Recently Published

Why a Contrarian History of the United States Is Needed Now

by Ilan Stavans

I’m tired of the hypocritical way immigrants are constantly being described today in public discourse.

Shouldn't the People Who Build Cities Be Able to Live in Them?

by Pearl Duncan

Recently, there has been discussion in New York and other cities about affordable housing for people who are workers.

How a Book Reviewer Got My Book Wrong

by Jonathan Israel

A response to the book critic who trashed my book, “Revolutionary Ideas,” in the New York Review of Books.

Is It 1914 All Over Again, Only this Time in Asia?

by Tom Clifford

No one in Asia is expecting war, but there is whiff of something in the air.

The Brutal Reality of the Iraq War: An Interview with Award-Winning Photographer Michael Kamber on the Hidden War Seen by Photojournalists

by Robin Lindley

In war, the photographer is the silent witness.

Three Lessons We Need to Heed from the Soviet Downing of KAL 007

by Walter G. Moss

Gorbachev and Reagan found a way to end the Cold War. Presidents Putin and Obama need to follow their example.

Why Didn't Anyone Kill Hitler?

by Daniel Mandel

70 years ago this week came the most serious attempt on his life. 

Why Are Campus Administrators Making So Much Money?

by Lawrence S. Wittner

Whatever the plight of faculty and students, these are boom times for campus administrators.

Which Historians Have Made Bank in the United States?

by Alexandra M. Webster

An old joke goes, “Become a historian. Get rich.” But for some historians it’s no joke.

The Curse of The Occupation

by Dr. Alon Ben-Meir

To be sure, occupation is a curse that dehumanizes both the occupier and the occupied. It runs contrary to every tenet of humanity.

'Conspiracy Fiction' versus the French Revolution. A Reply to David Bell's Critique in the New York Review of Books

by Jonathan Israel

A response to a critic.

How Bad Is the Hobby Lobby Ruling?

by Dr. Emma Long

Some of the nuance of the Court’s opinion has been overlooked.

The 10 Questions You Need Answers to About the Caliphate

by Ali A. Olomi

What is significant about Al-Baghdadi’s caliphate?

We’ve Heard from John McCain. We Need to Hear from Someone Like George McGovern.

by Mike McQuillan

“It does not take any courage at all for a Congressman or Senator to wrap himself in the flag and say we are staying in Vietnam,” McGovern said in the Senate, “because it is not their blood that is being shed.”

Channeling George Washington: Losing the Initiative

by Thomas Fleming

"Essentially it’s a rather simple idea: seizing and keeping the initiative is crucial in a war."

Which Historians Have the Most Followers on Twitter?

by Erik Moshe

Here are Twitter's top active historians along with some interesting information about what they are tweeting about.

Why You Can't Ignore Religion If You Want to Understand Foreign Policy

by Leo P. Ribuffo

Understanding the connection between religions and foreign relations requires the same sort of reflection and empirical investigation needed to understand other influences.

This Founding Father Wasn't Always Loved

by Thomas A. Foster

Ben Franklin had a lot of sex.

Kids Are Learning to be Leftists in Public Schools by Historians with an Ax to Grind?

by Adam Laats

Few topics get conservatives more riled up than the notion that kids are learning to be leftists in public schools. 

When the United States Spoke French

by François Furstenberg

In Philadelphia in the early 19th century you could hear French spoken on the streets, eat French food, and watch French dramas.