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Links to Recent Articles of Interest
“Aurora and Springfield Aren’t the First Cities to Become Flash Points in US Immigration Debate – Here’s What Happened in Other Places Used as Political Soapboxes”
By Miranda Cady Hallett, The Conversation, posted October 21
Tells the story of two communities – Siler City NC and Lewiston ME – where an influx of new immigrants in the early 21st century drew the attention of white supremacists, who tried without success to rally longtime residents against the newcomers. The author teaches anthropology and is director of Human Rights Studies at the University of Dayton.
“Trump Is Speaking Like Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini”
By Anne Applebaum, Reader Supported News, posted October 19 (from The Atlantic)
Gives historical examples of the use of terms like “vermin,” formerly unknown in US politics. “In each of these very different societies, the purpose of this kind of rhetoric was the same…. If they are parasites, they aren’t human. If they are vermin, they don’t get to enjoy freedom of speech, or freedoms of any kind. And if you squash them, you won’t be held accountable.” The author is a journalist and historian, among whose books is Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism (Doubleday, 2020).
“Nikon Hidankyo’s Bittersweet Receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize”
By Ivana Nikolić Hughes and Peter Kuznick, The Nation, posted October 18
On the award of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to the Japanese group Nikon Hidankyo, made up of survivors of the 1945 Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, against the background of conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, and the Far East that threaten to go nuclear. “Elevating voices of reason, compassion, peace, and yes, nuclear disarmament, is urgently needed.” Ivana Nikolić Hughes is president of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, while Peter Kuznick teaches history and directs the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University.
“Powder Keg in the Pacific: How China’s Challenge Revived America’s Position in Asia and the Pacific”
By Alfred McCoy, TomDispatch, posted October 15
On US steps, since President Obama announced a “pivot to Asia” in 2011, to strengthen its military alliances in the Far East, a buildup that “contains both a heightened risk of great power conflict and possible political pressures that could fracture America’s Asia-Pacific alliance relatively soon.” The author teaches history at the University of Wisconsin. Among his books is In the Shadows of the American Century: The Rise and Decline of American Global Power (Haymarket Books, 2017).
“From National Security to International Security”
By Lawrence Wittner, Counterpunch, posted October 14
On the failure so far of efforts to create a secure world in the nuclear age – “Currently, the governments of Israel and Russia provide striking examples of this throwback to the nation-centered, might-makes-right approach to world affairs” – and briefly describes the beginnings of moves to strengthen the power of the United Nations. The author is a professor emeritus of history at SUNY Albany.
“The Most Prominent Historian of Palestine on What the Last Year Has Meant”
Interview of Rashid Khalidi by Noah Lampard, Mother Jones, posted October 10
Focuses principally on US policy. “Those who don’t read history and don’t understand history are condemned to repeat it, but in a much worse way, I’m afraid.” Rashid Khalidi is a Palestinian-American historian of the Middle East and a professor emeritus of Arab Studies at Columbia University. Among his books is The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine, 1917-2017 (Metropolitan Books, 2020).
“Americans Need to Know the Name of Alberto Fujimori”
By Stephanie McNulty and Sarah Chartock, Made by History – Time, posted October 10
The story of the man who held the presidency of Peru from 1990 to 2000. “Fujimori helped trailblaze the right-wing populist playbook that Donald Trump now uses. The former Peruvian president exemplified a mortal threat to democratic regimes: an elected leader who undermined the very democratic process that brought him to office.” The authors teach political science at Franklin and Marshall College and The College of New Jersey, respectively.
“Israel’s Destruction of Gaza Heritage Sites Aims to Erase – and Replace – Palestine’s History”
By Pilar Montero Vilar, The Conversation (translated from Spanish), posted October 9
A summary of what is known about the destruction of historical and cultural sites in Gaza, with links to United Nations reports. The author is principal investigator of the Emergency Observatory for Cultural Heritage at the Complutense University of Madrid.
“The US’s Long History of Destabilizing Iran”
By Seraj Assi, Jacobin, posted October 9
A capsule history of US-Iran relations since the late 1940s and the coup of 1953 to the present. “The United States has worked to destabilize Iran for nearly a century. With the Democratic presidential nominee once again trotting out hawkish tirades against Iran while backing Israel’s new assault on Lebanon, American officials seem to have learned nothing from history.” The author is a Palestinian writer with a PhD in Islamic Studies from Georgetown University.
“Israel Is Trapped by Its Own War Machine”
By James Robins, The New Republic, posted October 7
Finds continuity in Israeli policy going back to the seizure of Palestinian territory in the Six-Day War of 1967. “Every day since the Six-Day War, and every day since October 7, has been …. proof that generations of leaders could have picked a wiser course and chose not to. Every massacre is a choice.” The author is a historian and journalist and creator of The Great Crime: A Podcast History of the Armenian Genocide (41 episodes, 2018-2020).
“The Making of the Springfield Working Class”
By Gabriel Winant, New York Review of Books, posted September 30
A complex story of repeated waves of migrants in this small industrial city, from around the world and from the American South, and the ways in which they have been incorporated over time. The author teaches history at the University of Chicago and is a volunteer organizer for the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee.
“Donald Trump: The Real Antisemitic Threat”
By Alan Singer, Daily Kos, posted September 24
Gives multiple examples of antisemitism in speeches by Trump and concludes that although “undocumented immigrants, not Jews, are Trump’s initial targets,” American Jews “are foolish if they think that Trump and his empowered allies will not turn on them.” The author is a historian who is director of social studies education at Hofstra University.
Thanks to an anonymous reader for suggesting several of the articles included in the above list, and to Roger Peace for very helpful comments on articles being considered. Suggestions can be sent to jimobrien48@gmail.com.
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