Roundup

Lessons from the Spanish Civil War for the Prospect of Foreign Fighters in Ukraine

by Ariel Mae Lambe and Fraser Raeburn

The recruitment of international brigades fighting fascism in Spain depended on international antifascist networks on the left. Advocates of bringing foreign fighters to Ukraine must be aware of the prospect of ideological fissures and arming neonazis, as well as the difficulty of mobilizing a diverse fighting force. 

Florida's Law Restricting LGBTQ Discussion Will Harm All Children

by Marie-Amélie George

The long history of bills restricting discussion of LGBTQ issues shows that these bills reinforce stigma and marginalize queer students and contribute to homophobic rhetoric and violence outside the school walls. 

How the Soviet Union Helped Establish the Crime of Aggressive War

by Francine Hirsch

Putin's claims to "denazify" Ukraine are an egregious affront to the historical role of the Soviet Union in establishing the Nuremberg tribunal, and its insistence in prosecuting aggressive war itself as a crime. 

Advanced Placement is Failing Students By Incentivizing Teaching-to-the-Test

by Annie Abrams

Initially rooted in an effort to coordinate the curricula of a handful of elite prep schools and Ivy League colleges, the Advanced Placement program has gradually shifted from skepticism of mass testing to resemble a test-prep program disguised as curriculum. 

A Tale of Two Dictators: Putin's Relationship to Stalin's Legacy

by Simon Sebag Montefiore

Despite their ideological incompatibility, Putin's nationalism depends on the cult of fear and repressive apparatus of the Stalinist era, which was never comprehensively demolished after the fall of Communism. 

Restore the Radical Origins of International Womens Day

by Tiana U. Wilson

International Women's Day didn't always center on tech executives issuing platitudes from Dubai. The needs of women today require recovering the day's roots in international labor and anticolonial movements. 

John Mearsheimer and the Dark Origins of Realism

by Adam Tooze

The vitriol aimed at Mearsheimer's diagnosis of the Russia-Ukraine conflict transcends academic debate and points to the liberal west's frustration at how little it can actually influence Russia. It's a missed opportunity to reflect on the roots and influence of his realist philosophy.

Russia’s Propaganda Machine Is Faltering Over Ukraine

by Ian Garner

Many stories of Ukrainian heroism must be taken with a grain of salt, but the fact that they have spread over social media, including in Russia, suggests that Putin has overestimated his ability to win the war of information. 

Is Emma Camp Correct That College Students Silence Themselves?

by Claire Potter

Do the writings of an intellectually self-assured college senior actually reflect a crisis of self-censorship, or a long tradition of finding and campaigning against alleged "conformism"? 

The Story of Adeline Henson

by Martha S. Jones

Adeline Henson's story shows the necessity of digging beneath the surface of documentary sources to uncover the humanity of enslaved people. 

Ukraine's Wakeup Call: A Global Age is Here

by Karen J. Greenberg

Whether it's cyberwarfare or energy prices, the impacts of the invasion of Ukraine on Americans will be significant, and national leaders need to respond in ways that recognize global interconnections. 

The History of the Holocaust Site Recently Struck by a Russian Missile

by Jeffrey Veidlinger

The memorialization of the Nazi killing field at Babi Yar near Kyiv has long been entangled with the competing versions of history favored by communists, Ukrainian and Russian nationalists, and the descendants of Jews, Roma, and other victims of wartime massacres. 

Thanatos Triumphant

by Mike Davis

Russian's invasion of Ukraine has revealed the nihilism of the world's leaders from Moscow to Washington, and the failure of the American left to develop a meaningful alternative to a global death-wish led by oligarchs.

West Side Story and the Tragedy of Progressive Hollywood

by Éric Morales-Franceschini

Critical debates about the "West Side Story" remake focus on representation, but ignore the politics of Puerto Rico. 

Century-Old Racist Tropes Guide US Policy on Venezuela

by Tim Gill

In justifying a neocolonial exercise of power over Latin America, U.S. policymakers have depended on many of the same racist ideas as their 19th-century forebears.

The Most Revealing Moment in Former Louisville Police Officer's Trial

by Matthew Guariglia

Former officer Brett Hankison didn't hesitate to defend his actions (shooting 10 bullets through a glass door during an unannounced raid) as legitimate. Policing has shaped the law in such a way that his confidence is justified. 

When Musicians Went on Strike – and Won

by Joey De La Neve Defrancesco

Professional unionized musicians in the 1940s struck to stop the impact of recording technology on their livelihoods. It's an example for musical artists being squeezed by streaming services today. 

What Binds Some American Evangelicals to Putin's Regime and War?

by Bethany Moreton

Russia's embrace of both religious nationalism and gender traditionalism makes many American evangelicals feel that Putin is their ally in a war against spiritual degeneracy. 

When University Marketing Suppresses Academic Freedom

by Silke-Maria Weineck

For 31 years, the University of Michigan has sponsored an academic freedom lecture named for three professors suspended for refusing to cooperate with HUAC. This year, its marketing team did everything it could to conceal the identity of the lecturer: a lawyer who fights the silencing of pro-Palestinian activists.

Putin is Following the 19th Century US in Using Separatist Movements to Justify Empire

by Elliott Young

No American observers should use the term "unprecedented" to describe Putin's claim to support self-determination as a justification for invading another country. It's part of the toolkit of empire.