Category Archives: Empires and Imperialism

The Danger of Pre-emptive Strikes

Posted on April 13, 2013 by briansandberg

With tensions already running high on the Korean peninsula, many American policy-makers and advisers are talking tough. Now historian Jeremi Suri has weighed in, arguing in an op-ed in the New York Times that “the Korean crisis has now become … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, Empires and Imperialism, European History, European Wars of Religion, French History, French Wars of Religion, History of Violence, Human Rights, Laws of War, Political Culture, Strategy and International Politics, War, Culture, and Society, Warfare in the Early Modern World | 1 Comment

Sephardic Jews Invited to Return to Spain

Posted on March 6, 2013 by briansandberg

More than 500 years after the infamous 1492 expulsion of Jews from the kingdom of Spain, the modern Spanish government is preparing to invite Jews to return to the country. “In November [2012],” according to the BBC, “Spain’s justice minister … Continue reading →

Posted in Civilians and Refugees in War, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, European History, European Union, European Wars of Religion, History of Violence, Human Rights, Mediterranean World, Political Culture, Religious History, Religious Violence, Renaissance Art and History | 1 Comment

Atrocities in Vietnam

Posted on February 28, 2013 by briansandberg

The United States military forces committed widespread atrocities during the Vietnam War, according to documents unearthed in the National Archives by journalist Nick Turse. The evidence of numerous mass killings of Vietnamese civilians reveals that the infamous My Lai Massacre … Continue reading →

Posted in Archival Research, Civil Conflict, Civilians and Refugees in War, Empires and Imperialism, History of Violence, Strategy and International Politics, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

French Military Intervention in Mali

Posted on January 12, 2013 by briansandberg

French President François Hollande has launched a military intervention into war-torn Mali, where a civil war has been raging for months. The French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault explained the rationale for the French intervention, claiming that military action is justified … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict, Empires and Imperialism, European Union, French History, History of Violence, Mediterranean World, Political Culture, State Development Theory, Strategy and International Politics, Terrorism, Uncategorized, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Reenactment of Austerlitz

Posted on December 4, 2012 by briansandberg

Austerlitz has been fought once again. The anniversary of the battle of Austerlitz was 2 December and historical reenactors once again took to the battlefield to commemorate one of the most celebrated victories of Napoleon. Emperor Napoleon’s Grand Armée fought … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, Empires and Imperialism, European History, French History, French Revolution and Napoleon, Uncategorized, War, Culture, and Society, Warfare in the Early Modern World | Leave a comment

Napoleon’s Letter on Destroying the Kremlin in 1812

Posted on December 3, 2012 by briansandberg

During Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812, the French emperor came to the realization that he would have to abandon Moscow and order the retreat of his Grand Armée. In a coded letter to his foreign minister, he announced that … Continue reading →

Posted in Archival Research, Early Modern Europe, Empires and Imperialism, European History, French History, French Revolution and Napoleon, Strategy and International Politics, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

English Translations of the Iliad

Posted on January 25, 2012 by briansandberg

Homer’s The Iliad has been translated and re-translated into English numerous times.  Willis G. Reiger, director of the University of Illinois Press, points out that “according to The Oxford Guide to Literature in English Translation, the Iliad is among the … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict, Empires and Imperialism, European History, History in the Media, History of the Book, Mediterranean World, Noble Culture and History of Elites, War, Culture, and Society, Women and Gender History | Leave a comment

Imperial Rivalry in the Modern Mediterranean

Posted on January 15, 2012 by briansandberg

France and Turkey are now contending for political and economic dominance in the Mediterranean in the wake of the Arab Spring revolutions. Soner Cagaptay, a Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, argues that the imperial legacies … Continue reading →

Posted in Comparative Revolutions, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, Mediterranean World, Political Culture | 2 Comments

Accounts of Haditha Massacre Salvaged

Posted on December 14, 2011 by briansandberg

The New York Times is claiming that one of its reporters has salvaged classified documents that were part of an internal United States military investigation of the 2005 Haditha Massacre, one of the pivotal events of the Iraq War. Photo … Continue reading →

Posted in Archival Research, Empires and Imperialism, History of Violence, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

States of Early Modernity: Symposium at the Newberry

Posted on September 22, 2011 by briansandberg

Newberry Center for Renaissance Studies A Symposium and Workshop on States of Early Modernity Registration deadline: Friday, September 30 Symposium: Friday, October 14, 2011, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Leaders: Crystal Bartolovich, Syracuse University Victoria Kahn, University of California, Berkeley … Continue reading →

Posted in Conferences, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, State Development Theory | Leave a comment