Samuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 22hI was on TNSR’s podcast talking about my recent article. You can listen here 022
Reposted by Samuel HelfontTexas National Security Review @tnsr.org · 12/10/2026How should George H. W. Bush be remembered? Samuel Helfont (@samuelhelfont.bsky.social) argues that historical memory has obscured the liberal internationalist core of his foreign policy. tnsr.org/2026/09/libe... #ForeignPolicy #History #USPresidentstnsr.orgLiberal Internationalism Forgotten: Myth & Memory in the Legacy of George H. W. Bush - Texas National Security ReviewThis article challenges the dominant portrayal of George H. W. Bush as the exemplar of a realist president. The image of Bush as a cautious realist was less a reflection of his record than the product... 121
Reposted by Samuel HelfontTexas National Security Review @tnsr.org · 30/09/2026In our latest article, Samuel Helfont dismantles the myth of George H. W. Bush as a pure realist. He argues that while Bush's statecraft featured realist elements, his core policy was rooted in a disciplined liberal internationalism. @samuelhelfont.bsky.social tnsr.org/2026/09/libe... 122
Reposted by Samuel HelfontTexas National Security Review @tnsr.org · 28/09/2026Was George H. W. Bush truly a foreign policy realist? In our latest article, Samuel Helfont challenges this myth. He argues that Bush 41 practiced a disciplined liberal internationalism, from the Gulf War to Somalia. Read more at tnsr.org/2026/09/libe... @samuelhelfont.bsky.social 0166
Reposted by Samuel HelfontJoe Stieb @joestieb.bsky.social · 28/09/2026This is a really insightful, somewhat revisionist account of HW Bush as a pragmatic liberal internationalist as well as a compelling look at how the ‘Bush the Realist’ was concocted after his presidency. 22710
Samuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 28/09/2026My latest for TNSR on how George HW Bush’s foreign policy legacy has been used and abused by all sides. 073
Reposted by Samuel HelfontSamuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Review of Baathist Iraq through Archives. Thanks Joel! 143
Samuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Review of Baathist Iraq through Archives. Thanks Joel! 143
Reposted by Samuel HelfontJoe Stieb @joestieb.bsky.social · 13/09/2026michaelbrenes.substack.com/p/is-the-war... This is a really thoughtful response to my (and some other folks') argument that the War on Terror is over from Mike Brenes. Deals with some of the problems with defining historical periods, especially for loosely defined things like the War on Terror.michaelbrenes.substack.comIs the War on Terror History?The 9/11 era after 25 years 1133
Reposted by Samuel HelfontJulia Irwin @juliairwin.bsky.social · 03/09/2026My department at LSU is hiring a historian of Modern East Asia (tenure-track assistant professor). We are seeking historians of the nineteenth or twentieth centuries. Those working on modern China are encouraged to apply, but we welcome candidates who specialize in any part of the region. /1lsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.comAssistant Professor - Modern East Asian HistoryAll Job Postings will close at 12:01a.m. CST (1:01a.m. EST) on the specified Closing Date (if designated). If you close the browser or exit your application prior to submitting, the application progre... 1138
Samuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 18/08/2026Come join me and Lisa Blaydes to discuss our new book! 023
Reposted by Samuel HelfontMichael Brill @michaelpbrill.bsky.social · 31/07/2026"The contributors show how research in these unique archives challenges previous assumptions about Ba'thist Iraq & the workings of authoritarian regimes." @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social @lisablaydes.bsky.social @samuelhelfont.bsky.social @stanfordpress.bsky.social pocketcasts.com/podcast/new-...pocketcasts.comLisa Blaydes and Samuel Helfont eds., "Ba‘thist Iraq Through Archives: Reflections, Explorations, and Opportunities" (Stanford UP, 2026)The opening of Iraq's Ba'th Party archives revolutionized the study of Iraqi politics and history, offering scholars unprecedented access to the inner workings of one of the world's… 033
