‘New Cold Wars’: David Sanger Examines U.S. Conflicts With China and Russia

PBS News Hour: "In 1991, the Soviet Union ceased to exist, and with it the Cold War. At the same time, China was amid its rapid expansion. Now, Russia is again a principal adversary and China is a much stronger competitor. Nick Schifrin discussed the challenge presented by both nations with David Sanger, author of …

1991: Shocking End of the Soviet Union

Shocking to generations that had endured the Cold War and the "long twilight struggle" between capitalism and communism, on December 26, 1991, Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev resigned and the Soviet Union dissolved. Here is a gift link from The New York Times report on that day. END OF THE SOVIET UNION; GORBACHEV, LAST SOVIET LEADER, …

Rules-Based International Order Is Under Attack in Ukraine, Middle East

After World War II, in order to prevent another world cataclysm, countries banded together to create a rules-based international order, a way to resolve international disputes, prevent territorial wars, and end or at least reduce unlimited slaughter. These rules have by no means been perfect, but a series of agreements -- the United Nations Charter, …

How to Persuade Conspiracy Theorists That The Moon Landing Actually Happened

More than a half-century ago, in July 1969, humans landed on the moon. Some conspiracy theory believers doubt that it happened. "Officials of the Fox network said that such skepticism rose to about 20% after the February 2001 airing of their network's television special, Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land on the Moon?, seen by about 15 …

How Jimmy Carter in 1952 Helped Divert a Nuclear Disaster

Rachel Maddow tells the story of a young Navy lieutenant from Georgia named Jimmy who played a key role in helping prevent a nuclear catastrophe in 1952.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8e0ClyvdfNc Jim Guyton: "Some people enter politics for power and fame. A few enter to try and help the world. It's pretty clear Jimmy Carter was not in …

‘For All Mankind’: Gripping Alt-History About Space Race for Younger Generations

Over the holidays, my 20-something son introduced me to "For All Mankind" on Apple TV, a "what if" in which the Soviets beat the Americans in the space race in 1969, and shockingly, not with a man walking on the moon but with a woman astronaut doing so. It represents, in the minds of the …

Is Russia Inherently Imperialist and Expansionist?

PolicyEd: Russia wasn’t forced to invade Ukraine, but its leaders chose to do so because they want Russia to become a great power. If Russian elites could somehow relinquish their unwinnable competition with the West, they could set their country on a less costly and more promising course. That's the argument of historian Stephen Kotkin. …

‘Devotion’: Pilots’ Improbable Bond During the Korean War, Before Desegregation

PBS News Hour: "A recently-released film provides a new reference point for the term wingmen. "Devotion" is the true story of two naval aviators’ loyalty and heroism during the often overlooked Korean War. Special correspondent Mike Cerre reports on the pilots’ bond and the story that has taken on added relevance today. It's for our …

34 Years of American History, 1941 to 1975, in 14.5 Minutes from Khan Academy

Here's American History greatly over-simplified, but a valuable overview of a 34-year period. World War II, Hitler, Cold War, Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis and the Space Race, Again, what important has the speaker left out? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2eKaxU-8kA&list=RDLVj2eKaxU-8kA&start_radio=1&rv=j2eKaxU-8kA&t=6

The Dulles Brothers and Their Secret World War in the 1950s

Nowadays their name is known only as an airport near Washington, DC. Once in the 1950s and early 1960s, they were very famous as architects of America's aggressive cold war policies in Iran, Guatemala, Cuba, Vietnam, and the "Belgium" Congo. John Foster Dulles was Secretary of State under President Eisenhower. His brother Allen Dulles was …