The Damascus Accident, NATO at 75, Conspiracy Theories, and More
The latest at Inkstick Media.
Hello, everyone.
In 1980, a Titan missile exploded in rural Arkansas, killing an Air Force serviceman and injuring 21 people. Known as the Damascus accident, Eliana Johns recounts in a new essay, the incident underscores how Cold War-era threats have changed drastically while the strategies for managing those risks have not evolved apace.
Meanwhile, “Safety Through Solidarity,” Shane Burley and Ben Lorber’s new book, examines the always-present scourge of antisemitism and how to push back against it. In an excerpt published at Inkstick, Burley and Lorber ruminate on the shadowy world of conspiracy theories — and how they present a real threat to everyone.
In other news, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization recently turned 75. Yet, since its inception, the role it plays in the world has shifted. In the latest installment of Adults in a Room, experts weigh in on NATO’s future in an increasingly chaotic world.
That’s not all we’ve got at Inkstick. And if you’re not already, please follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Threads, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
“Where Are the Women, Really?” by Laicie Heeley (June 10)
The latest episode of the Things That Go Boom podcast looks at how political scientist Cynthia Enloe is, arguably, the reason we’re all here. She was one of the first to explore gender in international relations, and the first to ask, “Where are the women?” But what had she meant when she asked that question? It’s been lost in a sea of nuances around feminism and feminist foreign policy.
“NATO at 75: What’s Its Future?” by Adults in a Room (June 10)
The Reimagining US Grand Strategy program’s May 2024 roundtable brought experts together to discuss the future of NATO’s shifting role. Many also discussed the perceptions and buy-in of European member states, positing that there may be a future for NATO that, unlike its current iteration, depends less on the United States.
“Chile’s Chicago Boys: From Direct Influence to Lingering Legacy” by Ramona Wadi (June 11)
In 1955, the Chicago project was officially formalized. When Chilean economists went to the University of Chicago as part of that agreement, they later returned to their country and helped mold it into the neoliberal model it now is — all with the backing of the US, a newspaper mogul, and Chilean dictator Augustin Pinochet.
“The Shadowy World of Conspiracy Theories is a Threat to Us All” by Shane Burley and Ben Lorber (June 11)
Shane Burley and Ben Lorber’s new book, “Safety Through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism,” is out now from Melville House. In this excerpt, the authors take a hard look at the way the right’s arsenal of conspiracy poses a threat to all marginalized communities and, indeed, to multiracial democracy itself.
“The Peace Corps Should Return to Tunisia” by Brendan Fusco (June 12)
In the immediate aftermath of the 2011 Arab Spring, Tunisia looked like a democratic success story in the Middle East and North Africa. Yet, in recent years, Tunisia’s democracy has backslid. Could reestablishing the Peace Corps program in the country mark a step in the right direction?
“After Elections, Where Does Indian Foreign Policy Go from Here?” by Daniel Markey (June 12)
Widely expected to cruise to a third-straight majority in India’s parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP instead lost ground and must now rely on its National Democratic Alliance partners to form a coalition government. What will it mean for the country’s foreign policy in the years to come?
“Deep Dive: Cracking Down in Russia” by Emily Tamkin (June 13)
A new study examined interactions between pro-Navalny social media users and their pro-government counterparts. The goal of the study, the authors wrote, was to integrate social media’s potential to both build up and break down protests.
“Can Mexico’s New President Reset Ties with the US?” by Lucila Del Aguila Llausás (June 13)
The challenges Claudia Sheinbaum confronts will be difficult to tackle in a nation with stubbornly high levels of violence, weak institutions, and democratic backsliding. However, she has an opportunity to build on the political capital she inherited from outgoing Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
“Faith as Small as a Titan: Relying on ICBMs in a Post-Cold War World” by Eliana Johns (June 14)
Remembering the experiences of people who survived the 1980 Damascus Titan missile explosion illuminates the need to reevaluate the role of inter-continental ballistic missiles and reconsider the costs of modernization at this pivotal time before the United States commits to an expensive and risky policy for the foreseeable future.
From the desk of Patrick Strickland, managing editor of Inkstick Media.
Photo: QAnon supporters and Proud Boys gathered in Raleigh, North Carolina, in March 2021 (Anthony Crider via Wikimedia Commons)