Recently Published

Why The Arab/Israeli Conflict Remains Intractable

by Alex Grobman

There have been many attempts to understand why the Arab/Israel conflict remains unresolved.  Among the reasons advanced for this impasse are:  years of suspicion, fear, feelings of injustice and stereotyping

The Politics of National Security from World War II to the War on Terrorism: An Interview with Julian E. Zelizer

What is this book about? The book examines the political history of national security from World War II through the war on terroris

Glenn Beck: “Historian” For a Troubled America

by Joseph A. Palermo

Update: Glenn Beck has responded to this article on his TV show. You can see the clip on YouTube here. Mr. Palermo's response to Mr. Beck can be found here.It’s official: Beck is now a doctor of philosophy. The Reverend Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University recently conferred upon Glenn Beck

China's Season of Protests

by Jeffrey Wasserstrom

There's a special significance to the fact that, thanks to a strike wave at Honda factories in Foshan, Chinese protests are making head

This Memorial Day, a Modest Plea for More Honest Military Recruiting Ads

by William Astore

Visiting my local cemetery, I walk quietly through the serried ranks of identical military gravestones, all adorned with American flags, a few adorned with flowers or religious figures or other mementos left by friends or family. For me, it's a moving reminder of the debt we owe to America's veterans, especially those who gave their lives in the defense of this country. Contrast this somber sight to the upbeat Army recruiting ads I'm bombarded with as I cruise the MLB and ESPN websit

A Vanishing American Remembrance?

by Ed Hooper

The city of Yonkers, NY, has canceled its Memorial Day parade this year. What's the news in this? It's the cause cited by city officials—not lack of funds, of parade participants or of budget, but simply that no one is showing up to see the parade any more, a story that's repeating itself in cities across the nation. Strained budgets have been the most cited reason for past cancellations of Memorial Day events. But the truth is that the observance is fading as an American holid

A Salute to the Generosity of Our Soldiers

by William Lambers

This Memorial Day offers a chance to remember the heroism and sacrifice of American soldiers. Let's also remember their generosity in the most difficul

Fortress Guam: Resistance to U.S. Military Mega-Buildup

by LisaLinda Natividad and Gwyn Kirk

United States presidents rarely visit the U.S. territory of Guam (or Guåhan in the Chamorro language), but President Obama may visit this June.  This will be a significant stop for residents of this small island, thirty miles long and eight miles wide, dubbed the place “where America’s day begins.”  Guam is the southernmost island in the Northern Mariana chain that also includes Rota, Tinian, and Saipan.  It is the homeland of indigenous Chamorro

Populist Interest in the Constitution is Nothing New

by Jeff Shesol

The Constitution is getting a lot of attention these days.  Depending on your perspective, our national charter is being trampled, twisted, shredded,

Can We Live With the Bomb?

by Lawrence S. Wittner

For some time now, it has been clear that nuclear weapons threaten the existence not only of humanity, but of all life on Earth.Thus, Barack O

Rethinking the Rand Paul Controversy

by Kenneth W. Mack

Since Republican Senate nominee Rand Paul questioned whether, on constitutional grounds, he would have voted for Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, he has been subjected to a barrage of historically-minded criticism.  Paul’s critics have expressed doubts about the nominee’s professed endorsement of the goal of Title II, which was to guaranty equal access to many public accommodations without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.  To them, his

Skewed Wealth Distribution and the Roots of the Economic Crisis

by David Barber

Recently, Robert Shiller, a professor of economics at Yale University, penned a New

Arthur Bryant, Britain's Establishment Historian

by Reba N. Soffer

Considerable time, energy, pseudo-science, and wishful thinking have been expended to demonstrate whether any kind of statement—oral, writte

Richard Cohen is Right to Criticize Newt Gingrich's Historical Claims, But He Needs to Double-Check His Facts

by Nick Underwood

Recently, Richard Cohen published a column in the Washington Post outlining the ways in which Newt Gingrich misuses historical concepts to validate conservative tropes of socialism and secularism within discussions of some of the Obama administration’s programs—the “secular-socialist machine.”  In Cohen’s commentary on “socialism” and “s

The Truth About "The Sick Man At Yalta"

by Steven Lomazow

The four years of research involved in writing my recent book with journalist Eric Fettmann, FDR’s Deadly Secret, has brought to light a new de

Turkey and the Holocaust

by Arnold Reisman

Turkey is now center stage in many discussions and policy debates worldwide.  When it comes to the State of Israel and Turkey’s small remaining Jewish community, the news coming out of Turkey is not good. But what about the historical relationship between Jews and Turks?  Most historians are quite aware that Jews lived and prospered throug

Rand Paul Could Use a Lesson from My Father on Discrimination

by Lawrence S. Wittner

Rand Paul's criticism of the federal civil rights legislation of the 1960s can be better evaluated by looking at the workings of similar legislation

If Greeley and Lincoln Were Alive Today, They Wouldn't Recognize the Republican Party

by Johann Neem

The Maine Republican party has recently adopted a new platform that challenges the principles of national sovereignty and active federal govern

"Prompt Global Strike" Has Deep Roots in American History

by Ira Chernus

Prompt Global Strike (PGS) is the latest innovation (or is it fantasy?) in U.S. military technology—“a new class of weapons,

Barry Goldwater on the Civil Rights Act: The Antecedent to Rand Paul

by David Farber

Most Americans remember the “Sixties” as a time of civil rights sit-ins, anti-war protests and long-haired rock stars.  But almost exactly