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military history


  • From "Shell Shock" to PTSD, Veterans Have a Long Walk to Health

    by Charles Glass

    Iraq War veteran Will Robinson brought himself out of a mental health crisis by hiking more than 11,000 miles of trail from the Pacific Crest to the Appalachian, following the century-old prescription of British military doctor Arthur Brock. 



  • Will Ukraine be Remembered as the War of Surprises?

    by Rajan Menon

    Neither the perceived threat of NATO expansion nor Putin's alleged fears of liberalization explain the move to an all-out invasion. This uncertainty remains confounding, as has the progress of the war. 


  • O'Hanlon: Policymakers Need to Know More History

    by James Thornton Harris

    "Studying war in this way should humble us about our ability to control and contain it in the future," says the Brookings Institution scholar, who urges security policymakers to read as much history as they can. 


  • The Curious History of Ulysses Grant's Great Grandfather

    by John Reeves

    The military experiences of Noah Grant in the French and Indian War typified changes in military strategy in the Americas and cemented a family commitment to the military that drove his great grandson Ulysses. 



  • America Remains Trapped by the Dream of Global Hegemony

    by Andrew Bacevich

    American victory in World War II remains a source of dangerous myths and delusions about global supremacy. Both popular culture and foreign policy need to adopt the Iraq War as a less affirming, but more realistic, touchstone. 



  • Stephen Kotkin on How the Ukraine War Could End

    The historian of Russia and the USSR argues that Putin's invasion will ultimately be seen as a disaster for Russia. Its unclear, however, if that view is sufficiently widespread in Russia to change Putin's strategic outlook or the regime. 


  • America Fought Its Own Battle Over Books Before it Fought the Nazis

    by Brianna Labuskes

    The Armed Services Editions paperback books were wildly popular among World War II servicemembers. But they became symbols of American freedom to read in the war against fascism only after a bitter domestic battle about the works and topics that would be permitted. 



  • Ukrainesplaining, or, Why the West Underestimated Ukraine

    by Olesya Khromeychuk

    The credibility of Ukraine's claims and commitment to national self-determination have always been dismissed and diminished by the influence of Russian perspectives, even among academic observers. A woman historian finds the phenomenon familiar. 



  • Politicization of the US Military over the Last 4 Decades

    by Kori Schake

    "If America wants to retain a military that recruits from all parts of the citizenry and brings them together into an effective fighting force, it should both correct that public perception and better insulate the military from being a pawn in partisan political disputes."