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June 9, 2010

The Obama National Security Strategy: “Mush” Ado about Nothing?

In the world of U.S. foreign policy, the release of a new National Security Strategy is a big deal. This congressionally mandated exercise offers an opportunity for the executive to grapple with basic issues, and it may even herald the birth of a “doctrine” (as it did for George W. Bush in 2002). The Obama administration rolled out its NSS… Continue Reading The Obama National Security Strategy: “Mush” Ado about Nothing?

Categories American History/Current Events/Guest Bloggers/Michael H. Hunt/Politics
June 8, 2010

The Voices of Israeli Government and Israeli Dissent

In his newly released book Zeal for Zion: Christians, Jews, and the Idea of the Promised Land, Shalom Goldman argues that Jewish Zionism was influenced by–and cannot be understood in isolation from–Christian culture generally and Christian Zionist culture specifically. Shedding light on the deep and interrelated roots of Christian-Jewish relations, fraught with tension and ambivalence, he finds that Christian support… Continue Reading The Voices of Israeli Government and Israeli Dissent

Categories Current Events/Middle Eastern Studies/Politics/Religion/UNC Press Authors
April 30, 2010

The Republicans’ “Southern Strategy” Unmasked?

When we got wind of Michael Steele’s recent comments about the Republican Party continuing a “Southern Strategy” for the past 40 years, we turned to an expert on southern politics for insight into Steele’s allusion to the Nixon-era strategy of racial exclusion. Michael Perman is author of Pursuit of Unity: A Political History of the American South, which traces the… Continue Reading The Republicans’ “Southern Strategy” Unmasked?

Categories African American Studies/American History/Civil Rights/Current Events/Guest Bloggers/History/Politics
April 27, 2010

Confederate History Month and the Politics of Memory

We welcome a guest post today from Anne E. Marshall, author of Creating a Confederate Kentucky: The Lost Cause and Civil War Memory in a Border State, which we’ll publish in December 2010. The book traces the development of a Confederate identity in Kentucky between 1865 and 1925 that belied the fact that Kentucky never left the Union and that… Continue Reading Confederate History Month and the Politics of Memory

Categories African American Studies/American History/Civil War/Current Events/Guest Bloggers/History/Politics
April 16, 2010

Obama’s Nuclear Initiatives: Neither “Sufficient” Nor “Bold”

From Shane J. Maddock, author of Nuclear Apartheid: The Quest for American Atomic Supremacy from World War II to the Present, we welcome this guest post addressing Barack Obama’s most recent nuclear initiatives. If you missed Maddock’s January guest post, “The Delicate Art of Nuclear Jujutsu,” go back and take a look.–ellen President Barack Obama renewed the U.S. commitment to… Continue Reading Obama’s Nuclear Initiatives: Neither “Sufficient” Nor “Bold”

Categories Current Events/Guest Bloggers/Military Studies/Politics/Public Policy/UNC Press Authors
April 6, 2010

Karzai and the Shadow of Diem

“We’re frustrated,” conceded President Obama’s press secretary, Robert Gibbs, on Monday. The U.S. relationship with Afghan president Hamid Karzai is currently strained, to say the least. Offering some historical perspective on the situation, we welcome a guest post today from Michael H. Hunt, whose most recent book, A Vietnam War Reader: A Documentary History from American and Vietnamese Perspectives, was… Continue Reading Karzai and the Shadow of Diem

Categories American History/Current Events/Guest Bloggers/History/Michael H. Hunt/Middle Eastern Studies/Military History/Politics/Public Policy
March 8, 2010

Joan Waugh on Grant v. Reagan (yes, as in Ulysses S. and Ronald)

Have you heard? Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) has sponsored a bill to replace U.S. Grant on the $50 bill with Ronald Reagan. In an op-ed for the LA Times, Grant biographer Joan Waugh offers a brief history lesson in defense of the Union general and 18th President of the United States and cautions against further erosion of Grant’s legacy. An… Continue Reading Joan Waugh on Grant v. Reagan (yes, as in Ulysses S. and Ronald)

Categories American History/Biography / Autobiography/Civil War/Current Events/History/Politics/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News
February 7, 2010

Today in History: The Importance of February 7th in Haiti

The Haitian Coat of Arms As we all know, events in recent weeks have been difficult for the people of Haiti. Victories have been few, and all accounts suggest the nightmare is far from over. Today, though, is an important day in Haiti, a bright spot in their story for two reasons. Modern politics in Haiti are tied to February… Continue Reading Today in History: The Importance of February 7th in Haiti

Categories Current Events/History/Politics/UNC Press News
January 28, 2010

Andrew Finstuen on Obama’s Civil Faith

Over at Religion and Ethics Newsweekly, Andrew Finstuen offers a response to the spiritual tones within President Obama’s State of the Union address last night, noting that the president summoned a unifying “civil faith” to lead the country through challenging times. Finstuen is author of Original Sin and Everyday Protestants: The Theology of Reinhold Niebuhr, Billy Graham, and Paul Tillich… Continue Reading Andrew Finstuen on Obama’s Civil Faith

Categories American Studies/Current Events/Politics/UNC Press Authors
December 2, 2009

Obama Pronounces on Afghanistan: Deja Vu All Over Again!

In a follow-up to his article on Obama and Afghanistan, Michael Hunt responds to President Obama’s speech at West Point last night, in which the President laid out his plan for additional troops and a timeline for withdrawal.–ellen  [author photo by Dan Sears] Barack Obama has an impressive intellect, and he has given the decision on Afghanistan policy the careful,… Continue Reading Obama Pronounces on Afghanistan: Deja Vu All Over Again!