Reposted by Samuel HelfontShamiran Mako @smako.bsky.social · 01/07/2026Thrilled to see my co-authored chapter with @marsin.bsky.social out in Ba'thist Iraq Through Archives edited by @samuelhelfont.bsky.social & @lisablaydes.bsky.social. In our opening chapter, we argue uneven access has produced hierarchized knowledge production through of wartime expropriation 145
Samuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 18/05/2026Thanks, Michael! We were happy that you were able to contribute! 031
Reposted by Samuel HelfontTalbot Imlay @talbotimlay.bsky.social · 30/04/2026I dont know, maybe ask an historian...for example, William Mulligan whose _The Fraying Bonds of Peace_ is just out and is excellent on the dynamics between eco interdependence and power politics before 1914. Does trade cause peace? Ask an economist - www.ft.com/content/d141... via @FTft.comDoes trade cause peace? Ask an economistResearchers have been trawling history to measure the pacifying effects of moving goods around 052
Reposted by Samuel HelfontSamuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 22/04/2026You can read my take here: paw.princeton.edu/article/scho...paw.princeton.eduScholar Samuel Helfont *15 Recommends Books to Understand Wars in the Middle East 012
Reposted by Samuel HelfontSamuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 22/04/2026Finally, Roy Mottahedeh's The Mantle of the Prophet, 1985 111
Reposted by Samuel HelfontSamuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 22/04/2026Second, Amos Oz's A Tale of Love and Darkness, 2002 101
Reposted by Samuel HelfontSamuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 22/04/2026Princeton Alumni Weekly asked me to recommend three books on understanding conflict in the Middle East. The best way to understand conflict in the region is through the eyes of those who live there. First: Ghaith Abdul-ahad's A Stranger in Your Own City, 2024 132
Samuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 22/04/2026You can read my take here: paw.princeton.edu/article/scho...paw.princeton.eduScholar Samuel Helfont *15 Recommends Books to Understand Wars in the Middle East 012
Samuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 22/04/2026Finally, Roy Mottahedeh's The Mantle of the Prophet, 1985 111
Samuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 22/04/2026Second, Amos Oz's A Tale of Love and Darkness, 2002 101
Samuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 22/04/2026Princeton Alumni Weekly asked me to recommend three books on understanding conflict in the Middle East. The best way to understand conflict in the region is through the eyes of those who live there. First: Ghaith Abdul-ahad's A Stranger in Your Own City, 2024 132
Reposted by Samuel HelfontForeign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 09/04/2026To avoid repeating the mistakes it made in Iraq in the 1990s, the United States “should offer Iran a path to diplomatic and economic normalization in exchange for compliance with a clear set of demands,” argue Daniel Chardell and @samuelhelfont.bsky.social.foreignaffairs.comHow a Cease-Fire Can Lead to DisasterThe first Gulf War’s lessons for what to do—and not do—in Iran. 183
Samuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 09/04/2026I am happy to have written this piece of applied history with Daniel Chardell on what we can learn from the Gulf War ceasefire about today’s war with Iran. www.foreignaffairs.com/iran/how-cea...foreignaffairs.comHow a Cease-Fire Can Lead to DisasterThe first Gulf War’s lessons for what to do—and not do—in Iran. 043
Samuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 24/03/2026paw.princeton.edu/new-books/ir...paw.princeton.eduThe Iraq Wars 031
Samuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 24/03/2026Short but good write up in Princeton Alumni Weekly "Helfont’s book offers a concise account of one of the most consequential and relevant geopolitical narratives of today." 173
Reposted by Samuel HelfontChristopher McKnight Nichols @cmcknichols.bsky.social · 18/03/2026Thank you, @h-diplo.bsky.social. Our hopes exactly: "This article is, so far as I know, the first to seriously consider the question of what normalization means, not just in the specific context of US–China relations, but also in US foreign policy more broadly."🗃️ issforum.org/reviews/PDF/...issforum.org 153
Reposted by Samuel HelfontWilliam B. Fuckley @opinionhaver.bsky.social · 17/03/2026outright dismissing Fukuyama because "haha end of history" is quickly becoming a very useful filter for who has actually done the reading and who hasn't 1340529
