Roundup

The U.S. once considered using 23 nuclear bombs to blast out a highway

by Sarah Zhang

It began with the Santa Fe Railway Company, which wanted a straighter and flatter path through the Bristol Mountains.

The Weird and Troubling History of Bisexuality Studies

by Kate Hakala

"Bisexuality can sometimes feel like a largely invisible orientation because of its historic neglect and ridicule in both the media and sciences."

Shock & Awe In Syria: It never Works

by Juan Cole

"The US belief in air power is touching, but in fact no conflict has ever been quickly brought to an end where US planes have been involved."

Apocalypse Now, Iraq Edition

by Peter Van Buren

Fighting in Iraq Until Hell Freezes Over

Wonder Woman's Secret Past

by Jill Lepore

"Wonder Woman is psychological propaganda for the new type of woman who should, I believe, rule the world.”

Why populism and parties terrified George Washington

by Alan Pell Crawford

James Madison called it “perhaps the greatest error” of George Washington’s “political life.” That he committed so few makes Washington’s speech of November 19, 1794, memorable in itself.

The long and complicated history of the Mexican-American border

by Paul Kramer

The Mexican-American border seems easy to identify.  But for years it wasn't.

Only 60 percent of Americans know FDR was president during WW II

by Daniel Burnett

As Americans watched filmmaker Ken Burns’ latest documentary, “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History,” this past week, a new study suggests that, despite the family’s importance in our history, their legacies are being forgotten.

His Elective Highness, President Barack Obama

by Kathleen Bartoloni-Tuazon

Some early Americans thought our leader deserved a splashier title

10 things you (probably) didn’t know about Scottish history

by Emma McFarnon

Scotland has voted to remain in the United Kingdom. The country's future has been fiercely debated in recent weeks, but how much do you know about Scottish history?

Roundup Top 10!

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

The Vietnamization of the War on ISIS?

by Max Boot

The comparison may be unfair, but it is also inevitable when one reads that “the U.S. military campaign against Islamist militants in Syria is being designed to allow President Barack Obama to exert a high degree of personal control, going so far as to require that the military obtain presidential signoff for strikes in Syrian territory.”

Was the Ferguson prosecutor's father, a cop, really killed by a black man?

by Peter James Hudson

"While Glenn was charged and convicted of first-degree murder by the Missouri courts, a close reading of the state’s justifications for his conviction and sentence suggests two alternative possibilities. "

How A Supreme Court Precedent From 1837 Supports Uber's Fight Against Taxi Monopolies

by Christian G. Samito,

While some local governments will probably impose more robust regulations on Uber vehicles, it seems inconceivable that a court would shut down a new method of for-hire transportation because it competes with an existing one.

Can a Nation's Soil Explain Its Economic Fortunes?

by Joe Pinsker

If your ancestors could grow crops easily—and thus get proof that patience pays off—you're more likely to value distant payoffs, argue two economists in a new paper.

The chaotic Middle East and beyond

by Tom Engelhardt

In the twenty-first century, the U.S. military has been neither a nation- nor an army-builder, nor has it found victory, no matter how hard it’s searched.

Must Muslim Americans Condemn ISIL? Must Turkish Jews Condemn Gaza War?

by Juan Cole

It is like forcing all Russian-Americans to say publicly what they think about Vladimir Putin.

The Case for a Unified Kurdistan

by Daniel Pipes

Is a united and independent Kurdistan a prospect we should welcome, or a dangerous idea that would create more problems in the Middle East than it would solve?

Top 5 Contradictions in Obama’s Emerging ISIL Strategy

by Juan Cole

"Here a some of the more important obstacles to a smooth alliance or coherent war plan."

Think Tanks for Sale or Rent

by Daniel Pipes

"Foreign funding of think tanks is corrupting our democracy."