Links to Recent Articles of Interest
“Cyberpunk Nation: How Donald Trump’s America Is Being Hacked by White Nationalism”
By Juan Cole, TomDispatch, posted February 6
Briefly summarizes the extraordinary damage being inflicted by Elon Musk and his high-tech team, prophesied in part by the “cyberpunk school” of late twentieth-century science fiction, and relates it to the family roots of Musk (and his fellow tech oligarch Peter Thiel) in apartheid South Africa. The author teaches history at the University of Michigan.
“Will Scholars Take a Stand Against Scholasticide in Gaza?”
By Van Gosse, The Nation, posted February 6
Makes the case for letting the entire membership of the American Historical Association vote on the Gaza “scholasticide” resolution passed by a 428-88 vote of business-session attendees at the January AHA convention but then vetoed by the AHA Council. The author is a professor emeritus of history at Franklin and Marshall College and co-chair of H-PAD.
Interview with Stephen Wertheim, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, posted March 1
A wide-ranging discussion of US relations with Europe, Russia, and China and how they are affected by policies of the second Trump administration, which “needs to be taken extremely seriously, but not in its every move.” Stephen Wertheim is a historian of US foreign policy and author of Tomorrow the World: The Birth of U.S. Global Supremacy (Harvard U. Press, 2020).
“‘Herr Hitler, Do You Really Believe Me Capable of Such a Dirty Trick?’”
By Timothy W. Ryback, Reader Supported News, posted February 27 (from The Atlantic)
On bloody purges in 1934 Germany as Adolf Hitler consolidated power within and beyond the Nazi party. Hitler summarized, “Let the nation know that its existence—which depends on its internal order and security—cannot be threatened with impunity by anyone!” The author is a historian whose books include Takeover: Hitler’s Final Rise to Power (Knopf, 2024).
“Cruel to Your School: Trump’s War on Public Education”
By Jennifer C. Berkshire, The Baffler, posted February 27
A historically informed article showing a long tradition, going back to the Reconstruction era, of conservative opposition to the role of public schools in fostering equality. The author is the creator and co-host of an education policy podcast, “Have you Heard,” and is co-author with Jack Schneider, of The Education Wars: A Citizen’s Guide and Defense Manual (New Press, 2024).
“Donald Trump Is Trying to Take American Law Back to 1641”
By Frank Bowman, Slate, posted February 26
Evokes English and early US history to sound the alarm at Trump’s claim of top-down control of the entire system of administrative law judges (ALLJs), who handle two-thirds of all federal adjudicated cases in the US. The author is a professor emeritus of the University of Missouri School of Law and a former federal and state prosecutor.
By Juan Cole, Informed Comment, posted February 24
On the invasion of three refugee camps in the Palestinian West Bank, begun the day after Donald Trump’s inauguration, and the expulsion of their inhabitants, many of whom had been driven out of Haifa in 1948. The author teaches Middle East history at the University of Michigan.
“The Man Madison Warned Us Against”
By Harold Meyerson, The American Prospect, posted February 17
Criticizes attempts by some conservative writers to “normalize” Donald Trump by looking for parallel actions by other presidents. Giving examples of Trump’s overreach, he writes, “If we seek precedents for this kind of conduct, we must look not to American presidents but to, say, the Bourbons of France.” The author is a veteran journalist and editor-at-large of The American Prospect.
By A. S. Dillingham, London Review of Books, posted February 16
Finds numerous parallels between the dispossession of Native Americans in US history and the plight of Palestinians in territory controlled by Israel. The author teaches history at Arizona State University and is a tribal member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
“America Is Its Own Worst Enemy”
By Stephen M. Walt, Foreign Policy, posted February 12
Reflecting on the second Trump administration, the author gives multiple examples from around the world of societies that have “shot themselves in the foot” through unchecked power and foolish policies . The author teaches international relations in Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
“Two Different American Approaches to the World”
By Lawrence Wittner, Peace & Health Blog, posted February 10
Gives examples to show that Donald Trump’s “mixture of strident nationalism and xenophobia” has “deep roots in American history” but goes on to argue that “there was always another America―one recognizing that it was just and necessary to move nations beyond national selfishness to global cooperation.” The author is a professor emeritus of history at SUNY Albany.
Thanks to Rusti Eisenberg and an anonymous reader for suggesting articles included in the above list and to Roger Peace (creator of the U.S. Foreign Policy History and Resource Guide) for valuable consulting on articles being considered. Suggestions can be sent to jimobrien48@gmail.com