Historian and Writer
My latest is my first (!) for the great American Conservative, an article entitled, “America Was Never Isolationist: Fareed Zakaria’s “America First” is a lazy exercise in the abuse of history.” It is a critical response to a special on America First and “isolationism” done by CNN’s Fareed Zakaria.
Give it a read.
My latest piece with Responsible Statecraft argues that the Harris campaign’s embrace of the Cheneyes and neoconservatism has its ideological roots in the progressive rifts of the Great War, rifts that have given many observers a false idea of what historic Democratic foreign policy is all about.
Give it a read:
Harris embrace of Cheney goes back to World War I | Responsible Statecraft
I’m pleased to share that Responsible Statecraft published my latest article on the historical debates about the U.S. commitment to NATO and European security. It argues that the reciprocal outrage of Trump’s comments and the ensuing media response has obscured long-standing historical debates about Americans’ relationship to the Old World. Give it a read:
Beyond the Noise: NATO Debates, Past and Present | Responsible Statecraft
Thanks to the Libertarian Institute for publishing my latest article, “Enemies Above: The FBI and the Creation of the Brown Scare Myth.” It highlights the role of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in propagating the “Brown Scare,” and its implications for modern politics.
Check it out:
Enemies Above: The FBI and the Creation of the Brown Scare Myth | The Libertarian Institute
A special thanks to Kelley Vlahos and Responible Statecraft for publishing my latest. The piece places the Twitter Files revelations and greater concerns about government-big tech collusion within the historical context of the American information state. The article illustrates that the U.S. government has a long history of manipulating media for the purposes of steering public opinion on foreign policy. The piece also argues that media attitudes about the practice have evolved from outrage to apathay to active involvement.
Give it a read:
Feeling manipulated? How Uncle Sam perfected the information state – Responsible Statecraft
A special thanks to the Libertarian Institute for publishing my latest, “Brown Scare, Red Scare, Fake Scare, Who’s Scared?”
It is a brief history of the “scare cycle,” the reciprocal political purges between the Left and the Right. It argues that these scares, built upon exaggerated claims of nefarious foreign influence, have narrowed the Overton Window on America’s role in the world, thereby maintaining a belligerent foreign policy.
Give it a read here.
Special thanks to the Libertarian Institute for publishing my latest piece, ‘Power Elite Analysis: Lessons from the ‘Conspiracist’ Right and New Left Academics.’ It covers some of the New Left – Old Right ideological cross-pollination of the late 1960s and argues the example set by one New Left scholar, G. William Domhoff, is one that we ought to aspire to.
Give it a read!
Thanks to Kelley Vlahos and Responsible Statecraft for publishing my latest article! It juxtaposes the Korean War with the Ukraine Crisis and argues that the latter will continue to undo the foreign policy consensus forged by the former.
Give it a read:
Deja vu: Republicans fracturing over Ukraine, just like Korea – Responsible Statecraft
The folks at freethepeople.org were nice enough to publish my latest op-ed: “Why Can’t We Be Friends? The History of and Prospects for Left and Right Antiwar Collaboration.” It argues that today’s antiwar political environment resembles that of the late Interwar Period. Furthermore, it argues that today’s antiwar movements have a historic opportunity for collaboration as they are unlikely to be driven apart from establishment narratives about America’s role in the world.
Give it a read and a share.
In today’s climate of war fever and paranoia, Francis MacDonnell’s Insidious Foes: The Axis Fifth Column and the American Home Front ought to be essential reading for any well-meaning person who wants to prevent the errors of the past. For all the comparisons between Hitler and Putin, the domestic climate of fear is a closer analog to the late 1930s than to the ambiguous state of Russian forces that invaded Ukraine. Similarly, the domestic costs of confrontation with Russia will have a far more significant impact on the lives and livelihoods of Americans than whatever resolution might tragically befall the people of Ukraine.
Temperamentally, I am the sort of historian (if I may be so bold as to call myself one) who believes that history ought to, at best, be used as an instrument of caution, not a tool for action. In that vein, Insidious Foes has immense value. MacDonnell’s work explores America’s domestic worries about an Axis “fifth column” from 1938 to 1942. While not baseless, MacDonnell argues that these worries were exacerbated by government and media forces into a kind of moral panic. MacDonnell asserts, “[t]he Axis Fifth Column scare thus fits into a historical pattern of national hysteria (p.4).”
While MacDonnell doesn’t discount the presence Nazi sympathizers on American shores, or real Nazi agents, he argues that these threats were marginal. While demagogues like Father Caughlin or American Bund inspired individual acts of violence, they “never posed any real threat to the republic (p.47).” He further asserts that “[t]hroughout the Great Depression Americans demonstrated antipathy toward both right-wing and left-wing radicalism.” And as for actual Nazi agents, plots hatched by German intelligence were woefully inept and quickly foiled. Despite these realities, the domestic threat of fascism was seized upon by the government and mass media for their ends. This distance between image and reality should serve as a warning in this time of foreign war, as both the government and the corporate press are interested in amplifying Putin’s threat abroad and at home.
And if you’re still with me thus far and have difficulty accepting the validity of these arguments because your politics may not align with mine, let me appeal to your egalitarianism and your self-interest. MacDonnell illustrates that the tragedy of Japanese internment was made possible by the fear of domestic fascism, a fear stoaked by the government and media. MacDonnell asserts, “the panic’s intensity greatly agitated the public and made possible the tragedy of internment (p.90).” Will Russian nationals and Americans of Russian descent likely be rounded up and thrown in camps in 2022? No. However, Russophobia exists and, I would even argue, is tolerated in this climate. Are we that much more advanced than the Americans of the late-1930s? We can be better than these base instincts if we allow history to serve as a warning.
And now, for your self-interest. MacDonnell argues the domestic fear of fascism and the resulting victory over Hitler accelerated the “creation of a powerful intelligence establishment at home (p.9).” The fear surrounding the fascist threat helped to solidify the national security state and was subsequently and concurrently against dissentients on the left. The “Brown Scare” of the late 1930s helped birth the “Red Scare” of the 1950s. Whatever happens in Europe, you can bet the farm that some unscrupulous actors here at home will want to use the threat of Putin to expand the national security state.
Perhaps that might even sound appealing! But remember that these powers can be turned against you and the political causes you support. And, if history is any guide, it will be.
