Martin Di Caro

History As It Happens: Middle East on the brink

Israeli attacks on Hamas and Hezbollah leaders in Beirut and Tehran may prompt retaliation, escalating the cycle of violence into a full-scale regional war.

August 5, 2024

BOOK REVIEW: ‘Hitler’s People’

Nearly all Nazi war criminals were completely aware, remorseless, and proud that they had murdered millions of Jews and others whose mere existence "threatened" their imaginary Aryan race.

August 1, 2024

History As It Happens: SCOTUS v. Founders

The Supreme Court turned the Constitution on its head by granting former President Donald Trump immunity from criminal prosecution, says historian Sean Wilentz.

July 31, 2024

History As It Happens: What’s economic nationalism?

Donald Trump's economic platform is reminiscent of a bygone era when the U.S. imposed heavy import tariffs.

July 29, 2024

History As It Happens: The ‘Aficionado of Exits’

George Washington's arguably most important legacy, too often ignored by modern politicians, is knowing when to walk away from power.

July 24, 2024

History As It Happens: Open convention

Open nominating conventions used to be the norm in American politics. One reason the major parties moved away from them was to avoid chaos.

July 22, 2024

History As It Happens: Traditions of violence

Political violence manifests in different ways from lone assassins to mob behavior. Discerning the motives is often difficult.

July 17, 2024

History As It Happens: The madness of political violence

Political violence has a long tradition in U.S. history, and it has not always been universally condemned.

July 15, 2024

BOOK REVIEW: ‘Takeover: Hitler’s Final Rise to Power’

Another book about Hitler? Before you wonder whether anything fresh can be written about a man whose life have been the subject of more than 100,000 books and articles, let's note the words of a recent biographer.

July 11, 2024

History As It Happens: The election of 2000

The historically close election between Al Gore and George W. Bush is remembered for the way it was decided, and for what came after. Oh, those debates!

July 10, 2024

History As It Happens: Europe’s turbulent politics

Far-right nationalist parties opposed to immigration are making gains across Europe, but the center has not been driven from power yet.

July 8, 2024

History As It Happens: What if the British had won the Revolutionary War?

The colonists' victory over the crown is monumentally important to the American origin story. What if things had been different?

July 1, 2024

History As It Happens: The Chennault Affair

The turbulent, tragic year of 1968 saw an incumbent president quit the race and the eventual winner engage in dirty tricks.

July 1, 2024

History As It Happens: What the Commies really wanted

A distinguished historian of the Soviet Union says the Kremlin was driven by realist concerns as much as ideological fervor during the Cold War.

June 26, 2024

History As It Happens: Palestinians and the ‘rules-based order’

The U.N. General Assembly in 1947 voted to partition Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state. More than 75 years later, international law and the rules-based order have yet to resolve the conflict. Why?

June 24, 2024

BOOK REVIEW: ‘To Run the World: The Kremlin’s Cold War Bid for Global Power’

The Cold War, as we are taught, was an existential struggle between two irreconcilable systems: Communism vs. democratic capitalism.

June 21, 2024

History As It Happens: Myanmar on the brink

The Southeast Asian country's civil war has no end in sight as the ruling military junta combats an array of autonomous armed groups.

June 19, 2024

History As It Happens: The Election of 1932

FDR's victory over the hapless Herbert Hoover transformed American politics and society.

June 17, 2024

History As It Happens: Do not give me your tired, your poor

President Biden, under election year pressure, tries to seal the border to most asylum seekers. An expert says policies of deterrence are bound to fail.

June 12, 2024

History As It Happens: Trumpism after the conviction

Will the felony conviction of the former president damage his campaign? Like so much with politics nowadays, it may be impossible to make sense of it.

June 10, 2024