American Nations in Publishers Weekly, MHQ

This summer, Publishers Weekly named American Nations to its "Top Ten Politics" list for the Fall season but, oddly enough, no review of the book appeared before publication, as is their usual practice.

Today, though, they've rectified that, with a starred review no less. American Nations' "compelling explanations and apt descriptions will fascinate anyone with an interest in politics, regional culture, or history," PW writes. That makes up not only for the late review, but for misspelling my name. (Curse ye, Bob Woodward, for teaching them thus.)

Also, there's an excerpt of the book in the new issue of MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History, for which I'm a frequent contributor. "Colin Woodard casts a new light on the rift in American discourse," MHQ notes, "a split often couched in terms of conservative and liberal, of red states versus blue."

Reminder for southern and midcoast Mainers: I'll be giving my American Nations talk at the Yarmouth Historical Society tonight at 7:30.

The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of Torture

My latest feature in MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History on the rise, fall, and rebirth of torture by military forces just posted online. You'll find it on the news stands next week as well.

It tells the unlikely history of torture, which was all but abandoned by the west as a state-sponsored act in the mid-to-late 19th century, but came back with a vengeance in the 20th and early 21st. Military forces -- Japanese, German, Soviet, French, American -- adopted torture as a matter of operational policy. Part of the reason: the changing face of war itself, as counterinsurgencies, revolutions, and civil wars blurred the definitions of legitimate fighters and often boosted the value of coerced information.

A history of torture, as it were, from ancient times to the present. As the television anchors forewarn: this dispatch contains some disturbing images.

Who rightfully owns the plunder of war?

In recent decades, there's been an upsurge in claims for art and cultural objects seized in past conflicts or by occupying armies. Northern European museums face claims on their antiquities from governments in southern Europe or North African. Native Americans want stolen objects -- even bodies -- returned. Germany wants art taken by the Soviets during World War II and vice versa.

But returning wartime plunder to its rightful owner isn't at all straightforward, particularly for objects seized in the distant past. Who the 'rightful' owner is seems to depend largely on your point of view, and international law doesn't provide much help prior to the 20th century.

This is the subject of my cover story in the new issue of MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History, out on news stands shortly and online now.