Cold War
When the World Feted America
The U.S. bicentennial in 1976 was an international affair, celebrated in diverse ways by countries around the world, in a turning point for American soft power and a rejection of the blunt propaganda of the early Cold War.
Where I Go, Yugo
In 1978, the author’s father cycled through the Balkans. A trip following in his tire tracks reveals a continent grappling with globalization, uniform commercialism and rising nationalism.
Understanding Somalia’s Destruction
In the 1960s Somalia was a democratic pacesetter in Africa, and by the 1990s it was a byword for chaos and destruction. Inadequate institutions, territorial disputes, Cold War dynamics and an increasingly authoritarian leader all played their part in the country’s decline.
What the CIA Did (and Didn’t Do) in Soviet-Occupied Afghanistan
Western leftists think the CIA created al Qaeda by helping the mujahideen shoot down Russian helicopters. They’re wrong. The CIA program to arm anti-Soviet Afghan mujahideen with Stinger missiles saved lives.