Joel E. Dimsdale— Seventy years ago the international military tribunal at Nuremberg sentenced Julius Streicher to death for incitement of violence. It was one of the court’s most controversial judgments. Streicher was so loathsome that the Nazi party confined him to house arrest in 1940. Thus, it was hard to
Chris Woolgar– Chocolate eggs, simnel cake and a return to those things we have given up for Lent? There are resonances in all these to medieval foods. While there may have been no chocolate, Easter was marked in the countryside by the eggs the peasants brought to their lords, a
Tarek Osman— In 1801, the rulers of Tripoli, in today’s Libya, declared war on the US, after the republic had attacked North African corsairs who had repeatedly pirated American ships in the western Mediterranean. American politicians were not particularly worried about the impact of the Libyan threat on their republic,
Jonathan H. Ebel— “I felt that I was in the military in the true sense because I dealt with those people.” —Donald J. Trump Every four years, presidential election cycles give Americans an opportunity to witness and to participate in sustained, often spectacular displays of civil religion. Campaign
Agnia Grigas— With the annexation of Crimea in March 2014, Russia has re-emerged at the forefront of the policy debate not only in academia, but also among the policy-making elite on both sides of the Atlantic. However, to treat this incident as an isolated case of realpolitik would be a
C. Kavin Rowe— One of the greatest mysteries of human life is that we are a problem for ourselves. We tend to act in ways that damage our lives and mess things up. We let our passions run amok, focus on things that don’t matter much rather than on the
Thomas F. Schaller— The 2012 election results were tough medicine for Republicans to swallow. Many conservatives and Republicans believed that Barack Obama was a left-wing radical and a failed president. He headed into the campaign with a national unemployment rate above 7.5 percent, and no incumbent president had won reelection
James West Davidson— We expect too much of our presidents. Especially at this season, when we honor the two chiefs universally acknowledged as our finest. That Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays should fall within days of each other suggests the mysterious workings of divine providence. Or at least, if the Almighty
Lori Flores— In the early years of the Cold War—driven by fears of border-infiltrating subversives and diseased immigrants—the U.S. government and media began obsessing about the nation’s “wetback problem.” Reports estimated that thousands of undocumented Mexicans had crossed into and were working in the United States. In response, on June
Ian Talbot— South Asia is of immense significance to the wider world. It is home to a quarter of the global population and a third of the Islamic community. It is a major market and focus for overseas investment within which the rising economic power of India will become increasingly