List of History articles
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John Ackah Blay-Miezah smokes a cigar in the London office of the Oman Ghana Trust Fund in the 1980s. The Man Who Conned the World
How one of the greatest scam artists of all time used Ghana’s colonial past to get rich.
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An illustration depicting a partially redacted introduction of the U.S. Constitution, with the red lines covering the redacted words forming an American flag next to a field of blue stars positioned before the first lines. Does Democracy Really Die in Darkness?
A provocative history questions the relationship between the state, its secrets, and the people.
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A U.S. soldier sets fire to a building during the My Lai massacre Confusion and Ambition Caused the My Lai Atrocities
A rare combination of failures led to an infamous massacre.
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Joaquin Phoenix (center) stars in the film "Napoleon." What Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon’ Gets Wrong About War
The film’s ideas have poisoned military thinking for centuries.
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Kissinger stands at a lectern with microphones with a large world map on the wall behind him. Kissinger’s Great Game
In his worldview, little countries only mattered to the extent that they played into struggles among the mighty.
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Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (standing) points at a map of the Sinai Peninsula during a meeting with President Gerald R. Ford (C) Congressional Leaders in the Cabinet Room on Sept. 4, 1975. Did Henry Kissinger Further U.S. National Interests or Harm Them?
The death of a legendary diplomat raises difficult questions about his legacy.
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Joaquin Phoenix in the film "Napoleon." The Economic Legacy of Napoleon Bonaparte
A new biopic fails to capture Napoleon’s historical significance.
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Henry Kissinger during an interview in Washington in August 1980. Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage
The late statesman was a master of realpolitik—whom some regarded as a war criminal.
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A sticker featuring U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden and partially reading "asylum" is seen on the pavement of a Berlin street. The Song and Dance of American Secrecy
Espionage law hasn’t changed much since William Howard Taft—yet recent presidents have wielded it as a cudgel more than ever before.
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A painting shows the buildings lining Old University Square in Vienna. People walk in the foreground. The Untold Story of Vienna’s Global Influence
A new book argues the Austrian capital produced the intellectual basis of much of the modern West—for better and sometimes for worse.
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Members of the Kanakanavu tribe perform in traditional costumes during a Siraya harvest festival in Taiwan’s Donghua village. The Inconvenient Truth of Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples
Tribal groups assert their own claims on a contested island.
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Cuba’s Yunia Milanés plays in a match between Uruguay and Cuba during the Pan American Games 2023 at the Field Hockey Sports Center of the National Stadium Sports Park in Santiago, Chile, on Nov. 4. Cuban Athlete Defections Put Boric in a Bind
Will Chile’s left-wing president privilege his coalition’s affinity for Havana—or human rights?
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A photo collage illustration shows Russian President Vladamir Putin walking with a shadow cast before him on a red field. In front of him is the crown of a Russian tsar and a Soviet-era statue with hammer, sickle, and star. The Inevitable Fall of Putin’s New Russian Empire
What history tells us about collapsed empires trying to restore their former possessions.
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Rubble cleared in Gaza after Israeli airstrike in Israel-Hamas war. Can Our Leaders Avoid the Terrorism Trap?
For Israel and Palestine, the only way to break the cycle of violence is to understand the difference between justice and vengeance.
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Republican Congressman Brandon Williams of New York holds an Israeli flag as he looks down on a crowd of protesters below as they stage a demonstration in support of a cease fire in Gaza. The crowd holds signs that say Ceasefire, Jews Say Ceasefire Now, and Philly Jews Say Never Again is Now. Reporters and photographers are seen on the columned balcony framing the scene in the Cannon House Office Building. Is America Really ‘Indispensable’ Again?
The new debates over aid to Ukraine and Israel have opened an old wound: avoiding too many foreign entanglements.
