Tag Archives: articles

Historians Against the War recommended reading

“Headlines from the Dustbin of History (Afghan Dept.)”
By Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch.com, posted May 19

“The Secret Sharer: Is Thomas Drake an Enemy of the State?”
By Jane Mayer, The New Yorker, posted May 15
On the Obama administration’s attack on whistleblowers

“The Bin Laden Killing and American Exceptionalism”
By Michael H. Hunt, History News Network, posted May 13
The author is a professor of history emeritus at the University of North Carolina

“The Crash and Burn of Old Regimes: Washington Court Culture and Its Endless Wars”
By William J. Astore, TomDispatch.com, posted May 12
The author, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, teaches history at the Pennsylvania College of Technology

“Torture Is Never Legal and Didn’t Lead Us to Bin Laden”
By Marjorie Cohn, Portside.org, posted May 11

“Noam Chomsky: My Reaction to Osama bin Laden’s Death”
By Noam Chomsky, CommonDreams.org, posted May 11 (from Guernica magazine)

“The Double Game: The Unintended Consequences of American Funding in Pakistan”
By Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, posted May 7

“Why I Don’t Feel Much about Osama’s Death”
By Gary Leupp, CounterPunch.org, posted May 5
The author teaches history at Tufts University

“Where Have All the Graveyards Gone? The War That Didn’t End War and Its Unending Successors”
By Adam Hochschild, TomDispatch.com, posted May 3

“The Libyan War, American Power and the Decline of the Petrodollar System”
By Peter Dale Scott, Asia-Pacific Journal, posted May 2

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Critical Education article examines Obama education agenda

In the latest issue of Critical Education, Brad J. Porfilio and Paul L. Carr analyze the Obama education agenda as a manifestation of the dominance of neoliberal ideology.

Critical Education
Vol 2, No 3 (2011)
Table of Contents
Audaciously Espousing Hope within a Torrent of Hegemonic Neoliberalism
Brad J. Porfilio, Paul L. Carr

Abstract

It has been over eighteen months since Barack Obama defeated John McCain in the US presidential election. Since this period of time, the Obama administration has implemented, proposed, and supported a spate of educational reform measures, including increasing the length of the school year, tying school funding to K-12 students’ performance on high-stakes examinations, firing teachers, gutting teacher unions and closing schools, opening charter schools, and tying teachers’ evaluations to students’ performance on standardized examinations. Despite the Obama administration’s active involvement in shaping educational circles, there has been a dearth of critical analysis in relation to Obama’s leadership and his educational agenda. In this essay, we illustrate how the Obama administration’s educational vision is a manifestation of the dominance of neoliberal ideology over most elements of social life for the past 30 years. We believe our critical analysis of US political leaders’ and their constituents’ support of the corporate takeover of US schools gives those interested in education the power to strive for democratic and transformative experiences for all students.

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Latest dispatch from HAW

Here are some notes, followed by our more or less biweekly set of links to recent articles by historians (or at least with substantial historical content) on HAW-relevant topics.

1. Today (October 7) Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) launched its campaign called Operation Recovery: Stop the Deployment of Traumatized Troops. On its website, IVAW explains the background of the campaign and asks for public support.

2. More than 150 scholars, including many historians, signed a September 29 press release calling on Georgetown University to revoke its appointment of former Colombia president Álvaro Uribe as a “Distinguished Scholar in the Practice of Global Leadership.” Uribe’s administration was linked to numerous human rights violations.

3. Frank Brodhead, a history PhD and activist, sends weekly e-mailings under the title of “Afghanistan War Weekly,” summarizing news reports from a range of periodicals. They are archived on the United for Peace and Justice website, and anyone can get on the e-mailing list by writing to the author at fbrodhead@aol.com.

Links to Recent Articles of Interest

“The Long War, Year Ten: Lost in the Desert with the GPS on the Fritz”
By Andrew Bacevich, TomDispatch.com, posted October 7
The author teaches history and international relations at Boston University.

“Scapegoating War Crimes in Af-Pak on Drugs”
By Jeremy Kuzmarov, History News Network, posted October 4
The author teaches history at the University of Tulsa; the article draws parallels with the Vietnam War.

“An American Tradition of War and War Protest”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cynthia-wachtell/an-american-tradition-of-_b_749867.html
By Cynthia Wachtell
The author teaches American Studies at Yeshiva University.

