News Abroad

Roseanne Barr, Historian?

by Alex Grobman

Queen of Controversy, Roseanne Barr, created quite a stir with her photo in the July 30th issue

Is Obama Aware of the History of Failure that Marks Our Drug War in Latin America?

by Jeremy Kuzmarov

Besides reneging on a campaign promise to reform the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), in a meeting with Mexican President Felipe Calderon this past week, Barack Obama shored up his support for Plan Merida, a $1.4 bil

Anti-Semitism Vs Anti-Semitism in Iran

by Hamid Tehrani

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a Holocaust denier who, for many, is the living symbol of anti-Semitism, has recently become the target of an anti-Semitic attack.Mehdi Khazali, the son of a conservative – and pro-Ahmadinejad – ayatollah, and director of the Hayyan Cultural Institute in Tehran, published a post in his blog trying to discredit Mr. Ahamadinejad and his supporters by claiming Iran’s president has “Jewish roots.”Some newspapers and websites,

Whither Jerusalem?

by Richard L. Cravatts

The stridency of the Obama administration’s attitude about Israeli settlements in the West Bank has stunned some observers, not the least of whom is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself. Even more troubling to the Israelis is the State Department’s recent scolding of Ambassador Michael Oren about a 20-unit apartment project financed by a wealthy American philanthropist who purchased the former Shepherd Hotel property in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, adjacent to a compound of I

The Limits of Power: An Interview with Andrew Bacevich

by Aaron Leonard

In 2008 Boston University historian Andrew Bacevich released, The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism. In the book he pulls no punches--presenting a stark assessment of t

Russia: The Aggrieved Great Power

by Leonid Luks

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia turned into an aggrieved colossus -- anxious to restore its status as a world power.

History Offers Hope that We Can Reduce the Risk of Global Warming

by Jan Kunnas

While still writing on my doctoral thesis, I received as a comment on an early version from a professor in my university, “that few people today believe in history as the vita magistra.” At first this statement shocked me, but later on it turned into a great inspiration for further thought. The first question arising was, that if we do not believe that we can learn from history, then what is the justification of the whole academic discipline history. If it is just for our own fun, is

War Stories: Explaining Why We Fight to the American Home Front

by Susan A. Brewer

President Barack Obama confronts a formidable task as he tries to explain the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan to the American people. Not only does he contend with the troubled legacy of past policies, but he also inherits a long tradition of government

The Belief in Regenerative War: Why So Many American Intellectuals Supported the Iraq War

by Jackson Lears

One of the peculiarities of modern war is the fascination it holds for intellectuals. Since the 1890s, in the United States as in Europe, the loudest

The Ongoing Danger of Nuclear War

by Lawrence S. Wittner

This August, when hundreds of Hiroshima Day vigils and related antinuclear activities occur around the United States, many Americans will wonder at their relevance.  After all, the nuclear danger that characterized the Cold War is now far behind us, isn't it?Unfortunately, it is not.  Today there are nine nu

A Chance for Real Democracy in Honduras

by Kevin Coleman

Honduras is changing. In 1981, Ronald Reagan imposed democracy from the outside, yielding a constitution that minimized the participation of the citizenry in the decisions of their government and a process that repressed and decapitated the social movements—led by workers, peasants, and students—who sought to have their voices heard. Nearly three decades later, as President Manuel Zelaya made marginal steps toward reform, by raising the minimum wage from about $0.50/hour to about $1.

A Coup is Not a Coup. A Not-Coup is a Coup.

by Kevin Coleman

On Sunday June 28th, the Honduran military kidnapped their president, Manuel “Mel” Zelaya, and flew him to Costa Rica in his pajamas. In doing so, the military enforced an unconstitutional and undemocratic transfer of power from the Honduran left to the right. The international community immediately and unanimously condemned the coup d'état. Meanwhile, there is ongoing censorship of the press and several laws protecting Hondurans’ basic civil liberties have been indefini

The War on Drugs and the Politics of Failure: From the Vietnam to the Afghan Quagmire

by Jeremy Kuzmarov

In a recent interview, Richard Holbrooke, White House Special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan and a key architect of President Obama’s “surge” strategy, declared the War on Drugs in Afghanistan to be a failure. After spending millions upon millions of taxpayer dollars, he said, aerial eradication campaigns have not cut supply rates and contributed to the displacement of farmers and loss of their livelihood, causing many to gravitate to the insurgent camp. He might have added

What Has Prevented Nuclear War?

by Lawrence S. Wittner

One of the great questions of the modern world is:  Why has nuclear war not occurred since 1945?  The conventional answer is that, thanks to fear of mutual destruction, nuclear weapons have "deterred" nuclear war.  And yet, this answer fails to account for some important developments.  Since

Yet Another Vital Task for Obama Is Deciding When We Should Go to War

by Robert M. Saunders

The poignancy of watching President Obama lay a wreath on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier as a symbol of respect for those who have died in our wars certainly resonates with Americans. While recognizing the ultimate sacrifice of hundreds of thousands, their deaths cry out, in fact demand, that we examine the justifications and necessity of being involved in major wars outside the United States since 1898. The overriding justification for American wars has been the attack of another country

What Clash of Civilizations?

by Ian Almond

Around the time of Turkey’s application for entry talks into the EU a couple of years ago, a campaign was started up in Austria against Turkey becoming a member. Part of this campaign involved the memory of the &ldq

The Two-State To Nowhere: Another Futile Attempt At Appeasement

by Alex Grobman

“There is reason to believe that [the president] cherished the illusion that presumably he, and he alone, as head of the United States, could bring

After a Century of Overthrows, What’s Washington’s Role?

by Alan McPherson

It is heartening to see the international community condemn the leaders of the coup against President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras. The United Nations welcomed him as an exiled hero and the Organization of American States has threatened to expel Honduras if the plotters do not reinstate Zelaya within days. Pre

The Chávez-Castro Connection Lies in a Now Forgotten Chapter of the Cold War

by Brian Nelson

Many are calling Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez “Castro’s Heir”—a man destined to be the perpetual thorn in the side of

Why We Are Less at Risk of Major Famines Today than in the Past

by Cormac Ó Gráda

Famines are an emotive and troubling subject, not only because of what they do to people and communities, but because they expose the darkest side of human nature.  Famines produce their saints and thei