Monthly Review Press

As skilled in the pyrotechnics of historiographical revision as archival spelunking (Science & Society reviews “The Dawning of the Apocalypse”)

As skilled in the pyrotechnics of historiographical revision as archival spelunking (Science & Society reviews “The Dawning of the Apocalypse”)

I read this gorgeous, furious book while teaching the first half of the U. S. history survey: 1607–1877....In this book as well as its recent antecedent, 'The Apocalypse of Settler Colonialism: The Roots of Slavery, White Supremacy and Capitalism in 17th Century North America and the Caribbean,' Horne turns to examine the earlier foundations of empire and racial capitalism. Unlike much of his other work, these books are primarily secondary-source–driven. But Horne is that historian, as skilled in the pyrotechnics of historiographical revision as he is at archival spelunking.

Sorting through confusion on the repatriation of Haitian refugees (Listen to Dr. Horne on the Carl Nelson Show)

Sorting through confusion on the repatriation of Haitian refugees (Listen to Dr. Horne on the Carl Nelson Show)

The short answer is that when the U.S. was involved in Afghanistan, we cut deals with many warlords, shorthand for gangsters, that's number one. Number two: Afghanistan is quite rich with mineral wealth, which ironically enough, may end up going to the People's Republic of China, which is quite close to the Pakistanis, which was the major creator and backer of the Taliban, who are now in power. The third point, however, is that the Taliban is going to have a hard way to go..."

The lies peddled about Venezuela’s past (FAIR publishes ‘Extraordinary Threat’ excerpt)

The lies peddled about Venezuela’s past (FAIR publishes ‘Extraordinary Threat’ excerpt)

It is worth summing up some of these key lies: 1) Venezuela was “once prosperous.” In fact, Venezuela was an unequal country in which most people were poor despite the country’s oil wealth; 2) Venezuela was a democracy before Chavismo. In fact, politicians alternated holding power according to an undemocratic agreement, and rammed austerity down the throats of Venezuela’s poor by committing massacres, such as the Caracazo....

Watch: Gerald Horne’s American Book Award acceptance speech

Watch: Gerald Horne’s American Book Award acceptance speech

Gerald Horne is this year's winner of the ABA, awarded by the Before Columbus Foundation, for his book "The Dawning of the Apocalypse," a riveting revision of the “creation myth” of settler colonialism and how the United States was formed.

The sour vindication, bitter eloquence of “Dead Epidemiologists” (Rob Wallace interviewed by The Nation)

The sour vindication, bitter eloquence of “Dead Epidemiologists” (Rob Wallace interviewed by The Nation)

“As an epidemiologist, you’re supposed to want to put yourself out of business,” Wallace said. “Everyone has bills to pay; I understand that. But the extent to which your corruption might lead to a pathogen that could kill a billion people—that’s where my line is”....“You can intellectually understand something but still not assimilate the oncoming damage,” he told me later, as he recalled the “sour vindication” of having his worst fears come true. “So there’s an aspect of rage, and an arrival at an understanding.”