Rob Rakove

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Rob Rakove

@robrakove.bsky.social

Historian at Stanford University, author of "Kennedy, Johnson, and the Nonaligned World" and "Days of Opportunity: The United States and Afghanistan Before the Soviet Invasion." It's good to have options.
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Hope Marco hasn't made any down payments
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Inane prose suggestions in Outlook promise to be my supervillain origins story.
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James Graham Wilson's America's Cold Warrior: Paul Nitze and National Security from Roosevelt to Reagan featured in The Wall Street Journal. See this book: www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501... Read now: www.wsj.com/arts-culture... #PaulsNitze #ColdWarrior #NationalSecurity #USHistory
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Remarkable finding in new Marist poll: By 68-32, voters say they're more concerned about a president who doesn't tell the truth than one who is too old to serve. Maybe we should cover Trump's serial lying as a sign of his unfitness for the presidency. 1/ (new piece) newrepublic.com/article/1837...
Shocker Poll Suggests Trump’s Lying May Be Huge Weakness for Himnewrepublic.com One possible reason the polls haven’t moved as much as pundits expected: Voters still don’t like or trust Trump. Can the Democrats shift focus to that?
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Reporters endlessly find ways to ask the same question with minor phrasing variations.
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People are seriously flipping out about mundane name swaps that literally anyone can commit.
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Today in 1991, “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” opened in theaters, ultimately grossing $521 billion worldwide. “Three billion human lives ended on August 29th, 1997. The survivors of the nuclear fire called the war Judgment Day. They lived only to face a new nightmare: the war against the machines.”
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It's been a hell of a news cycle. How about some light reading: revisiting the Teapot Dome scandal on the 100th anniversary of the Senate's investigation? www.senate.gov/artandhistor...
U.S. Senate: 100 Years Since Teapot Domewww.senate.gov 100 Years Since Teapot Dome
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I was especially stoked to discuss my book with old friend and grad school classmate Keith Harris on his podcast "The Rogue Historian." Keith has a special interest in the 19th century and Civil War, but the podcast is a great listen for all history enthusiasts. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
‎The Rogue Historian on Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.com ‎History · 2024
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Headlines with "might" or "could" are an invitation to move along, without clicking.
THIS. There are a number of types of stories that I just won't read. "Who I think will win the debate" is one; "who I think Trump will choose as VP" is another. I am interested in many things, but what some columnist thinks will happen is not one of them.
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Alternatively, you sort of get the sense that Billy might die tragically within six months of the events depicted in the film.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? BILLY: Rehab counselor KIRBY: In prison for cyber-stalking JULES: Real Housewife of DC LESLIE: Soccer mom KEVIN: Busted for plagiarism at WaPo ALEC: Trump spouse, now RNC Chair WENDY: Inherits family fortune, donates it to food banks www.forbes.com/sites/timlam...
‘Brats’ Spurs Idea Of Brat Pack Reunion For ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’ Sequelwww.forbes.com The Brat Pack documentary “Brats” gets Sony thinking about a “St. Elmo’s Fire” sequel with the original film’s stars.
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Those who did this are likely too young to remember Kony 2012, but the underlying idea (that stunts -> awareness -> policymakers' attention -> meaningful action) is symptomatic of our era. There's no "right" way to protest, but some methods are far less effective than others. Fame isn't enough.
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1.) is dismaying and worth forwarding past
Finally watched BRATS, Andrew McCarthy’s Brat Pack documentary. I had three thoughts: 1) Malcolm Gladwell? WTF?! 2) McCarthy’s closing interview with David Blum was fascinating; 3) I got annoyed all over again that SINGLE DRUNK FEMALE was cancelled.
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I had an article I once wanted to write on Chicago's anti-apartheid movement. I abandoned it when I left, and also because of Covid: there was no real chance in 2020 or 2021 to tackle something like this, especially without a university library. 🗃️
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📣Out now on #firstview! Elisabeth Leake (@emleake.bsky.social) on 'The Construction of ‘Tribe’ as a Socio-Political Unit in Global History' #Empire #Imperial #Britain #Afghanistan #America🌎🗺️🗃️18thc 19thc 👉Read online here: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
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"this most savage single act of repression": Washington Post accords the Nazi massacre of Czech villagers at Lidice (9-10 June 1942) almost equal status with the great US victory at Midway--a very good way to put these disparate World War II events in perspective 3/n
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Heads up grad students & non-tenure track history teachers going to the SHAFR Conference this week: I am bringing copies of Making the Forever War to give away! 5/day, 1st come, 1st served. No advance reservations. Find me, introduce yourself & ask for a copy! www.umasspress.com/978162534568...
Making the Forever Warwww.umasspress.com The late historian Marilyn B. Young, a preeminent voice on the history of U.S. military conflict, spent her career reassessing the nature of American glob...
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Really upset I canceled my subscription to The Scandal Sheet of Archduke A.G. Sulzberger XVIII
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Evergreen primary source
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+ 💯 this is not hard
Love hearing about people's books - don't be shy to promote your publications - but why oh why do people link to Amazon when your publisher has worked hard and professionally to make a dedicated webpage? Promoting Amazon is ripping off your publisher and yourself
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The New York Times, Forty Years Ago The fortieth anniversary of D-Day fell on a Wednesday. Thus the front page is dominated by: • The CA/NJ primaries (split, but enough to get Mondale over) • The storming of the Golden Temple in Amritsar • A Saudi-Iranian air battle in the Persian Gulf
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