Roundup

Iraq and the Neocons: The Sequel

by Joseph A. Palermo

"Since many of the neocons cut their teeth inside the Reagan administration, it's hard to believe they were unacquainted with the 'strategic' contours of the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s."

The Shocking Silence of Japan’s Mainstream Media After a Man Set Himself on Fire to Protest the Decision to Overturn the Pacifist Postwar Order

by Jeff Kingston

The symbolism of the man’s defiant act of self-sacrifice was not lost on social media.

Infographic: Where Does Gitmo Fit in? The Long, Winding History Of Prison Camps

Stunning visuals to help you put Gitmo in historical perspective. 

Should Germans Read ‘Mein Kampf’?

by Peter Ross Range

The release of “Mein Kampf” into Germany’s cultural bloodstream is sure to be a sensational moment.

The Letters That Warren G. Harding’s Family Didn’t Want You to See

by Jordan Michael Smith

The correspondence is intimate and frank — and perhaps the most sexually explicit ever by an American president.

Macro Debates and the Relevance of Intellectual History

by Paul Krugman

One of the interesting things about the ongoing economic crisis is the way it has demonstrated the importance of historical knowledge.

The Next Act of the Neocons

by Jacob Heilbrunn

Are Neocons Getting Ready to Ally With Hillary Clinton?

Roundup Top 10!

This week's broad sampling of opinion pieces found on the Internet, as selected by the editors of HNN.

Alito could have been stopped: Why Dems should have filibustered the radical

by Heather Digby Parton

The man who has wreaked havoc on this country could have been avoided altogether. Here's why it never happened.

Can Tony Blair Mess up Egypt even Worse?

by Juan Cole

With his Neoliberal biases and his hatred of political Islam, Blair will reinforce the worst instincts of the current government.

The American way of war: It may surprise you

by Joseph J. Ellis

"We must resist our dreams of managing history." — Reinhold Niebuhr

Don’t Mess with Messiahs

by Victor Davis Hanson

Whenever things go wrong, it’s the fault of those obstructionists in Congress.

Touched by history: Meeting a witness to WWI assassination

by Rick Steves

"Princip pulled out his gun, took two steps forward, and shot him in the neck . . . dead."

The Caliphate Fantasy

by Khaled Diab

"The problem with this new caliphate is that it is ahistorical, to say the least."

Netanyahu's Steady Hand

by Daniel Pipes

"I have often criticized Netanyahu but the excellent analysis in this speech suggests a steady hand at the helm."

Whose Security?

by Noam Chomsky

How Washington Protects Itself and the Corporate Sector.

Free speech: another weapon in the war against abortion in the US

by Ruth Rosen

In a dramatic turn of events last week, the US Supreme Court overturned a 2007 law that separated and protected women who sought abortions and health care from the zealots who intimated and threatened them.

The Acute Danger of Iraqi Dams

by Daniel Pipes

It's been apparent at least since the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 that the Mosul Dam, Iraq's largest, could spell devastation for Iraq due to a combination of faulty construction, governmental indifference, and an ongoing civil insurrrection.

The Debacle of the Caliphates: Why al-Baghdadi’s Grandiosity doesn’t Matter

by Juan Cole

The end of the caliphate did not matter to most Muslims.

The Culture War’s Sore Winners

by Ross Douthat

"Such a liberalism would take ownership of its own ascendance and take more responsibility for (and pride in!) its own aggressions, rather than perpetually crying 'theocracy' whenever its advance is interrupted."