- Was Cairo’s Grand Opera House a tool of cultural imperialism? Adam Mestyan, Aeon
- Back in the USA, from Japan Scott Sumner, TheMoneyIllusion
- Why we must rethink our outdated ideas about international trade Richard Baldwin, Chicago Booth Review
- The complicated legacy of colonial contact William Buckner, Quillette
Author: Brandon Christensen
Nightcap
- Learning about World War I through German eyes Jonathan Boff, OUPblog
- The Danger of a Distorted View of the Right Conor Friedersdorf, the Atlantic
- It was supposed to be a simple troll John Holbo, Crooked Timber
- Strauss on Nietzsche: the God Killer Keith Whitaker, Claremont Review of Books
Nightcap
- A Common Free Speech Misunderstanding Ken White, Popehat
- Giovanni Gentile’s philosophy is to this day highly original Flaminia Incecchi, JHIBlog
- Why dictators exploit ancient ruins Paul Cooper, BBC
- The French Revolution’s impact on diplomacy Blake Smith, the Wire
RCH, and a warm welcome
My topic over at RealClearHistory today is the Mexican-American War. I lay out a general background on all the players, hoping that a primer will do readers there some good. An excerpt:
Texas. In 1821, the newly-established Mexican government was having severe trouble with the Comanche in the area and invited Americans to settle the region. This pushed the Comanche west and helped weaken them, but it also laid the groundwork for a Texian secession from Mexico. Texas declared independence from Mexico in 1835, but of course nobody in Mexico City recognized this declaration. Texas and Mexico fought for more than a decade before representatives from the Lone Star Republic finally succeeded in lobbying Washington to annex Texas and incorporate it into the American federation. It’s worth noting here that immigration was not the cause of Texian secession from Mexico, as some nativists are apt to claim today. Texas was, like Yucatán, tired of being governed poorly from Mexico City. The anti-immigration argument would be much stronger if Mexico wasn’t facing revolts and secessions everywhere it turned.
Please, read the rest. I’m going to, as I promise in the piece, delve into slavery and the war next Tuesday, but there’s also other topics to think about. Secession comes to mind for me, as I can’t help but ask what could have been if the Senate had not rejected Yucatán’s bid for annexation. Also, is annexation the missing piece of the puzzle when it comes to not only “exit” in libertarian circles, but entrance as well?
Speaking of entrances, I’d like to officially, warmly welcome Mary Lucia Darst to the consortium and highlight her first thoughts with NOL: “The Sad Retreat.” I’m not going to spoil it for you, so if you haven’t read it yet, now would be a good time (don’t forget to say ‘hi’ while you’re at it). Here is her bio. I am extremely excited to read what she shares here over the next few years.
Nightcap
- Khalistan’s Deadly Shadow Terry Milewski, Quillette
- Yes to Europe: The 1975 Referendum and Seventies Britain Daniel Hannan, Spectator
- Will there always be an England? Andrew Sullivan, Daily Intelligencer
- Translating the classics is harder than it sounds Colin Burrow, London Review of Books
Nightcap
- The Russian view of Syria and Israel Michael Koplow, Ottomans and Zionists
- It’s time to end one-size-fits-all approach to aid Seth D. Kaplan, American Interest
- How the Syrian protests spiraled into savagery Ian Birrell, Spectator
- Historians can’t seem to catch up to urbanization Michael Goebel, Aeon
Eye candy: Azimuthal Argentina, 1975
Azimuthal is a type of map. (Wiki) Argentina has 13 bases in Antarctica (6 permanent ones, 7 seasonal ones), with 230 people living in the 6 permanent ones, and one of only two civilian settlements on the continent (Chile supports the other one). (Wiki)
Nightcap
- How the Brooklyn Bridge was Built Erica Wagner, New Statesman
- The rise of India’s right-wing populists Max Rodenbeck, NYRB
- Searching for Scythians on the New Silk Road Nicholas Danforth, War on the Rocks
- Christianity in Asia was a little strange Soni Wadhwa, Asian Review of Books
The deadliest riots in American history
That’s the subject of my weekend column over at RealClearHistory. The riots are all, by far, due to racism and nativism, but for some strange reason labor’s riots in the late 19th century get the lion’s share of the spotlight in history textbooks.
