Links to Recent Articles of Interest
By Marc Egnal, History News Network, posted May 21
A personal essay that traces conflicting themes among historians since the author’s time in graduate school in the 1960s regarding the causes of the American Revolution. He offers the desire for westward expansion as a theme that is rightfully gaining more attention. The author is a professor emeritus of US history at the University of Toronto and the author of, among other books, Challenging the Myths of US History: Seven Short Essays on the Past & Present (U. of California Press, 2025).
By Peter Kornbluh, The Nation, posted May 18
A somber account of the Trump administration’s recent moves to impose its will on another sovereign country, possibly as steps to military action. The author is a senior analyst for the National Security Archive, where he has specialized in Chile and Cuba. He co-authored with William LeoGrande the book Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiation between Washington and Havana (U. of North Carolina Press, 2014).
“To Build the Anti-War Movement of the Future, We Must Learn from the Past”
By Van Gosse and Bill Fletcher, Jr., The Nation, posted May 13
Offers a thumbnail history of US anti-war movements since the late 19th century along with tentative answers to the question of why there is no mass anti-war movement today. Van Gosse is a professor emeritus of history at Franklin and Marshall College and co-chair of H-PAD. Bill Fletcher, Jr. is a former president of the TransAfrica Forum and education director of the AFL-CIO and. Both authors were among the founders of United for Peace & Justice during the Iraq War.
“Thomas Paine Helped Start America. In the Trump Era, He’s Under Fire”
By Jack Jenkins, Religion News, posted May 13
A short piece on the controversy over a prominent figure of the American Revolution whose religious beliefs do not fit the claim of a Christian founding of the US. Paine wrote, “I believe in the equality of man, and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavouring to make our fellow-creatures happy.” The author is a religion reporter who wrote The Religious Roots of Progressive Politics and the Ongoing Fight for the Soul of the Country (HarperCollins, 2020).
“Could Trump’s Iran Fiasco Be the United States’ Suez Crisis?”
By Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies, World Without War, posted May 11
A concise account of the 1956 Suez Crisis and the resulting abandonment by Britain of its claims to empire, with implications for the present-day Iran War. Medea Benjamin was a co-founder of both Global Exchange and CODEPINK; Nicolas J.S. Davies is an independent journalist who wrote Blood on Our Hands: The American Invasion and Destruction of Iraq (2010).
“How the Iran War Is Changing the Middle East”
Interview with Juan Cole by Tafheem Kiani, Informed Comment, posted May 9
A wide-ranging interview that comments on the roles of the US, Israel, and Iran but pivots about halfway to analyzing how the war is changing power relations of neighboring countries including Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, and the Gulf Arab states. Juan Cole teaches Middle East history at the University of Michigan.
“New York: Named for World’s Most Prolific Slave Trader”
By Alan J. Singer, New York Almanack, posted May 8
A short but detailed reminder of the British Crown’s role in the slave trade, notably through the Royal African Company, headed by the Duke of York, brother of King Charles II and briefly king himself as James II. The author is a historian who is director of social studies education at Hofstra University.
By Alexander Zevin, New Left Review, March-April issue, posted late April
A lengthy, sweeping overview of the dynamics – in the Middle East and in the US – of the Iran War. “Trump may call off this phase, or launch a new escalation, but the US-Israeli war on Iran that he began in June 2025 is unlikely to be ending any time soon.” The author teaches history at the College of Staten Island, CUNY, and is an editor of New Left Review.
“Iran, the Presidency-Killer: Is Trump Being Carterized?”
By Juan Cole, Informed Comment, posted April 29
Evokes the decline of Jimmy Carter’s presidency amid the Iran hostage crisis of 1979-80. “Americans will forgive a lot, but high prices at the pump are not among the unforgivable offenses. Worse, Carter’s dilemma made the American superpower look weak.” The author teaches Middle East history at the University of Michigan.
“Red Scare Redux: Trump Targets Citizens”
By Heather Digby Parton, Reader Supported News, posted April 28 (from Salon)
On the Trump administration’s declared attempt to ratchet-up the removal of citizenship from immigrants it disapproves of, which would be the revival of a practice used more than 20,000 times in the last century until severely restricted by the Supreme Court in 1967. The author is a political commentator whose blog, “Hullaballou,” has been running since 2003.
“Nuclear Weapons Didn’t Save Lives in 1945. They Wouldn’t Today Either”
By Ivana Nikolić Hughes and Peter Kuznick, antiwar.com, posted April 28
Revisits the atomic-bomb decision of 1945, highlighting the alternatives available at the time, and warns of the far greater deadliness of present-day nuclear weapons and delivery systems. Ivana Nikolić Hughes is president of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation; Peter Kuznick teaches history at American University and directs the Nuclear Studies Institute there.
“Today, the Realities We Inhabit Continue to Outstrip Our Ability to Analyze Them”
By Sherene Seikaly, Journal of Palestine Studies, posted April 15
An eloquent denunciation of Israeli policies toward Palestinians, with “immunity” as the connecting thread. The author teaches modern Middle East history at the University of California, Santa Barbara and is editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies.
Thanks to Rusti Eisenberg, Steve Gosch, and an anonymous reader for suggesting 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.