Links to Recent Articles of Interest
“Ethnic Cleansing in Ohio? Nazi Lies in Vance’s America”
By Timothy Snyder, Reader Supported News, posted February 2 (from Substack)
A long, detailed account of the demonization by JD Vance and (literally) American Nazis of the large Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, now threatened with forcible deportation. The author, who grew up near Springfield, teaches history at the University of Toronto, specializing in Eastern and Central Europe and the Holocaust. Among his books is On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century (2017), now in its 47th printing.
“An ABC of Authoritarianism: Argentina, Brazil, and Chile”
By Jennifer Adair, James Woodard, and Margaret Power, Jacobin, posted February 1
Three parallel presentations describe the military dictatorships of Argentina (1966-71 and 1976-83), Brazil (1964-85), and Chile (1973-90), comparing their authoritarianism with that of Donald Trump. Jennifer Adair teaches history at Fairfield University and James Woodard at Montclair University; Margaret Power is a professor emerita at Illinois Institute of Technology and co-chair of H-PAD. They have written extensively on, respectively, Argentina, Brazil, and Chile.
“The Border Patrol Was Always Out of Control”
By Reece Jones, New York Times, posted January 29
A short history of the Border Patrol, created in 1925, and its expansion far from any US border. “If you are uncomfortable with what the Border Patrol is doing in Minneapolis, you are uncomfortable with the Border Patrol, full stop.” The author is a political geographer who has written seven books on borders in North America and elsewhere, most recently Nobody Is Protected: How the Border Patrol Became the Most Dangerous Police Force in America (Counterpoint Press, 2023).
“How Minnesotans Became Palestinians: Top 5 Ways They Are Occupied”
By Juan Cole, Informed Comment, posted January 25
Draws parallels between Palestinians under Israeli occupation and residents of Minneapolis subjected to ICE. “Occupiers are always arbitrary and unfair because they can be, since they have all the power, and because they feel they must act precipitately since they are the ones actually in danger.” The author teaches Middle East history at the University of Michigan.
By Peter Kornbluh, The Nation, posted January 21
On the dynamics of US-Cuba relations in the wake of the Venezuela assault. arguing that both sides have an interest in avoiding collapse of the Cuban economy and an accompanying mass emigration. The author is a senior analyst with the National Security Archive at George Washington University. He was coauthor with William LeoGrande of Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations Between Havana and Washington (U. of North Carolina Press, 2015).
“We Are Sleepwalking into Nuclear Catastrophe”
By Ivana Nikolic Hughes and Peter Kuznick, Responsible Statecraft, posted January 20
A short history of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1968, up for review this spring, warning that actions such as the recent US attack on Venezuela may increase the incentive for additional nations to adopt nuclear weapons. Ivana Nikolic Hughes is president of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation; Peter Kuznick teaches history at American University and is director of the Nuclear Studies Institute there.
“Historians Have a Duty to Condemn Scholasticide in Gaza”
By Barry Trachtenberg, Jacobin, posted January 20
A critique of the AHA Council’s veto of resolutions passed at the association’s annual meeting in January. The council “has chosen procedural insulation over democratic accountability, selective outrage over universal principle, and cowardice over ethical clarity.” The author teaches Jewish history at Wake Forest University and is a member of Historians for Palestine.
“Racial Quotas for Immigration Are Back”
By Heba Gowayed, The Guardian, posted January 17
On the origins and impact of the highly discriminatory Immigration Act of 1924 and its parallel in Trump’s recent stop to immigrant visas from 75 nonwhite countries. “The purpose of the latest immigration ban is to whiten the nation, period, just as was the purpose of the ban a century earlier.” The author teaches sociology at Hunter College, CUNY, and is the author of Refuge: How the State Shapes Human Potential (Princeton U. Press, 2022).
“AHA Leaders Vetoed Its Members’ Condemnation of Scholasticide in Gaza – Again”
By Marianne Dhenin, Truthout, posted January 16
An account of the passage and subsequent veto of resolutions at the American Historical Association’s annual meeting in January. The author is a journalist who has a PhD in history from the University of Basel.
“It Could Be a Wonderful World”
By Lawerence S. Wittner, Z, posted January 13
A short article drawing a vivid contrast between the potential for combating poverty worldwide while building international cooperation and the aggressive policies of rulers like Trump and Putin. The author is a professor emeritus of history at SUNY Albany.
By Kristen Martin, The Baffler, posted January 6
Recounts the 150-year history of Indian boarding schools, which had the informal motto “Kill the Indian in him, and save the man.” Also describes how the Trump administration “anti-woke” policies are seeking to erase the progress made in recent decades in recognizing Native American history. The author is a writer and critic who wrote The Son Won’t Come Out Tomorrow: The Dark History of American Orphanhood (Bold Type Books, 2025).
“The Brazen Illegality of Trump’s Venezuela Operation”
Interview of Oona Hathaway by Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, posted January 3
“Look, the U.S. has not got a perfect record. There’s no doubt about that, and it has betrayed its values many times, but this is of a different order. This is just a blatant throwing-the-whole-thing-out and making a claim to be able to use force whenever it wants.” Oona Hathaway teaches international law and U.S. foreign relations law at Yale Law School and is president-elect of the American Society of International Law.
Thanks to Rusti Eisenberg and an anonymous reader for flagging articles included in the above list, and to Roger Peace (creator of the U.S. Foreign Policy History & Resource Guide) for valuable consulting. Suggestions can be sent to jimobrien48@gmail.com.