News Abroad

Can Abolition of Nuclear Weapons Overcome the Opposition?

by Lawrence Wittner

People who want to end the nightmare of nuclear destruction that has haunted the world since 1945 should consider widening the popular appeal of nuclear weapons abolition by strengthening the UN’s ability to provide international security.

Red Flags on the Map: What Soviet Kids Learned about the United States

by David Mould

One of the author's souvenirs from a research trip to Asia – a Soviet-era classroom map – prompts reflection on the pervasiveness of ideological education. 

The Return of Human Rights on the American Agenda?

by Richard Moe

One of Jimmy Carter's legacies, albeit erratically observed, has been the assertion of human rights as a foreign policy priority. After four years of ignoring the issue, will the US under Joe Biden reclaim leadership in high-stakes relationships with Russia and Saudi Arabia? 

How Abraham Lincoln Can Inspire Peace for Yemen

by William Lambers

The postwar "friendship train" campaign involved Americans personally in delivering food to the hungry in Europe, and symbolized the nation's larger commitment to the Marshall Plan. A similar broad effort could help advance the policies needed to end the humanitarian crisis of war and starvation in Yemen. 

The Audacious Escape of George Blake

by Steve Vogel

George Blake was the most notorious double agent in Cold War Britain, which makes the story of his amateurish (but successful) escape from prison all the more remarkable. 

Trump's Troop Withdrawal in Afghanistan: Part 2 – Is There Even a "Trump Doctrine"?

by Brian Glyn Williams

Many Americans have bought Donald Trump's claim that he seeks to extricate the U.S. from "endless wars," including in Afghanistan. Viewed in the context of his other foreign policy actions, this claim is nonsensical, and undermines the work being done in support of global democracy and American interests.

Peace is Good. But are More Peace Deals Necessarily Better?

by Catherine Baylin Duryea

The recent normalization of relations between Israel and Morocco extends longstanding covert cooperation between the two nations, but troublingly reflects Mideast politics that are increasingly aimed at isolating Iran. It also includes concessions that  contribute to the marginalization of the people of Western Sahara.

Will Biden Shake Up a Century of US-Ireland Relations?

by Mark Holan

As the second Irish-American Catholic president, Joe Biden may be expected to sprinkle his speeches with lines from Seamus Heaney, but he's likely to tread a moderate path as issues like Brexit test the Irish-American relationship. 

Trump's Troop Withdrawal in Afghanistan: Part 1 – Abandoning a Vulnerable Ally in the War on Terror

by Brian Glyn Williams

Donald Trump's plan to withdraw troops from Afghanistan misrepresents the scope and costs of the American mission and ignores the high stakes of failure for both Afghans and American security, according to a scholar of the War on Terror. 

Can the COVID Crisis Create a New Civilian-Military Trust in Argentina?

by David M. K. Sheinin y Cesar R. Torres

Many Argentinians have been suspicious of military involvement in civil affairs since the end of the country's military dictatorship in 1983. Two scholars ask if the COVID crisis presents an opportunity for healing and reimagining the military's role in Argentina.

Mythologies Without End: The U.S., Israel, and the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1917-2020

by Jerome Slater

The author of a new history of the Israel-Palestine conflict argues that a myth of national innocence crafted by Israel and embraced by the United States impedes pragmatic compromise and costs lives through ongoing violence. 

From a Victorian to a Twenty-First Century Understanding of Why History Matters

by Priya Satia

"Churchill was the apotheosis of the historically-minded statesman, committed to the idea of history as progress in which the role of great men was to suppress ordinary moral compunctions about destructive events that forwarded it."

A Kick in the Leg: The Secret, Corrupt Political History of the Nobel Peace Prize

by Unni Turrettini

The Nobel Prize Commiteee has departed from Alfred Nobel's wishes to honor the cause of global demilitarization and disarmament in favor of statements of political favor in the awarding of the Peace Prize. 

Trump Claims Credit for Defeating ISIS. Pentagon Documents Show Otherwise

by Brian Glyn Williams

A historian and scholar of the War on Terror says that Trump's claims of credit in the fight against ISIS are hot air. 

The Queen's Two Bodies

by Ed Simon

Queen Elizabeth's speech to English soliders in anticipation of the Spanish invasion of 1588 rallied the troops for a battle that never happened. But it anticipated today's cultural battle over the stability of gender categories. 

Lessons from the 18th Century Dutch Republic

by Matthijs Tieleman

The history of the Dutch Republic demonstrates that polarization can gradually destroy a country from within and can easily be exploited by foreign actors. The embrace of political pluralism by every citizen is the key antidote to the rot of polarization.

‘One Man, and One Man Alone’: Mussolini’s War

by John Gooch

Mussolini acted on the spur of the moment, always sensitive to the need to be seen as Hitler’s equal.  Rarely did anyone ever try to talk him out of a chosen course, and when they did so they failed.  You couldn’t reason with him.

Who Owns Churchill?: Three Mythic Configurations

by Steven Fielding, Bill Schwarz, and Richard Toye

A new book examines the ways that Winston Churchill's image has been used in British politics, not least by Churchill himself.

"Follow the Science," but Explain and Apologize

by Susan M. Reverby

Governments need to establish trust so that their public health announcements are credible and persuasive, but have undermined that trust by conducting ethically questionable studies. A model of apology is part of the solution. 

Mourning Two Civil Rights Heroes Across the Atlantic

by Donald M. Beaudette and Laura Weinstein

As we remember John Hume and John Lewis, we should find inspiration to continue their struggle.