War and National Security
The Violent Logic of Humanitarianism
The U.S. occupation of Afghanistan sacrificed politics—the only viable route to peace—for massive corruption and violence.
Study the Warmakers
From drone strikes to counterinsurgency efforts, the work of the late historian Nasser Hussain highlights the importance of understanding the mechanics of the War on Terror, not just its effects.
The Battle for Okinawa
While Japanese and U.S. officials celebrate a demilitatization in the pacific islands, Okinawans protest persistent military colonialism.
The Violent Embrace
The Atlanta shooter comes from a culture that connects Asian women to sex and violence. It has its origins in U.S. wars—particularly the Korean War—and is fueled by our continued military presence in Asia.
The Other Nuremberg Trials, Seventy-Five Years On
The failed efforts to prosecute businessmen who profited from the Nazi war machine.
Immigration Enforcement and the Afterlife of the Slave Ship
Coast Guard techniques for blocking Haitian asylum seekers have their roots in the slave trade. Understanding these connections can help us disentangle immigration policy from white nationalism.
When Democracy Ails, Magic Thrives
West German witchcraft trials after World War II reveal how political rupture can fuel magical thinking.
Why Is America the World’s Police?
U.S. political elites sold the United Nations to the public as a route to global peace. In reality they wanted it as a cover for militarization.
Letter from Beirut
In the wake of the devastating port explosion, civil society has shown the way forward—filling the void of a nonexistent and incapacitated state.
The Conceit of American Indispensability
As scholars mine the 1940s for alternative visions of international order, we must guard against the presumption that the United States remains the benevolent center of global politics.
The Death and Rebirth of American Internationalism
Internationalists are plotting their return, but they still haven’t learned from the failure of liberal universalism.
The Racist Foundation of Nuclear Architecture
On the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, it is clear that white supremacy sustains the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
Policing the World
The link between modern policing and the U.S. national security state means they will have to be democratized together.
The Future of U.S. Global Leadership
The assumption that only the United States can lead the free world increasingly looks imperiled. What would foreign policy look like without it?
The Case Against Mars
Contrary to the boosterism of billionaires, the need for space colonization must be argued for, not assumed. And the arguments aren’t good.
The Murderous Legacy of Cold War Anticommunism
How the Washington-backed Indonesian mass killings of 1965 reshaped global politics, securing a decisive victory for U.S. interests against Third World self-determination.
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