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The Roundup Top Ten for February 25, 2022

Putin's Denial of Ukrainian Statehood Carries Dark Echoes

by Timothy Snyder

"History cannot stop a war. But it can help us, at least, to understand how one begins, which is with arrogance and lies."

Putin's Invasion is an Attack on Ukraine's Unique History, Reveals His Imperial Intentions

by Olivia Durand

Putin's recent history lesson arguing for the unity of Ukraine and Russia was muddled; that's because his depiction of the past is subordinate to his imperial ambitions for the future.

The U.S. Must Punish Russia, but Remember the Limits of Power

by Stephen Wertheim

The sanctions against the Russian government as well as individual banks and oligarchs are the economic equivalent of war; the United States must be willing to accept the limits of its ability to influence Russian actions, avoid a self-defeating cycle of reprisals, and work to help those harmed. 

American Antisemitism and Nationalism in the Charlottesville Verdict

by Victoria Saker Woeste

The awarding of $25 million in damages from the organizers of the Unite the Right rally to nine people injured in the violence are not enough of a penalty to stop the political mobilization of antisemitism in the new white nationalist coalition.

Black Educators Have Long Fought Against Political Suppression of History

by Keisha N. Blain

For as long as white politicians have tried to suppress Black perspectives on history and public life, Black educators have worked to make sure those perspectives are heard, and to explain why they matter. 

We, The Abuser State

by Jules Gill-Peterson

Texas's announcement of a policy defining some support for transgender youth as "child abuse" echoes the abuses of colonial authorities on gendered minority groups. 

The Sandy Hook Settlement Could Transform the Marketing of Guns

by Tracy L. Barnett

The settlement between Remington and the families of victims does not accept fault, but it does establish the dangerous connection between the marketing of guns as totems of masculinity and the damage done by young men who acquire them with ease. 

How Black Feminists Defined Abortion Rights

by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor

Arguments in the Dobbs case have privileged the concerns of affluent, professional women – hardly the Mississippians whose lives will be affected by the state's draconian abortion bans. The abortion rights movement needs to return to its roots in racial and economic justice. 

The Black Press is a Model for How to Cover Racism in the News

by Olivia Paschal

The mainstream press worked to obscure the nature and extent of racist violence in the early 20th century; Black journalists and Black-owned newspapers did the essential work of preserving the truth and explaining the context of white supremacist terrorism. 

Lessons From the Struggle Against the Old McCarthyism

by Benjamin Mitchell-Yellin

For a Texas professor, the Lieutenant Governor's push to abolish tenure and punish faculty for teaching certain ideas calls to mind the experiences of his grandparents in the heyday of McCarthy and HUAC.