“The Tale of Progressivism’s Death Has Been Exaggerated”
http://www.hnn.us/articles/132031.html
By Martin Halpern, History News Network, posted October 4
The author teaches history at Henderson State University in Arkansas

“In Struggle with the American Mind”
By William Blum, CounterPunch.org, posted October 1

“The War Addicts: 2016 and Then Some”
By Tom Englehardt, TomDispatch.com, posted September 30

“Prisoners of War: Bob Woodward and All the President’s Men (2010 Edition)”
By Andrew Bacevich, TomDispatch.com, posted September 27

Public Mobilization for a Nuclear-Free World
By Lawrence S. Wittner, September 23, 2010
The author teaches history at SUNY Albany

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More links from Historians Against the War

This is the latest biweekly collection links to recent articles by historians on HAW-relevant topics – or articles by other writers that provide historical background on these. Members of the working group for this project are: Matt Bokovoy, Carolyn (Rusti) Eisenberg, Jim O’Brien, Maia Ramnath, Sarah Shields.

“Honduras: Solution or Stall?”
By Greg Grandin, Z-Net, posted November 2

“Afghanistan as a Bailout State”
By Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch.com, posted November 1
(applies Vietnam lessons in critiquing all the mainstream policy options under discussion in Washington)

“Afghanistan Déjà vu? Lessons from the Soviet Experience”
Edited by Svetlana Savranskaya, National Security Archive, posted October 30
(contains links to several Soviet primary sources and several newspaper articles based on them, including the Sebestyen op-ed piece listed below)

“Transcripts of Defeat”
By Victor Sebestyen, New York Times, October 29
(on the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan and its parallels to the present)

“Is Obama’s Iran Policy Doomed to Fail?”
By Dilip Hiro, TomDispatch.com, posted October 29

“What Savvy Leaders Could Do to Move Toward a Nuclear-Free World (Obama–Are You Listening?)”
By Lawrence S. Wittner, History News Network, posted October 26

“Review of Alfred W. McCoy, Policing America’s Empire: The United States, the Philippines and the Rise of the Surveillance State”
By Jeremy Kuzmarov, History News Network, posted October 24

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Links to recent articles of interest from Historians Against the War

This is the fourth biweekly mailing of links to articles that provide historical background on HAW-relevant topics. Suggestions for inclusion are welcome: they can be sent to jimobrien48@gmail.com. Members of the working group for this project are listed below.

Sincerely,
Matt Bokovoy,
Carolyn (Rusti) Eisenberg
Jim O’Brien
Maia Ramnath
Sarah Shields

“What the U.S. Military Can’t Do”
By Nick Turse, TomDispatch.com, posted October 22
(historically based article on Afghanistan focusing on US military’s inability to “seal the deal” in previous wars)

“Lessons from the Long War and a Blowback World”
By Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch.com, posted October 18

“Fighting the Taliban: What, Exactly, is Being Fought in Afghanistan?”
By M. Reza Pirbhal, CounterPunch.org, posted October 14
(long article on US involvement in Afghanistan and Pakistan by a Louisiana State U. historian)

“Left and Right Against War”
By Murray Polner, History News Network 9hnn.com), posted October 12

“Afghanistan – The Proxy War”
By Andrew Bacevich, Boston Globe, posted October 11

“Apocalypse Then, Afghanistan Now”
By William Astore, TomDispatch.com, posted October 11

“Obama’s Prize, Wilson’s Legacy”
By John Milton Cooper, History News Network (hnn.com), Posted October 11

“War and Peace Prizes”
By Howard Zinn, The Guardian, posted October 9

“Unintended Consequences in Nuclear Pakistan”
By Fred Branfman, TruthDig.com, posted October 9

“Honduran Coup Regime in Crisis”
By Greg Grandin, CommonDreams.com, posted October 9

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Latest links from Historians Against the War

To members and friends of Historians Against the War,

This is the third biweekly mailing of links to articles that provide historical background on HAW-relevant topics. Suggestions for inclusion are welcome: they can be sent to jimobrien48@gmail.com. Members of the working group for this project are listed below.

Sincerely,
Matt Bokovoy,
Carolyn (Rusti) Eisenberg
Jim O’Brien
Maia Ramnath
Sarah Shields

“Are We the Martians of the Twenty-First Century?”
By Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch.com, posted October 8

“Cold War’s Ghost Blocks Mideast Peace”
By Ira Chernus, TomDispatch.com, posted October 6

“Celebrating Slaughter: War and Collective Amnesia”
By Chris Hedges, truthdig.com, posted October 5

”Obama’s Afghanistan Dilemma”
By Stanley Kutler, truthdig.com, posted October 1

“Congressional Grumbling Won’t Stop the War!”
By Carolyn Eisenberg, truthout.org, posted October 1

“Top Things You Think You Know About Iran That Are Not True”
by Juan Cole, Informed Comment (juancole.com), posted October 1

“An Open Letter to President Obama”
By William R. Polk, The Nation, October 19 edition, posted September 30
(a historically based analysis of what escalation in Afghanistan would mean, with an alternative policy)

“How to Trap a President in a Losing War”
By Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch.com, posted September 24

“The Weakness of National Military Strength”
By Lawrence Wittner, History News Network, posted September 21

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