Have you met  George Smiley? In a sense he’s an enigma. Just think of the different personas of the actors who have played him over the years. I’m betting that most of you think you know who he is. But do you really? Would you recognize him if you saw him on the street? I remember reading words like chubby, ordinary, middle-aged. But Alec Guiness? Gary Oldman? I couldn’t really see him in my mind’s eye until I read John Le Carre’s debut novel published in 1961 and titled Call for the Dead.  Recently, I picked it up — almost by accident. I’m so glad I did, because I got to know Smile ..read more

Ever wonder how President Eisenhower made time for his hobbies? Recently I was doing some research when I came across a tool called the Eisenhower Matrix. It piqued my curiosity because I remember reading all sorts of stories that criticize Ike for goofing off during his presidency. “[Eisenhower] invented the 36-hole work week,” one cynic suggested. Eisenhower’s response was to flash the grin that charmed a post-war nation and extol the virtues of a game that he said soothed his soul. At any rate, it’s no secret that Eisenhower had hobbies — his love of golf and painting were widely known ..read more

Background It’s pretty clear to even the casual observer that the Middle East is a mess. Over the course of the Cold War, old relationships were severed, and new alliances emerged. Islamist movements gained prominence as Cold War rivalries fueled concerns over nuclear proliferation. Western powers supported autocratic regimes to counter communist influence, while the Soviet Union provided military and economic aid to Arab states, countering Western influence in the region. Particularly relevant to the situation in the Middle East today, the displacement of Palestinians following the creation o ..read more

If you like history, chances are you enjoy watching old newsreels. But how authentic are they? What can they really tell us? Remember the successful Berlin Airlift of 1948? For months, as I’ve watched the challenges of getting humanitarian aid into Gaza I’ve wondered why we didn’t just ‘airlift’ the needed supplies. Now several countries are attempting to supply Gaza by air, but the effort is mostly symbolic — paltry at best, and widely criticized by humanitarian aid organizations as inefficient and even deleterious. So I wonder what’s going on? Can watching old video of Operation Vittles tel ..read more

There were 100,000 deaths in clashes in Korea between 1946 and the formal beginning of the Korean War in June 1950. The struggle at that time was between left-wing Koreans who were ardent nationalists (led by Kim Il Sung) and right-wing authoritarian Koreans (led by Syngman Rhee). Consequently, when President Truman decided to send American men to war  in Korea he was involving them in an on-going civil war, not involving them in a conflict against Stalin. The US wanted to keep the rightist groups  in power. Stalin North Korea’s Kim had been closely tied to Mao Tse-Tung’s Chinese co ..read more

Colonialism – especially settler colonialism – is a hot topic these days. Controversial conversations focusing on the subject have become increasingly common as people struggle to explain the on-going crisis in Gaza. These conversations have been spurred, also, by a new biography of the anticolonial revolutionary Franz Fanon. An Afro-Caribbean psychiatrist and philosopher, Fanon became a fervent supporter of the Algerian revolution. Best known for his 1961 book titled The Wretched of the Earth. he is often quoted in current discussions since he is said to have argued that colonized people wer ..read more

Long weekends are good, but sometimes I have absolutely no idea what to do with them. If you’re with me on that, I have an answer. Celebrate by streaming films that are either about United States Cold War Presidents or that feature them. A few notes: Links, for the most part, are to each film’s trailer. A few links may take you to Amazon for purchase of DVD’s, etc. As you know, Cold War is an Amazon affiliate and we receive a small commission on anything you buy when you click our link. You can be sure, though, that you’ll never pay more than you would if you went straight to their site. Movi ..read more

Every January foreign policy related websites list their candidates for the top hotspots in the year to come, and 2024 is no different. I pay particular attention to the lists put out by Foreign Policy and the International Rescue Committee. Nations in Crisis Like many of you, I expected either Gaza/the Middle East or Ukraine to be right at the top of both lists this year, so I was surprised when Foreign Policy’s article led with Africa’s Second Lost Decade.  The International Rescue Committee’s list (IRC), also, was heavily weighted toward Africa. In fact, 8 of its 10 listings are natio ..read more

Known as  ‘Arabia Felix’ or Arabia’s ‘land of happiness’, Yemen has been hard hit by war and other misfortunes. The story, spanning at least 1,500 years, involves everything from early Islamic politics to Arab nationalism and the Cold War. Today, Yemen is the poorest country in the Middle East. A Short and Superficial History In part, the problems in Yemen mirror the schism that has divided Islam almost from its beginning. (For more detailed information on this topic, sign up for the Cold War Studies email course on Islam. The link is in the sidebar.) In brief, more than 13 centuries ago ..read more

Over 50 countries will go to the polls in 2024, including Russia, India, El Salvador, South Africa, the United States, and Taiwan. The elections will have huge implications worldwide, ranging from human rights to international relations to the status of democracies. Taiwanese Pre-Election Campaigning Taiwan’s elections are scheduled for Saturday, January 13, and the results are likely to affect Taiwan’s relationship with China, relations between the US and China, and the Asia-Pacific region as a whole. Campaigning is in full swing. News reports usually focus on the serious with headlines like ..read more