Recently Published

The US Response to the Holocaust Was Part of a Longer Pattern of Appeasing Fascism

by Roger Peace

The Roosevelt administration's refusal to accept large numbers of Jewish refugees was of a piece with a pattern of diplomatic and economic solicitousness toward Nazi Germany. 

Are the Dems in for a 2010-Style Shellacking?

by Cary Heinz

The Tea Party wave in the 2010 midterms was an extreme example of the generally poor showing for the president's party in the midterms; will 2022 follow suit? 

How US Latinos Resurrected the Day of the Dead

by Ricardo Romo

American Latinos have transformed the day from a private ritiual of communion with ancestors to a public affirmation of heritage. 

Between January 6 and Ukraine, Macho Men Threaten Democracy

by Walter G. Moss

"It would be simplistic to blame the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Putin’s misguided machismo, but it certainly is a factor."

After 50 Years, the Truth About the Vietnam Peace Agreement Remains Elusive

by Arnold Isaacs

In October 1972, Henry Kissinger declared "peace is at hand" in Vietnam. Why, then, did the United States continue bombing North Vietnam? Official deception still colors American foreign policy and military strategy today. 

Originalism is Doomed to Failure. Will it Destroy Democracy First?

by Richard Striner

Textualism as a theory of judicial interpretation arose as a semantic game among academics, but has been put to brutal use by the Federalist Society to undermine the democracy that most 21st century Americans enjoy. 

Catch these Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass Docs While You Can

by Walter G. Moss

Readers have a short time to watch two informative documentaries on American freedom fighters Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman. 

Is the Recovery Act Driving Inflation?

by Robert Brent Toplin

Inflation is a global problem, not an American one. 

The Salem Trials Challenge Us to Resist Moral Panic and Suspicion

by Anna K. Danziger Halperin

The Salem Witch Trials have been a perennial subject of fascination. A new exhibition challenges us to think about the potent mix of moral panic and social suspicion that drove accusations in Salem as a caution for ourselves today. 

Bye Bye, World: Will Humanity Continue to Tolerate the Risk of Nuclear War?

by Lawrence Wittner

Since the dawn of the nuclear age, broad-based disarmament movements have demanded a world without the threat of nuclear annihilation. Will the governments of powerful nations lead the way to realizing that goal? 

Putin's Strategy Echoing Hitler's Mistakes on Eastern Front

by James Thornton Harris

Although Vladimir Putin has called the Ukrainian leadership "Nazis" to justify invasion, the longer the Ukraine war drags on the more Putin's strategic errors resemble those made by Hitler on the eastern front.

Now More than Ever, America Must Commit to Ensure the Transition of Presidential Power

by David Marchick and Valerie Smith Boyd

The latest evidence presented by the January 6 Commission underscore the urgent need for all parties to renew the commitment the core principle of an orderly transition of power from one elected president to another.

Have We Chosen to Forget our Abolitionist Ancestors, Too?

by James D. Richardson

The author wonders whether his great-great grandfather's commitment to justice before and after emancipation became socially inconvenient and morally demanding to later generations in white America.

Ten Years Ago, Barack Obama's Debate Choke Threatened His Reelection

by Cary Heinz

Barack Obama wasn't unprepared for his first debate against Mitt Romney in 2012, but he stumbled nonetheless. Ten years later, his performance offers a warning to incumbents of the challenges they face in coming out winners from the spectacle. 

There Are Alternatives to War

by Lawrence Wittner

The Ukraine war points to the urgent need to reform the United Nations so it can serve as a true global organization with the power to ensure peace. 

What the Cuban Missile Crisis Teaches Us about Ending the Ukraine War

by Walter G. Moss

Many people have invoked JFK's handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis as a reminder of the need for toughness in international confrontation. The equally vital but less popular lesson is that creative leadership is just as important. 

Rednecks for Kennedy: How an Urban Democrat Could Build Bridges to Rural America

by Jeff Bloodworth

The cultural divide between urban and rural America is real and politically significant. But the Kennedy administration's success in Oklahoma shows that a coalition can be built with a combination of transactional politics and committed outreach. 

Lincoln Would have Had an Answer for the "Originalists"

by Richard Striner

The 16th President looked to the constitutional crises of his time and asked whether the document was created to serve the people or the other way around. Today he might ask the same of the Supreme Court. 

A Holocaust Mystery: Ken Burns Gets Lost in a Bermuda Triangle

by Rafael Medoff and Monty N. Penkower

At the 1943 Bermuda Conference, British and American diplomats offered a symbolic show of concern for Jewish refugees, but made no substantial commitment to help. Ken Burns's recent holocaust documentary passes over this event. 

What's Driving the Latest Texas History Wars?

by John Willingham

An organized and well-funded alliance of charter schools and conservative activists is leveraging the Critical Race Theory controversy in Texas to pursue the real prize: school education funding.