The American Revolution wasn’t just a domestic story—it was a global one that reshaped migration, empires, and everyday lives across the inhabited continents. Read Richard Bell's insights in the latest issue of Current History: online.ucpress.edu/currenthi…

When the public no longer has "skin in the game," war comes at little or no cost for politicians. Robert Thomas examines the dangers of an all-volunteer force in the latest Current History: online.ucpress.edu/currenthi…

As the military becomes increasingly politicized, partisan entanglements have begun to evade civilian control. In the newest issue of Current History, Heidi A. Urben argues that a nonpartisan military is critical to the preservation of democracy: online.ucpress.edu/currenthi…

The U.S. is exiting the era of multilateral trade. David Lake, a senior fellow at @UCIGCC, and Jeffry Frieden explain the "New Political Economy of U.S. Trade" in the latest edition of Current History: online.ucpress.edu/currenthi…

The belief that the military is "better" than the society it protects is the definition of praetorianism. Kori Schake discusses why this mindset is a threat to U.S. democracy in the latest edition of Current History: online.ucpress.edu/currenthi…

Behind slogans declaring a "safe" El Salvador lies a harrowing reality of mass detentions and forced disappearances. Sonja Wolf details the state of emergency in the latest Current History: online.ucpress.edu/currenthi…

5 books. 5 critical global themes 📖 From North Korean nuclear disarmament to democratic backsliding, read the "Books in Brief" reviews by Stephan Haggard from the latest issue of Current History: online.ucpress.edu/currenthi…

From officer purges to unprecedented domestic deployments, Lindsay P. Cohn explores the erosion of democratic control of the U.S. military in the latest issue of Current History: online.ucpress.edu/currenthi…

The September 2026 issue of Current History is out now, featuring a collection on Civil-Military Relations edited by Rebecca Best. Dive in: online.ucpress.edu/currenthi…

In our July issue book reviews, Jesse Driscoll and Dominique Arel synthesize seven major books on Russia's war against Ukraine. Plus, Stephan Haggard reviews new books on Iran, Pan-Africanism, the MAGA new right, and cybercrime. Read free online: online.ucpress.edu/currenthi…

Denise Sullivan argues that music has long been one of democracy's most enduring tools—giving voice to resistance, building community, and sustaining hope through times of crisis. Read her full article from our July issue free online here: online.ucpress.edu/currenthi…

The changing world order looks different depending on where you're sitting. Read the Dispatches from our July issue for firsthand reflections from seven countries on the defining issues shaping today's world. Free to read online here: online.ucpress.edu/currenthi…

Laura Gamboa argues that democratic transitions rarely succeed through the outright defeat of authoritarian regimes. More often, they require uncomfortable compromises that encourage regime insiders to defect. Read more in Current History: online.ucpress.edu/currenthi…

"People are how we got here. But people are our only hope." In our July issue, Lindsay Shingler argues that democracy depends not only on stronger institutions, but on learning to see one another with greater generosity, dignity, and grace: online.ucpress.edu/currenthi…

In her essay from our latest issue, Folashadé Soulé argues that African states are increasingly leveraging diplomacy, regional institutions, and international law to influence global governance. Free to read online here: online.ucpress.edu/currenthi…

Christian Davenport argues that democracy and authoritarianism have long coexisted across the U.S. Looking locally—not nationally—offers a clearer picture of both the problem and the path forward. Read more: online.ucpress.edu/currenthi…

Brian Matthew Jordan argues that democracy needs a "usable past"—one that confronts history honestly while inspiring us to continue the unfinished work of building a more perfect union. Read more: online.ucpress.edu/currenthi…

Stephanie Dinkins argues that AI inherits the histories and inequalities embedded in its training data—and that building ethical AI requires centering care, community, and plural ways of knowing. Read more: online.ucpress.edu/currenthi…

Charles A. Kupchan argues in the recent issue of Current History that the old global order is dying and the task is no longer to preserve it but build a new one for the multipolar world. Read the article: online.ucpress.edu/currenthi…

Does a multipolar world have to mean global disorder? Amitav Acharya argues that history shows that many civilizations helped shape the ideas behind international cooperation long before the modern West. Read more: online.ucpress.edu/currenthi…