Buddhist Pacifists at War
In the early centuries of Vajrayāna Buddhism in India, practitioners worked to reconcile the religion’s teaching of nonviolence with the realities of warfare.
The Psychological Problems of Modern Warfare
As military technology improved in the nineteenth century, military strategists put heavy emphasis on “moral factors” in preparing troops for battle.
Growing Guerrilla Warfare
American resistance to the Nazis had its roots the skills of Spanish Civil War veterans, who were recruited by the OSS when they returned from Spain.
Using False Claims to Justify War
Hardly the recent innovation it’s frequently mistakened to be, deception as a path to war has been used by American presidents since the 1800s.
The Great Arms Bazaar of the Nineteenth Century
In the late nineteenth century, fed by the disintegration of the Ottoman empire, the European arms race created a global military surplus.
In Sudan’s Civil Conflict, the Arab Cold War Widens
Sudan's decades-long civil war has finally come "home" to Khartoum.
The Algerian War: Cause Célèbre of Anticolonialism
On July 5, 1962, Algeria declared its independence after 132 years of French occupation. The transition was chaotic and violent, but inspired revolutionaries worldwide.
The International Brigades
Foreigners fighting for Ukraine may call to mind the International Brigades that fought in defense of the Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War.
Counting War’s Civilian Dead
Despite claims of precision strikes and the proliferation of smart bombs, the number of civilians killed in war appears staggeringly high.
Mothers and War
Seeing images of mothers in wartime Ukraine sent editor Morgan Godvin down a research rabbit hole.