Roundup

Islamophobia has a long history in the US

Fear of Islam is tightly knit into the American fabric, and deeply rooted in its legal, political and popular imagination.

Why Obama and Putin are Both Wrong on Syria

by Juan Cole

Obama wants al-Assad to stand down as a prerequisite for effective US action against Daesh in Syria. Putin thinks al-Assad is key to defeating Daesh and that everyone should ally with Damascus. What's needed is a synthesis of both approaches.

Women’s Rights and the Decline of the Culture Wars

by Jonathan Zimmerman

Last Sunday, at the United Nations, world leaders marked the 20th anniversary of the landmark Beijing accord on women’s rights. They celebrated women’s progress—especially in education, health, and labor—and underscored ongoing gender inequalities.

Photos of the Week:  Mecca Then and Now, 128 Years of Growth

This photo display shows the stunning changes that have taken place in Mecca through the years

How Should Historians Remember the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act?

by Geraldo L. Cadava

Despite the rhetoric of equal treatment under the law, the 1965 Act bred inequality and was, at its core, restrictive and "conservative."

7 Slavery Myths Debunked

by Jamelle Bouie and Rebecca Onion

The Irish were slaves too; slaves had it better than Northern factory workers; black people fought for the Confederacy; and other lies, half-truths, and irrelevancies.

A little-known law that radically changed America

by Ted Widmer

The Immigration Act of 1965 righted a wrong that began in 1924 with the passage of the McCarran-Walter Act.

Born that way? ‘Scientific’ racism is creeping back into our thinking.

by W. Carson Byrd and Matthew W. Hughey

Here’s what to watch out for.

It is time to get very afraid: Extremists, authoritarians now run the GOP — and no one can stop them

by Heather Cox Richardson

Boehner and McConnell weren't conservative enough for them. Nor Eric Cantor. Right-wing purists won't stop here

What Ronald Reagan Teaches Us About Donald Trump

by Rick Perlstein

Reagan, and now Trump, reveal our own tendency to repress our fear of demagogues by dismissing them. And ultimately, it's all about us.

Debacle, Inc.: How Henry Kissinger Helped Create Our “Proliferated” World

by Greg Grandin

Each of his Middle East initiatives has been disastrous in the long run.

Syria: Is Bashar al-Assad winning the Diplomatic War? Rebels Fret

by Juan Cole

The Syrian rebels are extremely upset and worried that the world may abandon them.

This is why we are now seeing old people tried for Nazi war crimes

by Stephan Petzold

The definition of “criminal guilt” and the “perpetrator” changed in the course of the trial of John Demjanjuk in 2011.

Jeb Bush’s Saying Blacks Want ‘Free Stuff’ for Votes Insults Our Dignity and History of Struggle

by Peniel E. Joseph

The GOP presidential candidate’s statement perpetuates a mythology of ignorance that casts black folks as a lazy mass of people dependent on government largesse for their existence.

Our forgotten slavery horror: The shameful, untold history of America and the Cuban slave trade

by Stephen Chambers

As Cuba opens, it's time to recognize our proxy role in Cuba's slave trade, and the Monroe Doctrine's real purpose

Donald Trump and the Rise of the Moral Minority

by Molly Worthen

The success of his campaign so far exposes a rift within the evangelical movement.

Why is Catalonia in revolt against Spain?

by Scott Eastman,

The real trick of romantic nationalists is that they can gloss over economics and history to call for the creation of a state that they themselves may one day lead.

Pope Francis Desecrates Memory of Catholic Martyrs in Cuba

by Humberto Fontova

Castro’s KGB and STASI- tutored regime prepared for the Pope’s visit carefully. Any unsightly protests would obviously mar the occasion, especially for a regime long-accustomed to preening in front of the international media mirror.

History’s True Warning

by Timothy Snyder

How our misunderstanding of the Holocaust offers moral cover for the geopolitical disasters of our time.

The Real Presidential-Age Question

by Jeffrey Frank

In the fifties, Dwight D. Eisenhower worried about cultivating a new generation of Republican candidates. Democrats face similar concerns today.