Reposted by Samuel HelfontHenry Farrell @himself.bsky.social · 17/03/2026this is really true. Lots to disagree with in End of History but it is a surprisingly weird and interesting book to have become a foreign policy bestseller. 39511
Samuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 25/02/2026I had a great time speaking with @rjgranieri.bsky.social on the War Room podcast about The Iraq Wars: A Very Short Introduction. Listen here: warroom.armywarcollege.edu/podcasts/ira...warroom.armywarcollege.eduTHE LONG ARC OF THE IRAQ WARSSamuel Helfont joins host Ron Granieri to discuss his book, The Iraq Wars: A Very Short Introduction, which covers the Gulf War of 1991, the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003 and subsequent years of... 042
Reposted by Samuel Helfontjoelwing.bsky.social @joelwing.bsky.social · 09/02/2026Musings On #Iraq Review Samuel Helfont, The Iraq Wars, A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2025 musingsoniraq.blogspot.com/2026/02/revi...musingsoniraq.blogspot.comReview Samuel Helfont, The Iraq Wars, A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2025Samuel Helfont released his third book on Iraq entitled The Iraq Wars, A Very Short Introduction . It is a brief review of... 122
Reposted by Samuel Helfontjoelwing.bsky.social @joelwing.bsky.social · 08/02/2026Musings On #Iraq Review Samuel Helfont, The Iraq Wars, A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2025 musingsoniraq.blogspot.com/2026/02/revi...musingsoniraq.blogspot.comReview Samuel Helfont, The Iraq Wars, A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2025Samuel Helfont released his third book on Iraq entitled The Iraq Wars, A Very Short Introduction . It is a brief review of... 131
Reposted by Samuel HelfontSamuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 08/02/2026“The Iraq Wars is only about 150 pages of text and yet it packs a big punch. It adds a depth of analysis to the decades long conflict between the United States and Iraq making it a worthwhile read.” Thanks, Joel! 154
Samuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 08/02/2026“The Iraq Wars is only about 150 pages of text and yet it packs a big punch. It adds a depth of analysis to the decades long conflict between the United States and Iraq making it a worthwhile read.” Thanks, Joel! 154
Reposted by Samuel HelfontWar on the Rocks @warontherocks.bsky.social · 03/11/2025How did a Yemeni militia become one of Tehran's most powerful proxies? @osto.bsky.social and @thomasjuneau.bsky.social analyze the rise of the Houthis on the latest episode of The Iran Reckoning. (Members Only) Listen here: warontherocks.com/ep... 054
Reposted by Samuel HelfontSamuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 09/01/2026Always great to see it out in the wild! #aha @academic.oup.com 0134
Samuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 09/01/2026Always great to see it out in the wild! #aha @academic.oup.com 0134
Reposted by Samuel HelfontBrian Ulrich @brianjulrich.bsky.social · 05/01/2026This is my first deliberately academic read of 2026, and so far my thought is to tell students researching related topics that this is their essential orientation #Iraq 172
Reposted by Samuel HelfontMichael Brill @michaelpbrill.bsky.social · 28/12/2025I am looking forward to assigning @samuelhelfont.bsky.social's "The Iraq Wars" from @academic.oup.com in a class on the subject during the spring semester. I used a couple "A Very Short Introduction" books this fall & they worked well & were well received by students. global.oup.com/academic/pro... 031
Samuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 28/12/2025I had a great time speaking with Miranda Melcher @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social about “The Iraq Wars: A Very Short Introduction.” @academic.oup.com newbooksnetwork.com/the-iraq-wars 2146
Samuel Helfont @samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 02/12/2025Did anyone else get an email about the Anthropic settlement? 260
Reposted by Samuel HelfontJulia Irwin @juliairwin.bsky.social · 10/11/2025Happy news: My new book -- Humanitarianism: A Very Short Introduction -- now has a cover and is available for preorder! The book is a concise history of humanitarianism in an international and global perspective, from the 18th century to the present. More info here: global.oup.com/academic/pro... 1114938