Roundup

White American Evangelicals have been among Putin's Biggest Fans – Will Invasion Change Things?

by Anthea Butler

The invasion of Ukraine will test whether American evangelicals' enthusiasm for Putin's brand of Christian nationalism outweighs their faith's calls for peace and mercy. 

Building Racial Dialogue (and a Department) In a Time of Backlash

by Leora Auslander and Atom Getachew

When many stakeholders were inclined to suspicion or outright hostility, building an academic department to study race, ethnicity and migration required labor-intensive dialogue not to split the difference between opposing sides but to build a majority coaltion of support. 

The Long History of Russian Empire Behind Putin's Territorial Goals

by Lynne Hartnett

"Putin understands the post-Soviet global order through the prism of Russia’s long history. And that history is inextricably tied to Russia’s dynamic imperial mission both in the past and today."

War Torn: Confronting the Problems of the Nationless

by Nick Turse

Those displaced by war, persecution, and economic desperation constitute more than a billion people. The "nationless" are the third-largest nation on Earth, and their ranks will only grow.

Broken Homes of the Drug War

by David Helps

Rather than a mistake or an isolated instance of excess, a notoriously brutal and destructive LAPD raid on an apartment complex in 1988 should be seen as part of a political attack on the city's Black poor, enabled by cultural stereotypes of families of color. 

In the Midst of CRT Controversy, Don't Ignore the Impacts of Many Teachers' Racism

by Ranita Ray

American students need a curriculum that is honest about the impact of racism in the nation's history. But students of color also need protection against prejudice, cruelty, and indifference from their teachers, which often mirrors the nation at large. 

War as a Spectator Event

by Nicole Hemmer

It's necessary to consider the ethics and morality of consuming warfare as a spectator event, and to temper emotional reactions spurred by images of suffering with understanding of their context. 

Seize the Oligarchs' Wealth

by Faith Hillis

Seizing assets and cracking down on money laundering is the best chance to turn Russia's oligarchical ruling class away from aggression in Ukraine. 

Can Intelligence (or History) Predict How Far Putin Might Go?

by Calder Walton

Despite the image of individual operatives, assembling reliable intelligence about Putin's invasion plans is a product of multiple coordinated capabilities, just like it was at the height of the cold war. 

I'm a Holocaust Historian. I'm Also Taking Up Arms for Ukraine

by Artem Kharchenko

"I am a historian and I work at one of Kharkiv’s universities, but I am also a reserve officer and I must be ready, as a patriot, to defend my country. I hate using pompous words, but for this situation, when life itself is under threat, it seems inescapably fitting."

Putin's Historical Memory Laws Foreshadowed Ukrainian Invasion

by Francine Hirsch

Legal penalties for critical interpretations of the Soviet role in the second world war are an effort to prop up a nationalist version of Russian history that is being used to justify the invasion of Ukraine as a humanitarian and antifascist measure. 

CORE's Fight for Fair Housing in Los Angeles

by M. Keith Claybrook, Jr.

The fight for fair housing in Los Angeles demonstrates the way that racism has been maintained through the institutions of housing and real estate. 

Too Much Reality: Putin's Invasion Inevitably Surfaces Europe's Dark Past

by Jim Sleeper

Responses to the Russian invasion of Ukraine can't turn away from the possibility of mass atrocity like those visited on Eastern European Jews and resistance fighters by Nazis and Stalinists. 

Putin's Rationale for Invasion Gets the History Wrong

by Timothy Snyder

There are countless lines between past and present, making the historical links and ruptures between Ukraine and Russia too complex for propaganda. 

The Roundup Top Ten for February 25, 2022

The top opinion writing by historians and about history from around the web this week. 

The Ottawa "Freedom Convoy" Takes Inspiration from a Biblical Account of a Divine Massacre

by Thomas Lecaque

The Ottawa truck protests featured a contingent of "Jericho Marchers" who are increasingly prominent on the Christian far right. 

China Digs Its Own Grave (and Ours, Too)

by Alfred McCoy

History is a poor tool for predicting how the post-fossil fuel world will be organized. But it's clear that a successful world order will have to be based in acknowledging the climate crisis. 

Why Putin is Outfoxing the West

by Walter Russell Mead

Containing Russia's ambitions isn't impossible, but requires both acknowledging Putin's imperial goals and developing a coherent strategy beyond defusing each successive crisis and moving on. 

The Beginnings of Queer Citizenship in West Germany

by Samuel Clowes Huneke

An emerging gay activist culture in West Berlin in the 1970s made substantial gains in building cultural spaces and expanding tolerance, but struggled to build political solidarity out of sexual identity amid other social divisions.

The Fight for Black Freedom Must Be International

by Shaun Armstead

Achieving Black freedom requires opposing both domestic racial oppression and the workings of imperialism and exploitation abroad, as activists from Abolition to Black Power to Black Lives Matter have shown.