[haw-info] HAW at the AHA: January 3-4!

Dear HAW supporters,

We have a very full agenda coming up, at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Historical Association in New York next weekend.  

1.  The MARHO roundtable, "What is the Responsibility of Historians Regarding the Israel/Palestine Conflict?" will be held on Saturday, January 3, 2:30-4:30 pm, in Concourse G of the New York Hilton, 1335 Avenue of the Americas (at 53rd Street, not 52nd, as previously stated).  As you know, it includes Joel Beinin (Donald J. McLachlan Professor of History and Professor of Middle East History, Stanford University), Leena Dallasheh (Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of History, Rice University), Linda Gordon (Professor of History, New York University), Barbara Weinstein (Professor of History, New York University).  It will be moderated by Carolyn Eisenberg (Professor of History, Hofstra University).  We hope to see many of you there; it will also be recorded for later viewing by the History News Network.

2.  HAW sent two resolutions to the AHA on December 22, regarding academic freedom in Israel/Palestine.  I attach them here, including the impressive list of signers. As you may know, AHA President Jan Goldstein responded in a formal letter, which was posted along with our resolutions on the members-only section of the AHA website;  we are very grateful for the prompt and professional response from Executive Director James Grossman, Parliamentarian Michael Les Benedict, and President Goldstein.  We have met all the criteria for consideration, other than timeliness, since the official deadline was November 1.  The AHA Council will meet on January 2, and will consider whether to put our resolutions on the agenda of the Business Meeting, to be held Sunday, January 4, 4:45-6 pm in the Beekman Parlor of the New York Hilton.  If the Council does not take that action, which is certainly possible, we will move to suspend the rules so that our resolutions can be considered. In either case, it is vital that all HAW supporters who are attending the AHA plan to attend and vote at the business meeting.

A note:  it has come to our attention that some historians believe that one of our two resolutions calls for an academic boycott of Israel, and on that basis are calling on colleagues to attend the Business Meeting to oppose our resolutions, or a suspension of the rules to allow them to be considered.  That is certainly their right, and we welcome an open debate, but it would facilitate such a conversation if the substance of our resolutions were addressed, rather than inaccurate reports.  We also note our presumption that if our resolutions were passed in the Business Meeting, the Council would then send them out to the full membership for an online vote, as happened when HAW previously submitted resolutions to the AHA.  Such an online discussion and vote involving the full membership would be ideal, facilitating the widest possible consideration of our professional roles and responsibilities regarding this aspect of U.S. foreign policy.

[haw-info] HAW Notes 12/18/14: Links to recent articles of interest

Links to Recent Articles of Interest

"The CIA's Phony Defense"

By John Prados, History News Network, posted December 14

The author is a senior fellow of the National Security Archives and director of its CIA Documentation Project.

"CIA 'Torture Report': Agency Conduct Was Driven by Pressure to Link Iraq to al-Qaeda Following 9/11"

By Andrew Cockburn, The Independent, posted December 14

"American Torture -- Past, Present, and ... Future?"

By Rebecca Gordon, TomDispatch.com, posted December 14

The author's book Mainstreaming Torture: Ethical Approaches in the Post-9/11 United States was published this year by Oxford University Press.

"John Brennan Is Still Lying"

By Andrew Sullivan, ReaderSupportedNews.org, posted December 13

"The Abolition of Abolition: How a President Who Pledged to Banish Nuclear Weapons Is Enabling Their Renewal"

By James Carroll, TomDispatch.com, posted December 11

"Torture Report Highlights Consequences of Permanent War"

By Andrew J. Bacevich, Boston Globe, posted Demember 10

The author, retired from teaching history at Boston University, is a fellow of Columbia University's School of Public and International Affairs.

"Timeline: The Tortured History of the Senate's Torture Report"

By Kara Breandeisky and Sisi Wei, ProPublica, posted December 9

The above list was compiled by Steve Gosch and Jim O'Brien, with thanks to an anonymous reader for suggesting one of the articles. Suggestions can be sent to jimobrien48@gmail.com.

[haw-info] Location for HAW Roundtable at AHA, January 3: "What is the Responsibility of Historians Regarding the Israel/Palestine Conflict?"

Dear HAW members,

Our roundtable will meet in Concourse G of the New York Hilton, 1335 Avenue of the Americas (at 52nd Street) at 2:30 pm on Saturday, January 3.  This event is officially sponsored by MARHO: The Radical Historians Organization, which publishes the Radical History Review, and is an AHA affiliate.

