History
The American Century Is Over. What Comes Next?
Henry Luce's vision of American global supremacy lasted about seventy-five years. Its end is not a failure — but pretending it hasn't ended is.
Sophie Laurent12 min read
History
The Weimar Warning Has Limits
Historians and commentators keep reaching for 1930s Germany to explain the present. The analogy is partly useful and partly a way of avoiding the specific analysis the present requires.
Cara Novak11 min read
History
The Cold War We Forgot
Thirty years after its end, the Cold War's lessons have been largely misread. The errors have consequences for how we think about the new competition with China.
Priya Nair12 min read
Books
History Books in a Political Season
When historians write about the past, they are always partly writing about the present. The current wave of popular history reveals what we are most anxious about — and what we are most determined to avoid seeing.
Aiko Tanaka11 min read
History
The Internet Revolution We Misread
We predicted the internet would bring democracy, abundance, and connection. It brought all three and also their opposites. Understanding what we got wrong helps explain what comes next.
Cara Novak12 min read
History
What the 1970s Inflation Actually Teaches Us
Every episode of rising prices invites comparison to the 1970s. Understanding what actually happened then — and why — is more complicated than the political memory admits.
Marcus Webb13 min read