internationalism

A Conversation with the Editors of a Collection of DuBois's Internationalist Thought

by Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins

Adom Getachew and Jennifer Pitts strive to demonstrate that DuBois's influential writings on African American life and American racism are inseparable from his global critiques of racism and imperialism, and his insistence on connecting racism with labor exploitation. 

The Path from Isolated Nationalism to Global Citizenship is Hard but Necessary

by Lawrence Wittner

International organizations and social movements have pointed the way to a future in which national boundaries do not interfere with the ability of humanity to survive and solve global problems like climate, hunger, and the threat of annihilatory war. 

Will the War in Ukraine Doom International Climate Action?

by Michael Klare

The international tension provoked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine couldn't come at a worse moment for efforts to advance action to fight climate change.

Is International Cooperation Possible?

by Tiziana Stella and Campbell Craig

The United Nations system, based on the sovereignty of nations, is increasingly inadequate to the global problems facing humanity. There are other international traditions that can guide a better world order. 

Ukraine's Wakeup Call: A Global Age is Here

by Karen J. Greenberg

Whether it's cyberwarfare or energy prices, the impacts of the invasion of Ukraine on Americans will be significant, and national leaders need to respond in ways that recognize global interconnections. 

The Black Social Gospel, Radical Politics and Internationalism

by William Hogue

The rise of the Black social Gospel after emancipation was a key development that prefigured the later Civil Rights movement, but it also developed a more radical stream of criticism of American militarism. 

What Major Religious Traditions Say about a Democratic World Federation

by David C. Oughton

Valentine's Day has become a secular American celebration of romantic love, but it can be an occasion to consider religious traditions of love involving the pursuit of peace, including through international federation. 

Biden's Virtual Summit Is Only the Beginning of Securing Democracy

by Leon Fink

Biden's virtual "Summit for Democracy" was not without faults, but it made important nods toward the idea that the power, health and security of labor in the global economy is a vital part of functioning democracy. More needs to be done. 

There are No Human Rights Without Human Survival

by Alfred McCoy

The political struggles of the current international order will be rendered meaningless by climate change unless that nation-based order can learn to cooperate. 

Despite What You Hear, Most Americans Look Favorably on Internationalism

by Lawrence Wittner

Most Americans recognize the lessons of worldwide crises in climate, migration and health: a system of nearly 200 nations guarding their own interests is not going to solve humanity's biggest problems. 

SNCC's Unruly Internationalism

by Dan Berger

SNCC activists' global understanding of the problem of racism, expressed at the height of the Cold War, cost the organization external support, but left a vital legacy for international movements for justice. 

Climate, Peace, and Health Require International Solidarity. Is it Possible to Build It?

by Lawrence Wittner

"Although there are no guarantees that social movements and enhanced global governance will transform our divided, problem-ridden world, they should provide us with at least a measure of hope that, someday, human solidarity will prevail."

For the Many: American Feminists and the Global Fight for Democratic Equality (Washington History Seminar, June 14)

In a bold rewriting of twentieth-century political history, Dorothy Sue Cobble reclaims social democracy as a central thread of American feminism and shows how global forces, peoples, and ideas shaped US politics and social movements.

Peace Was on the Floor in 1916-17, but Wilson Failed to Pick it Up

by Burt Cohen

Burt Cohen discusses Philip Zelikow's book which argues that diplomatic failures by the great powers extended the first world war by two years and contributed to the catastrophes of fascism and Stalinism. 

Has the One World Idea's Time Come Again?

by Samuel Zipp

Can remembering the “one world” vision for America’s global role—largely forgotten today ­–­ help us get beyond both America First and the “liberal world order”?

TODAY: Eric Weitz "A World Divided: The Global Struggle for Human Rights in the Age of Nation-States"

The National History Center's Washington History Seminar features Eric Weitz's "A World Divided: The Global Struggle for Human Rights in the Age of Nation-States." Monday, September 21 at 4:30 Eastern.

In 2020, Eisenhower is a Lantern in the Dark

by Derek Chollet

The opening of a monument to Ike in Washington is occasion to remember his commitment to the idea that American national strength depended on internal harmony and justice. 

Turning Points and Roads Not Taken in American Foreign Policy

by Roger Peace

The end of the Cold War presented an opportunity for American foreign policy to turn away from militarism and toward cooperative development. The COVID-19 pandemic is the latest consequence of failing to secure a "peace dividend."

The Coronavirus Pandemic, Like Other Global Catastrophes, Reveals the Limitations of Nationalism

by Lawrence Wittner

The coronavirus disaster, like the other current catastrophes ravaging the planet, might finally convince people around the globe that transcending nationalism is central to survival.

Coronavirus Shows the Perils and Promise of Globalization

by Samuel Zipp

During the first age of “America First” in the 1940s, Wendell Wilkie's campaign challenged Americans to confront a discomfiting idea: Our lives depend on the well-being of many millions across the world.