News

Sean McMeekin, author of July 1914: Countdown to War, talks about the events leading up to World War I.

David Kettler will receive one of the inaugural John Fekete Awards from Trent University in Ontario for outstanding service to the institution's faculty association.

Jenny Uglow's In These Times "is a big, bold work, rich in detail, insight and characterisation, that reminds us how central the Napoleonic era remains to the way we think."

The United States still has a significant role to play on the world stage, says Jonathan Cristol, in spite of a loss of credibility over the past 14 years.

The election of Klaus Johannis is nothing less than an "electoral earthquake" for Romania, writes Professor Manea. (PDF Download)

Arthur Holland Michel, Bard alumnus and codirector of Bard's Center for the Study of the Drone, weighs in on this Google Hangout.

"Richard Davis ... shows us, in subtle and stunning detail, how the text of the Gita has been embedded in one political setting after another, changing its meaning again and again."

On Thursday, November 13, Walter Russell Mead spoke before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence regarding the risk of nation-state conflict in the 21st century.

The recent rise of Spain's left-wing Podemos party is challenging the nation's two leading political parties, which have been plagued by corruption scandals, writes Omar Encarnación.

The Bard College Model United Nations team participated in the Northeast Regional Model Arab League tournament at Northeastern University in Boston, November 7–9. The conference—sponsored by the National Council on U.S.–Arab Relations—simulates the structure, proceedings, and committees of the Arab League, based in Egypt and representing 22 countries across the Middle East and North Africa. Bard students represented Egypt, Libya, and Saudi Arabia on topics including defense, environmental and social issues, and Palestinian affairs. Bard Model UN president Gabriel Matsakis '15 served as head delegate at the conference and played the role of a member of the Egyptian cabinet. He was awarded Outstanding Cabinet Member for his excellent work. Alison Brundrett '16 and Erind Disha '16 won Honorable Mention awards for their work representing Egypt on the Palestinian Affairs committee. “This conference takes students beyond the dramatic headlines that dominate the news about the Middle East and allows them to tackle the details of a wide variety of issues in the region,” said faculty adviser James Ketterer. “The students learn about things like water resources, refugees, and education, along with defense and diplomacy—all while having to deeply understand the country they are representing.”

"By trying to ensure Ukraine’s failure," writes Andrew Nagorski, "Mr. Putin is undermining his own country’s prospects."

Bard history professor Richard Aldous's acclaimed account of the life of Tony Ryan, founder of Europe's biggest airline, Ryanair, was published in the United Kingdom on November 3. Originally published in August 2013, the book was lauded as "a masterful job ... with a highly readable and compelling style" (the Independent of Ireland) and was a Sunday Times bestseller. Richard Aldous says, "What made Tony Ryan exceptional was that he turned the dreams he shared with his generation into reality. That came about not because he wanted to make a fortune—although he was happy when he did—but because he had the vision to see where the market was imperfect, the courage to stake his claim, and the tenacity to see the job through. In that regard Tony Ryan was the epitome of what it meant to be an entrepreneur."

Read More:

Tony Ryan: The Incredible Story of Ireland's Gatsby

Up, Up, And Away

The Original Tiger Proves Ireland Can Produce Her Own Cubs

Liberia's epidemic seems to be subsiding, but the economic and political damage is done and the U.S. is making the situation worse, writes Helen Epstein.