Links to Recent Articles of Interest
“History Tells Us How the Israel-Hamas War Will End”
By Ian S. Lustick, Time, posted January 10
“An American order to stop is not what Israeli leaders fear, it is what they expect, and it is what the country always needs. And history shows it will come – eventually.” The author is a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Pennsylvania. His most recent book is Paradigm Lost: The Two-State Solution and the One-State Reality (U. of Pennsylvania Press, 2019).
“Democrats and the Left: A Mutual Dependency”
By Michael Kazin, The Nation, posted January 9
A historical rundown of ways in which social justice movements have initiated changes whose implementation has required complementary actions by leaders of the Democratic Party. “Mass movements can stoke the fires of popular discontent, but only the state can pass laws and overhaul key institutions.” The author teaches history at Georgetown University and is a former coeditor of Dissent.
“Why Gaza Matters: Since Antiquity the Territory Has Shaped the Quest for Power in the Middle East “
By Jean-Pierre Filiu, Foreign Affairs, posted January 1
A capsule history going back to the 17th century BC, with implications for the present. The author teaches Middle East Studies at the Paris Institute of Political Studies and is the author of Gaza: A History (Oxford U. Press, 2014).
By Sara Roy, New York Review of Books, posted December 19
“Over fifty-six years Israel has transformed Gaza from a functional economy to a dysfunctional one, from a productive society to an impoverished one.” The author is an associate of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University and has written Unsilencing Gaza: Reflections on Resistance (Pluto Press, 2021).
“The Selective Silencing of Campus Speech”
By Kevin Young, The Campus INDY, posted December 11
Argues that a double standard exists by which higher-education administrators have come down harder on critics of U.S.-Israeli policy in Gaza than supporters of it. The author teaches history at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and is on the steering committee of H-PAD.
“Who’s a ‘Colonizer’? How an Old Word Became a New Weapon”
By Roger Cohen, New York Times, posted December 11
A complicated analysis of the legacy of European colonialism and the ways in which the terms “colonial” and “colonialism” are used in debates about Israel/Palestine and other parts of the world. The author has worked in various capacities for the New York Times for 33 years and is currently the Paris bureau chief.
By Avi Shlaim, Prospect, posted December 6
Touches on six “major military offensives on Gaza” since 2009 as background for the current war. The author teaches international relations at Oxford University and wrote The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World (Norton, 2000).
“Israel’s Disproportionate Use of Force Is a Long-Established Tactic – with a Clear Aim”
By Paul Rogers, The Guardian, posted December 5
Gives examples to show that “the [Israeli] strategy goes well beyond defeating an opponent: It seeks to destroy key infrastructure and the economy, with many civilian casualties.” The author is a professor emeritus of peace studies at Bradford University in the UK.
“Did the West Deliberately Prolong the Ukraine War?”
By Branko Marcetic, Responsible Statecraft, posted December 4
Cites new evidence that a tentative peace deal between Russia and Ukraine in the spring of 2022 was sabotaged by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson with support for the US. The author is a staff writer for Jacobin magazine.
“An Election about the Right to Learn History”
By Benjamin N. Lawrance, Academe blog, posted December 1
“For members of the American Historical Association (AHA) like myself, school board elections are often pivotal races because they shape the type and content of history education in public schools across the United States.” Discusses school board elections in November which saw significant victories by forces opposed to censorship. The author teaches history at the University of Arizona.
Thanks to Rusti Eisenberg and an anonymous reader for suggesting some of the articles included in the above list. Suggestions can be sent to jimobrien48@gmail.com.