on the island of Antigua in the early 1800s.

After Abolition: Britain and the Slave Trade Since 1807

Review of After Abolition: Britain and the Slave Trade Since 1807, by Marika Sherwood (I.B. Tauris, 2007)
… slave trade. While the anniversary passed without too much comment in the United States, it was commemorated widely in … were not themselves British, they often relied on British credit and shipyards. After all, there was still a thriving … was officially prohibited, slavery continued under other names as indentured service or forced labor. As late as 1948, …
Image of Jimmy Carter during his ‘Malaise’ Speech.

Should Obama Deliver Another ‘Malaise’ Speech?

… to think about the balance between individual wants and common goals.   What was the effect of Carter's speech? Some … to Jimmy Carter's speech was also a sign of the times. In 1979, the American people did not want to hear a … was out of step with the national mood.   Barack Obama, by comparison, inherits a country with greater problems. He …
Image of President Carter displayed in the National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC. Portrait by Robert Templeton.

Obama Can Learn from Jimmy Carter, Too

… to think about the balance between individual wants and common goals.   What was the effect of Carter’s speech? Some … to Jimmy Carter’s speech was also a sign of the times. In 1979, the American people did not want to hear a … was out of step with the national mood.   Barack Obama, by comparison, inherits a country with greater problems. He …

Russia, America, and the Conspiratorial Worldview

… Soviet citizens, we should pay attention to the consistent message this form of Soviet media offered to its citizens. … War I and after the 1917 Revolution and to signal their commitment to the new Bolshevik cause.   Mikhail, the elder … people wanted it to be that way, that we should be the opposite of the West. It just happened that way. I should say …
The Dalai Lama waves to a crowd during a visit to the Netherlands in the 1980s.

Hong Kong and Tibet

… As China completes its takeover of Hong Kong, it should be remembered … spiritual leader, to take actions that made him a little uncomfortable (just as they have already directed Hong Kong’s … One of the main reasons that Chinese money is already pouring into Hong Kong is that Chinese companies wish to be …
Herbert Hoover

We Could Use a Man like Herbert Hoover Again

… Hurricane Katrina has underscored the importance of unified command and control in response to national disasters. … the determination to get the job done. He was secretary of commerce from 1921 to 1928 under presidents Harding and … victims and tapped a personal network of experts who were loyal to him. Unfortunately, no one has shown any of …
Women at the Women's March in DC with signs: "Can't Believe We STILL Have to Protest", "Keep your Hands and Laws Off my Body", "RAPE CULTURE" with a line through it

The Long History of #MeToo

… new allegations against powerful men emerge as more women come forward. But, while many are heralding the rise of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements as an opportunity for change, many of those … gains this kind of momentum also, because one of the first sites that's really coming forward about sexual misconduct …
Moskvitch 3 vehicles roll off the assembly line at JSC Moscow Automobile Plant Moskvitch, 2022.

Sanctions on Russia: Impact and Efficacy

… damaging sanctions against the Russian state, its companies, and its citizens. The sanctions were intended to … the world’s largest steel works and an entire city on a site located in an unsettled location on the steppe, miles … dependence on China is that it now risks becoming a client state in certain regards. As with the automobile …

Alawites and the Fate of Syria

… “elected” president of Syria. The unrest resulted from a combination of socio-economic and political problems that … strategy was redistributing the spoils of power among the loyal supporters of the regime and his family. These … brother-in-law, and cousins. While the regime and its clients enjoyed unchecked power and wealth at the expense of …
The flag of Ethiopia under the rule of the Derg, 1975-1987

Blind Aid: Lessons (Not Learned) from the Ethiopian Famine

… hundreds [of] thousands of people who will die.” Vasset’s comments encapsulated the international response to the … many humanitarian aid efforts continue to have the opposite of their intended effect. International Response At the … Ethiopia. Impact of International Aid As money began to pour in, international leadership and humanitarian …
With running mate Paul Ryan in Norfolk, Virginia, during the vice presidential selection announcement on August 11, 2012

Vice Presidential Nominees Must Be Plausible As President

… or on appealing to independents? Some of those factors may come into play, yet the recent history of vice-presidential … would be plausible as president.   The evidence is in the names of those selected. Bob Dole, Walter F. Mondale, George … perform under the pressure of a presidential campaign could complicate their chances.   It’s not that citizens base …
Election Day in Philadelphia 1815 by John Lewis Krimmel, picturing the site of Independence Hall and demonstrating the importance of elections as public occasions.

How We Learned to Love the Constitution

… political culture: a strong suspicion of government, an accompanying spirit of liberal capitalism, a sweeping ideology … slept in the House chambers. Rumors spread that armed units loyal to Jefferson were gathering to ensure his election. … after the thirty-fifth ballot, a single Federalist, James A. Bayard, Delaware’s sole representative, took a …

Las raíces del estado de fallido venezolano

… y Buicks y la clase alta famosamente se lanzaba de compras a Miami donde eran conocidos como los del “dame … la situación económica y un establecimiento político desacreditado, los votantes optaron por las promesas del … el consenso sobre políticas claves. También utilizaron el clientelismo para cooptar organizaciones de la sociedad …
soldiers in Vietnam

Memories of Vietnam in Memoriam

Review of Nothing Ever Dies: Vietnam and the Memory of War, by Viet Thanh Nguyen Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2016.
… from war memorials to movies, from novelizations to videogames.   The Vietnam War Memorial serves as a vivid example of … who view the dead and choose to remember them. This is a complex work.  Equal parts philosophical treatise, … to his core principle of an ethical “just memory”. Nguyen sites first person shooter style videogames as allowing …