Transforming Our World: President George H. W. Bush and American Foreign Policy
by Andrew S. Natsios (Editor), Andrew H. Card Jr. (Editor)
From the fall of the Soviet Union to the Gulf War, the presidency of George H. W. Bush dealt with foreign policy challenges that would cement the post-Cold War order for a generation. This book brings together a distinguished collection of foreign policy practitioners – career and political – who participated in the unfolding of international events as part the Bush administration to provide insider perspective by the people charged with carrying them out. They shed new light on and analyze President Bush’s role in world events during this historic period, his style of diplomacy, the organization and functioning of his foreign policy team, the consequences of his decisions, and his leadership skills. At a time when the old American-led post-World War II order is eroding or even collapsing, this book reminds readers of the difference American leadership in the world can make and how a president can manage a highly successful foreign policy.
Justice in Lyon: Klaus Barbie and France’s First Trial for Crimes against Humanity
by Richard J. Golsan (Author)
The trial of former SS lieutenant and Gestapo chief Klaus Barbie was France’s first trial for crimes against humanity. Known as the “Butcher of Lyon” during the Nazi occupation of that city from 1942 to 1944, Barbie tortured, deported, and murdered thousands of Jews and Resistance fighters. Following a lengthy investigation and the overcoming of numerous legal and other obstacles, the trial began in 1987 and attracted global attention.
Justice in Lyon is the first comprehensive history of the Barbie trial, including the investigation leading up to it, the legal background to the case, and the hurdles the prosecution had to clear in order to bring Barbie to justice. Richard J. Golsan examines the strategies used by the defence, the prosecution, and the lawyers who represented Barbie’s many victims at the trial. The book draws from press coverage, articles, and books about Barbie and the trial published at the time, as well as recently released archival sources and the personal archives of lawyers at the trial.
Making the case that, despite the views of its many critics, the Barbie trial was a success in legal, historical, and pedagogical terms, Justice in Lyon details how the trial has had a positive impact on French and international law governing crimes against humanity.
Past Pandemics: Lessons from Past Epidemics and Pandemics
by Dr. Christine Crudo Blackburn (Author)
The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 was the first major, truly global pandemic since the influenza pandemic of 1918 and, as such, drew numerous comparisons to the infamous pandemic a century earlier. These comparisons prompted people to speculate whether we had learned anything about pandemic response since 1918. The short answer is yes—we have made tremendous scientific advancements and worked with greatly improved communication and technology in the response to COVID-19.
Incidentally, however, there were lessons we seemingly did not learn from the 1918 pandemic. Disagreement over things like face masks and social distancing in 2020 were reminiscent of reactions 100 years earlier. The federalist system, which extends to the American public health system, also created similar patterns in the uniquely different paths taken by state responses and case numbers in different states. In 2020, as in 1918, some states opted for stricter measures than others, and some states experienced worse outbreaks than others—sometimes as a direct result of pandemic response policies and sometimes for entirely different reasons. Such similarities demonstrate that while we have come a long way, there is still progress to be made.
While the 1918 pandemic is remembered as the most destructive pandemic in modern human history, other notable epidemics and pandemics that have occurred over the last 100 years can offer insight as we look to future pandemics beyond COVID-19. This paper examines several critical epidemics and pandemics, including the 1918 flu, the 2003 SARS outbreak, the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, and the 2014 Ebola outbreak. In examining these events, the paper explores the in-country government responses, miscommunication, and misinformation, as well as focuses on the response within the United States. This paper also specifically examines the response by the State of Texas during each of these outbreaks. In some instances, there were no reported cases in Texas. By analyzing previous epidemics and pandemics, it is possible to expand our knowledge and better prepare the world, the country, and the State of Texas for the next pandemic.
Pandemic 20/20: The unfolding of scientific understanding of COVID-19: Denton Papers
by Christine Crudo Blackburn (Author), Denton Essays (Author)
When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the world economy in March 2020 and many people found themselves isolating in their homes, there were no hints about how long the pandemic would last or how much sacrifice it would demand. What unfolded over the following years were massive successes, such as the swift development of a safe and effective vaccine and the largest mass vaccine distribution in history, and notable response side effects such as learning loss for students, increases in food insecurity, and an exacerbation of the mental health crisis in the United States. Throughout this time, the Scowcroft Institute for International Affairs was developing weekly COVID-19 topic essays to address some of the most pressing pandemic issues as they unfolded. That collection of essays now makes up this book. The book shows the development of knowledge throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and offers both insight and a reminder of some of the primary challenges as they were viewed and debated
in real-time. Because it was not written with the benefit of hindsight, it provides a unique perspective on the pandemic of the century.