An excerpt:
6. Memphis, May 1-3, 1866. Another post-Civil War riot, the Memphis unrest was more violent and more organized than the brawl in New Orleans. Like N’awlins, Memphis was a Southern city long under Union occupation, but unlike the port city, Memphis had a large immigrant population of Irishmen who were in direct economic, political, and social competition with recently freed blacks. The Irish had such a large population in Memphis that they were able to take control of many levers of local government once Union troops banned native whites from holding office (for being Confederates), and the new group on the block was none too kind to the recently freed black population. Forty-eight people lost their lives, but the burning of homes (often with black families still inside of them) and churches, the raping of black women, and the fact that no prosecutions were carried out meant that Memphis would remain a hotbed of white supremacy for another century. (The riot enraged much of the Union, however, and led to a sweeping victory for Republicans later that year. The GOP quickly passed the First Reconstruction Act in 1867.)
Please, read the whole thing.
I’ve never been to Memphis, but it’s a city with good hip-hop music and good BBQ. Someday I’ll get up there for a long weekend or something.
Nightcap
- Some women don’t want reproductive rights Rachel Lu, the Week
- What the West can learn from India Blake Smith, the Wire
- A Pullable Thread of the Social Fabric Robin Hanson, Overcoming Bias
- “Hero-worship is spiritual poverty.” David French, National Review
Nightcap
- TV’s third “Golden Age” BK Marcus, FEE
- The life and death of North Africa’s first superstar Chris Silver, History Today
- The Pope that came from the South Avedis Hadjian, FOX News
- Globalization and Marxism JN Nielsen, Grand Strategy: The View from Oregon
Nightcap
- So you want my opinion (as an economist)? Scott Sumner, EconLog
- Don’t Let Doubts About Blockchains Close Your Mind Tyler Cowen, Bloomberg View
- Hayek, Radner, and Rational-Expectations Equilibrium David Glasner, Uneasy Money
- Beautiful art from the Armenian diaspora Avedis Hadjian, Le Monde Diplomatique
Can you spot the most important information in this title?
The Diplomat has a piece up with the following title: “Russia’s Sole Aircraft Carrier to Be Fitted With Advanced New Air Defense System.”
The author of the piece goes on to wax poetic about the advanced new air defense system, but that’s not the most important information being conveyed. It’s the fact that Russia – Russia – has a single aircraft carrier.
Here is Popular Mechanics on countries and their aircraft carriers.
Nightcap
- China’s Christianity problem (and Islam too) Ian Johnson, NY Times
- An Indian Merchant in Marseilles, 1792 Blake Smith, the Appendix
- The Island Where France’s Colonial Legacy Lives On Maddy Crowell, the Atlantic
- The Ugly Critique of Chick-Fil-A’s Christianity Stephen L. Carter, Bloomberg View
“The staying power of ‘Citizen Kane'”
That’s the title of my Tuesday column over at RealClearHistory. An excerpt:
The relevant socio political commentary is more interesting, in part because people today still use the film to attack media moguls they don’t like (such as Fox News’ Rupert Murdoch). One narrative about the film’s sociopolitical impact even likens the film to a subtle anti-fascist, and pro-war, production because of the attention it draws to the immense power media moguls wield, and the incentive structures they face (and produce). This argument has at least some bite to it, as one of America’s most powerful media moguls in the 1940s, William Randolph Hearst, refused to give the film any sort of advertisement in any of his many publications. This blackballing on the part of the powerful led, of course, to the Citizen Kane’s relative flop at the box office.
Read the rest, baby!
Notes On Liberty 