Roundup

After Invasion, Famine

by Scott Reynolds Nelson

Russia has stopped 300 grain ships from leaving Ukraine. People in north African and south Asia will bear the brunt of higher prices and shortages.

Winslow Homer: The Melville of American Panting

by Susan Tallman

A new exhibition reframes Homer, once seen as a visual poet of American innocence, as an artist who grappled with the bitter conflicts at the heart of the nation. 

Blaming the "Third Rome" Doctrine for Putin's Invasion Distorts His Motives

by Matthew Lenoe

"Bogus theories about an innate Russian drive to expand will only complicate negotiations with Moscow, especially a possible post-Putin Moscow."

Understanding "Correlation of Forces" in Ukraine Counsels Caution for the US

by Michael Klare

Ukraine is a reminder of the significance of intangible factors in assessing military outcomes, and a warning against rash action in anticipation of success.

In Ukraine, the US Likely to Follow Kissinger's Example and Disappoint Idealists

by Jeffrey Fields

"From tacit support of the murderous dictator Saddam Hussein in the Iran-Iraq War to Washington’s close relationship with brutal human rights abuser Saudi Arabia, the U.S. frequently chooses to put its own interest ahead of its professed values."

Biden's Options in Ukraine are Ugly

by Walter Russell Mead

"Now both sides are stuck with a war that neither knows how to win, and it is difficult to see the outlines of a compromise peace that both sides can accept."

A Historical Feast of Death and Destruction—from the Peloponnesian Wars to Late Tomorrow Night

by Tom Engelhardt

Anyone shocked by the eruption of violence in "peaceful" Europe should pull the lens back to encompass centuries of war and slaughter before 1945.

With Amazon Union, What's Old is New Again

by Rosemary Feurer

The victory of the Amazon Labor Union in Staten Island doesn't represent a revival of "the 1930s insurgency," but a new generation finding guidance from some of the bottom-up solidarity building strategies from that decade. Today's unionism will have to avoid some mistakes of the CIO to endure.

The Amazon Union Vote is a Win for Hope

by Ian Rocksborough-Smith

"Despite historically low unionization rates, recent polls suggest at least 2/3 of Americans approve of labor unions – the highest approval rating since 1965. The ALU seems to have come along at exactly the right moment."

KBJ Confirmation Shows Misremembrance of MLK as Advocate of "Colorblindness"

by Bev-Freda Jackson

"Jackson’s appointment holds a significant symbolic value and adds an important message about the legacy of King’s sermons, speeches and writings."

The 1950 Census was a Last-of-its-Kind Treasure Trove of Information

by Dan Bouk

"As we celebrate the release of the 1950 Census records, it is an opportune moment to think again about the role the census has played — and may still play — in preserving the nation’s past by preserving a substantial accounting of each of us."

A Soviet Retreat from a Danish Island after World War II Suggests how Putin Could Find an "Off Ramp"

by Caroline Kennedy Pipe and James Rogers

Red Army troops remained on the strategically significant island of Bornholm until 1946, when Stalin negotiated a withdrawal in exchange for a pledge that foreign troops would not be stationed on the island. It's likely that a similar concession will be needed to end fighting in Ukraine. 

While "Anti-Grooming" Rhetoric Seems to Come from the Fringe, it Can be Influential

by Mical Raz and Paul M. Renfro

The latest culture war battle revives historical efforts to use the law to institutionalize the slander that LGBTQ people pose an inherent danger to children and families. 

Ben Franklin's Getting a Moment

by Joseph M. Adelman

Elements of Franklin's life resonate with both the earnest cult of the self-made achiever and the self-conscious crafting of image in the social media age. Perhaps this accounts for the surge of interest in Franklin as a founder. 

Watergate at 50: The Consequences of Impunity

by Barry Sussman

The Washington Post's City Editor at the time of the Watergate breakin launches a series of posts on the ongoing legacy of the scandal. This one discusses the legacy of elite impunity that resulted from the failure to prosecute Richard Nixon. 

Mill Mother's Lament: The Legacy of Ella May Wiggins

by Karen Sieber

The city of Gastonia has struggled to agree on the commemoration of the bloody 1929 Loray Mill strike, including how to account for the murder of pregnant union activist Ella May Wiggins. 

What I Learned when Donald Trump Tried to "Correct" the Record

by Julian Zelizer

"As an academic historian, I never expected to find myself in a videoconference with Donald Trump."

The Radical MLK and a Usable Past

by Robert Greene II

"Above all, King’s “usable past” was part of a long tradition of Black Americans claiming a place for themselves in the larger tapestry of American history and memory."

7 Worst-Case Scenarios in Ukraine

by Niall Ferguson

The invasion of Ukraine is testing the arguments made by social psychologist Stephen Pinker that the world is getting more peaceful and less supportive of war. 

The White Nationalist Fringe is Moving to the Center of the Republican Party

by Annika Brockschmidt

The embrace of the white nationalist right by the Republican Party is reflected in the fact that Marjorie Taylor Greene's political endorsement is, second to Trump's, the most sought-after for party candidates.