Please note also that we are still collecting signatures from current AHA members to submit our two resolutions on academic freedom in Israel/Palestine.  I attach them here.  

Thank you, and we hope to see many of you on January 3!

Van Gosse

[haw-info] Resolutions to the AHA on Academic Freedom in Israel-Palestine

Dear HAW members,

The Steering Committee has voted to submit the following two resolutions to the Business Meeting at the annual meeting of the American Historical Association, January 2-5, 2015.  Time is very short, and we urgently need fifty signatures from current members of the AHA, to make this possible.  If you are willing to become an official signer of either or both of these resolutions, please write me and Jeri Fogel by Noon on next Saturday, December 20.  We have no assurance that the AHA leadership will place this on the agenda, since we are past the December 1 deadline, but we will make a strong push, with your support.

Thank you,

Van Gosse, van.gosse@fandm.edu

Jeri Fogel, fogelj@mail.montclair.edu

[haw-info] HAW Notes 12/10/14, including links to recent articles of interest

To members and friends of Historians Against the War,

Here are a couple of notes, followed by our occasional listing of recent articles of interest.

1. The Vietnam Peace Commemoration Committee is continuing to accumulate signatures on its open letter to the head of the Pentagon's official Vietnam War commission. The letter, along with a form for signing and an alphabetized list of the 1,000-plus signers so far, is available here.

2. The Peace Studies Journal is soliciting papers for an issue on "Confronting the Environmental Impacts of War"; information is available from Joel Helfrich at helf0010@umn.edu.

Links to Recent Articles of Interest

"Why No One Remembers the Peacemakers: Celebrating War Over and Over and Peace Once"

By Adam Hochschild, TomDispatch.com, posted December 9

"Lessons of the Foreign Policy Disasters of the Last Twenty Years"

By William R. Polk, History News Network, posted December 7

The author is a former State Department official who has written widely on the recent history of the Middle East.

"COIN Is a Proven Failure"

By Daniel L. Davis, The American Conservative, posted December 1.

The author is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Pentagon Newspeak"

By Stanley Kutler, History News Network, posted November 26

The author is a professor of history emeritus at the University of Wisconsin; the article concerns the Pentagon's depiction of the history of the Vietnam War.

"A Brief History of Jerusalem: 'Eternal, Undivided Jewish Capital'?"

By Gary Leupp, CounterPunch.org, posted November 26

The author teaches history at Tufts University.

"The CIA's Student Activism Phase"

By Tom Hayden, The Nation, posted November 26

On the CIA and the National Student Association

"Russians Invade Afghanistan (Again!), Chinese Fight Iraq War (Again!): What If It Weren't Us?"

By Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch.com, posted November 25

"Malarkey on the Potomac: Five Bedrock Washington Assumptions That Are Hot Air"

By Andrew J. Bacevich, Tom Dispatch.com, posted November 23

The author, retired from teaching history at Boston University, is a fellow at Columbia University's School of Public and International Affairs.

"The Entry Ticket in Iraq"

By William R. Polk, History News Network, posted November 23

Makes comparison between the Vietnam and Iraq wars

"Why Iraqis May See ISIL as Lesser Evil Compared to U.S.-Backed Death Squads"

By Nicolas J. S. Davies, AlterNet.org, posted November 20

The above list was edited by Steve Gosch and Jim O'Brien with thanks to Rosalyn Baxandall and Mim Jackson for suggesing articles that are included. Suggestions can be sent to jimobrien48@gmail.com.

[haw-info] MARHO Roundtable at AHA, January 3: "What is the Responsibility of Historians Regarding the Israel/Palestine Conflict?"

Dear HAW supporters,

MARHO has organized the following roundtable, one month from today, at the American Historical Association meeting in New York city.   Please plan to come if you will be at the AHA, and publicize as widely as you can.  We will send out the final meeting room assignment closer to the date.

"What is the Responsibility of Historians Regarding the Israel/Palestine Conflict?"

Saturday, January 3, 2:30-4:30 PM

A Roundtable with Joel Beinin (Donald J. McLachlan Professor of History and Professor of Middle East History, Stanford University), Leena Dallasheh (Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of History, Rice University), Linda Gordon (Professor of History, New York University), Barbara Weinstein (Professor of History, New York University).

Moderator: Carolyn Eisenberg (Professor of  History, Hofstra University).

Thank you,

Van Gosse

Department of History

Franklin & Marshall College

Lancaster PA 17604-3003

van.gosse@fandm.edu

717-615-4708

@vangosse