preemptive strike — Bunk History

How America Shed the Taboo Against Preventive War

If Dwight Eisenhower or Ronald Reagan were transported to 2017, they would be shocked that the United States is considering an attack on North Korea.

by Peter Beinart via The Atlantic on April 21, 2017

Photo of George Bush giving a speech.

Why Did the United States Invade Iraq? The Debate at 20 Years.

The invasion is still the most important foreign policy decision by a 21st century U.S. president, so the surfeit of analysis should surprise no one.

by Joseph Stieb via Texas National Security Review on June 6, 2023

Iraq and the Pathologies of Primacy

The flawed logic that produced the war is alive and well.

by Stephen Wertheim via Foreign Affairs on March 17, 2023

Illustration of John von Neumann surrounded by mathematical formulas, by Valentin Pavageau

John von Neumann Thought He Had the Answers

The father of game theory helped develop the atom bomb—and thought he could calculate when to use it.

by Samanth Subramanian via The New Republic on March 8, 2022

The U.S. Contemplated a Nuclear Confrontation in North Korea in 1953.

The Trump Administration can - and should - learn from that moment.

by David E. Kaiser via TIME on April 14, 2017

The World Almost Ended One Week in 1983

In 1983, the U.S. simulated a nuclear war with Russia—and narrowly avoided starting a real one. We might not be so lucky next time.

by Nate Jones, J. Peter Scoblic via Slate on April 13, 2017

The Debate Over War Powers

Two legal scholars make the case that President Bush must seek congressional authorization before initiating a preemptive military strike on Iraq.

by Mark R. Shulman, Lawrence J. Lee via American Bar Association on January 1, 2003

Bars evoking the border wall superimposed on a photo of a river.

The New Politics Of Territorial Expansion

“Never again” and the “responsibility to protect” now license forcible territorial annexation.

by Nils Gilman, Dirk Moses, Zachariah Mampilly via Noema on May 29, 2025

An American propaganda leaflet dropped ahead of Curtis LeMay’s firebomb campaign over Japan.

Narrative Napalm

Malcolm Gladwell’s apologia for American butchery.

by Noah Kulwin via The Baffler on May 17, 2021

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