- End the double standards in reporting political violence David French, National Review
- Campaign politics and the origins of the Vietnam War Rick Brownell, Historiat
- Hussein Ibish on Muslim identity Irfan Khawaja, Policy of Truth
- Friends of freedom and Atlantic democratization Micah Alpaugh, Age of Revolutions
Links
RCH: Imperialism and the Panama Canal
Folks, my latest over at RealClearHistory is up. An excerpt:
The political ramifications for Washington essentially stealing a province from Colombia were huge. The United States had just seized a number of overseas territories from Spain in 1898, and the imperial project was frowned upon by numerous factions for various reasons. The U.S. foray into imperialism led to governance issues in the Caribbean, where Washington found itself supporting anti-democratic autocrats, and confronting outright ethical problems in the Philippines, where the United States Army was ruthlessly putting down a revolt against its rule. So acquiring a “canal zone” in a country that was baited into leaving another country was scandalous, especially since Colombia’s reluctance to cooperate with France and the U.S. was viewed as democratic (the Colombian Senate refused to ratify several canal-related treaties with France and the U.S.), and the two Western powers were supposedly the torchbearers of democracy. To make matters worse, many elites in Panama, after agreeing to secede in exchange for protection from Colombia, felt betrayed by the terms of the Panama Canal Zone, which granted the United States sole control over the zone in perpetuity.
Please, read the rest.
Nightcap
- The centrality of the church to black life in America Fred Siegel, City Journal
- Obama David Runciman, London Review of Books
- Remembrance of war as a warning Christopher Preble, War on the Rocks
- European culture and its relation to Russian culture Ivan Kireyevsky, Montreal Review
Nightcap
- The renewed relevance of neoconservatism Rachel Lu, the Week
- The idea of a Muslim world is both modern and misleading Cemil Aydin, Aeon
- Democratic socialism threatens minorities Conor Friedersdorf, the Atlantic
- The world economy’s urban future Parag Khanna, Project Syndicate
Nightcap
- Lessons of the Westphalian Peace for the Middle East Andreas Kluth, Handelsblatt
- Is Democracy Dying? Francis Fukuyama (interview), Hromadske
- Yes, the Press Helps Start Wars Ted Galen Carpenter, American Conservative
- The Most Hawaiian Stephanie Lee, Coldnoon
Nightcap
- What the West and its liberal world order is becoming Bruno Maçães, National Review
- Medieval geopolitics: the invention of the idea of sovereignty Andrew Latham, Medievalists
- The secret caste of nineteenth-century horse mystics Amelia Soth, JSTOR Daily
- Sanctimonious econ critics Robin Hanson, Overcoming Bias
Nightcap
- Regional politics is restraining Kurdish militancy in Iran Fazel Hawramy, Al-Monitor
- Ignoring Ayn Rand won’t make her go away Skye Cleary, Aeon
- Culture and Institutions Alesina & Giuliano, Journal of Economic Literature
- Medieval Robots: Magic, Nature, and Art Dylan Cahn, Origins
RCH: “10 Places That Should Join the U.S.”
That’s the title of my weekend article over at RealClearHistory. An excerpt:
9. Puerto Rico. Officially an unincorporated territory of the United States, Puerto Rico was acquired by Washington, along with Cuba and the Philippines, in the course of the Spanish-American War of 1898. Not quite an annexed state and not quite a colony, the island has been in legal limbo since the war with Spain ended. In 2017, a referendum was held on the issue of statehood (the fifth of its kind since 1952), and an overwhelming majority of those who voted preferred statehood to independence or the status quo.
Unfortunately, “those who voted” only accounted for about 23% of the island’s population, and referendum was popularly-held, meaning that the legislature didn’t vote on the matter (which is what the federal congress would require in order to consider a Puerto Rican application). Despite the odds being stacked against a Spanish-speaking state, there has never been a better time than now to join the union, especially if representatives could work in tandem with representatives of Jefferson. The history of American statehood is one of balance in the Senate. If Maine could join as a free state, then Missouri could join as a slave state. If Hawaii could join as a blue state, then Alaska could join as a red state. If Puerto Rico joined the union it would be as a blue state, and Jefferson could be the red yang to San Juan’s yin.
Nightcap
- Zombie history: a bleak vision of the past and present Sophie Pinkham, the Nation
- Pakistan’s elections and the precarious future of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Andrew Small, War on the Rocks
- Populism in less developed countries is somewhat different Pranab Bardham, 3 Quarks Daily
- The BRICS hit the wall Guy Sorman, City Journal
Nightcap
- Eugenics in the Progressive Era Patricia Williams, Times Literary Supplement
- America’s debate between scientific innovation and caution Patrick Allitt, Law & Liberty
- The tyranny of language Francis Wade, NY Review of Books
- Higher intelligence predicts left-wing social views and right-wing economic views Ludeke & Rasmussen, Intelligence
Nightcap
- Against the Politicisation of Museums Michael Savage, Quillette
- Tech’s many political problems Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution
- The robot paradox Chris Dillow, Stumbling and Mumbling
- Scientific abstraction and scientific historiography Nick Nielsen, Grand Strategy Annex
Nightcap
- What is the ‘-dom’ in ‘freedom’? John Kelly, OxfordWords
- Does Trump Have a Point About Europe? Jeffrey Stacey, Duck of Minerva
- When Racism Is Fit to Print Andrew Sullivan, Daily Intelligencer
- How deep is the decline of the West? John Gray, New Statesman
Nightcap
- Diversity as a right-wing ideal Chris Dillow, Stumbling & Mumbling
- Trumpist populism could easily linger longer than most people readily assume Francis Fukuyama, American Interest
- Brexit and the oral culture of journalism John Quiggin, Crooked Timber
- Europe’s comparative advantage in violence Philip Hoffman, Economic History Review
Nightcap
- How to decolonize a museum Sarah Jilani, Times Literary Supplement
- The American island that once belonged to Russia John Zada, BBC
- America still has a heartland (it’s just an artificial one) Venkatesh Rao, Aeon
- Why Westerners fear robots and the Japanese do not Joi Ito, Wired
Nightcap
- Forget Trump: The Military-Industrial Complex is Still Running the Show With Russia Bruce Fein, American Conservative
- King Thibaw’s Elephants Jonathan Saha, Colonizing Animals
- Revolution and Decolonization in the Arab World Yoav Di-Capua, Age of Revolutions
- The Hunger for a Bold Socialism Conor Friedersdorf, the Atlantic
Notes On Liberty 