The First U.S.-China Trade Deal
The Treaty of Wanghia formalized the burgeoning ties between the two countries, opening the door to new commercial and cultural exchanges.
How Did Kashmir’s 72-Year-Old Conflict Begin?
The proposal to partition British India along religious lines was put forward as early as 1940. The resulting constitutional provision endured until 2019.
Che Guevara
In 1964, 5 years after the end of the Cuban revolution, Che Guevara wrote for an academic journal. Read the Cuban leader in his own words.
Why Did Nixon Burn the China Hands?
Nixon targeted Foreign Service officers who served in China in the 1940s as communist sympathizers and "fellow travelers." Then he opened trade relations.
Hong Kong Was Formed as a City of Refugees
The story of Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated places on Earth, can't be separated from its international situation.
The Jim Crow Roots of the U.S.-Saudi Arabia Relationship
Americans started pouring into Saudi Arabia in the 1940s to develop the oil fields. They brought their ideas about segregation with them.
How Should German Teachers Approach Oktoberfest?
Americans have some pretty specific and limited stereotypes about German culture. The way teachers address topics like Oktoberfest can make a difference.
The Saltwater Railroad
Throughout the 19th century, enslaved people attempted to escape from the U.S. to the Bahamas, across what became known as the "Saltwater Railroad."
Progress Is Not the Same as Westernization
Jalal Al-e Ahmad, a political and literary writer in pre-revolutionary Iran, had ideas about how his country could modernize in its own, non-Western way.
The Dawn of WWII, According to the Chief of British Secret Intelligence
An original essay from 1939.