Categories Current Events/Guest Bloggers/History/Michael H. Hunt/Military History/Military Studies/Politics/UNC Press Authors
November 25, 2009

Obama and Afghanistan

Before we close up shop for the Thanksgiving holiday, I wanted to highlight some excellent commentary on President Obama’s impending decision about how to proceed with the war in Afghanistan. The President is scheduled to make an announcement next Tuesday, December 1, about his intentions for America’s next steps. Between now and then, we would do well to consider the… Continue Reading Obama and Afghanistan

Categories American History/Current Events/History/Military History/Military Studies/Politics/UNC Press Authors
August 20, 2009

Lois Shepherd Discusses Idea of Doctor/Patient End-of-Life Counseling and the Ongoing Health Care Debate

Below is commentary by Lois Shepherd, J.D., in which she discusses the idea of doctor- patient conversations about death and the current status of such counseling in the universal health care debate. Shepherd is the author of If That Ever Happens to Me: Making Life and Death Decisions After Terri Schiavo.  She holds a joint appointment as associate professor of… Continue Reading Lois Shepherd Discusses Idea of Doctor/Patient End-of-Life Counseling and the Ongoing Health Care Debate

Categories Current Events/Health / Medicine/Politics/UNC Press Authors
July 28, 2009

Anthea Butler Examines Sarah Palin’s Pentecostal Faith

In recent days, three high-profile public figures have come under increased scrutiny–Sarah Palin for her abrupt resignation from her position as Governor of Alaska, possible presidential hopeful John Ensign (R-Nev.) for his extramarital affair, and Bishop Thomas Wesley Weeks III for physically assaulting his wife in a 2007 incident. As a result, both Palin’s and Ensign’s chances at winning at… Continue Reading Anthea Butler Examines Sarah Palin’s Pentecostal Faith

Categories Current Events/Politics/Religion/UNC Press Authors
July 24, 2009

Fisk calls arbitration a key element to EFCA bill

The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) is a bill aimed to remove barriers to collective bargaining in the workplace. It includes provisions enabling a card check system for voting to establish a union and  guaranteeing that workers who unionize can negotiate a contract with their employer. Catherine L. Fisk, author of Working Knowledge: Employee Innovation and the Rise of Corporate… Continue Reading Fisk calls arbitration a key element to EFCA bill

Categories Current Events/Labor Studies/Politics/UNC Press Authors
May 7, 2009

Obama’s foreign policy in light of ‘The American Ascendancy’

Today we welcome a guest post from Michael H. Hunt, author of The American Ascendancy: How the United States Gained and Wielded Global Dominance, a new paperback edition of which has just been published. In the book, Hunt gives a long historical view of what factors enabled the United States to evolve from colonial outpost to global preeminence and explores… Continue Reading Obama’s foreign policy in light of ‘The American Ascendancy’

Categories American History/Current Events/Guest Bloggers/History/Michael H. Hunt/Politics/UNC Press Authors
May 6, 2009

Authors speak: interviews, op-eds, and more

We’ve got several authors out there making appearances online in various forms. If you’ve missed some of the live appearances in this busy spring, take a moment to follow-up virtually. In history… Russell McClintock, author of Lincoln and the Decision for War, was interviewed recently by Michael Noirot over at This Mighty Scourge. An excerpt from Amy Wood‘s new book,… Continue Reading Authors speak: interviews, op-eds, and more

Categories African American Studies/American History/Civil War/Cuba/Current Events/History/Interviews/Islamic Studies/Latin American/Caribbean Hist./Middle Eastern Studies/Native Amer./Indigenous Studies/Politics/Religion/UNC Press Authors
April 21, 2009

Upcoming events, 4/21 – 4/27

New York, NY – Today! Tuesday 4/21 at 6 pm – Ann Marie Stock, author of On Location in Cuba: Street Filmmaking during Times of Transition (hot off the press!), will be speaking at the Havana Film Festival at the King Juan Carlos Center. Raleigh, NC – Wed., 4/22 at 11 am – Rob Christensen, author of The Paradox of… Continue Reading Upcoming events, 4/21 – 4/27

Categories African American History/African American Studies/American History/Birds & Birding/Cooking / Food/Cuba/Events/Gay / Lesbian Studies/Gender Studies/History/Local Indy Booksellers/Media Studies/Military Studies/Nature/North Carolina/Politics/Southern Studies/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News/Women's Studies
April 14, 2009

Upcoming events 4/14 – 4/20

Upcoming author events, including a C-SPAN taping tonight! Today, Tuesday, 4/14: John & Dale Reed in Kernersville, NC –  Shakespeare & Company Books in Kernersville hosts the authors of Holy Smoke at 6 pm. Lars Schoultz in Durham, NC – The author of That Infernal Little Cuban Republic will read and speak at the Regulator Bookshop at 7 pm .… Continue Reading Upcoming events 4/14 – 4/20

Categories American History/Birds & Birding/Cooking / Food/Events/History/Latin American/Caribbean Hist./Law / Legal History/Military History/Nature/North Carolina/Politics/UNC Press Authors/Women's Studies
April 3, 2009

Job Programs and Stimulus II: What We Can Learn from New Deal Programs

I’m pleased to have a guest post today from Frank Stricker, author of Why America Lost the War on Poverty — And How to Win It, which we published in 2007. That book focused on the second half of the twentieth century. In his current work, Stricker’s looking more closely at unemployment and job creation, and looking further back in… Continue Reading Job Programs and Stimulus II: What We Can Learn from New Deal Programs

Categories American History/Current Events/Economics/Guest Bloggers/Politics/Public Policy/The Book Biz