war

A Cartoon Is a Deadly Weapon

Why Simple Drawings Can Spur Unrest, Fatwas, and Shootings

Cartoons make us laugh. But they can also make us feel anger and powerlessness, fear and loathing. In early January, Al-Qaeda gunmen unleashed a brutal attack on the offices of the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo in retaliation for cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad.

This wasn’t the first time Charlie Hebdo had been targeted, and other 21st-century cartoonists have faced similar threats. Cartoons have played a part in cultural and political clashes for hundreds of years, and have enraged politicians including Tammany Hall’s Boss Tweed and Adolph Hitler. Why do …

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The Civil War Overwhelmed the Senses Like No Other

Americans Thought They Could Control Noise and Odor Until Fort Sumter Introduced the Loudest Booms They’d Ever Heard and the Powerful Stench of Death on a Staggering Scale

by Mark M. Smith |

In rhetoric and substance, wars are generally fought for ideals that are noble, dignified, and lofty. Leaders justify waging war—and endeavor to inspire those who fight them—by appealing to powerful …

The Marquis de Lafayette’s Great American Love Affair

Why a 19-Year-Old Frenchman Traded Versailles for Valley Forge

by Laura Auricchio |

The 19-year-old Marquis de Lafayette had met only a handful of Americans when he signed up to join General George Washington’s army, but he felt certain that the people of …

Remember When America Tried to Conquer Canada?

It's Too Bad We've Forgotten Pretty Much Everything About the War of 1812

by Matthew Dennis |

This Christmas Eve marks an American bicentennial—the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812. It’s hardly surprising that this event has …

A person lies face down on a red towel at a beach, face hidden, with a hat covering the back of their head.

Stop Pretending Nothing Happens in August

The Month of Beach Vacations Is Also When World War I Broke Out, Iraq Invaded Kuwait, and the U.S. Bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki

by Andrés Martinez |

Zócalo’s editors are highlighting some of our favorite pieces from the archive. This week: Former Zócalo editorial director Andrés Martinez muses on the mischief and …

Could Shoes Help Contain the Ebola Epidemic?

Growing Up in Sierra Leone, I Walked Barefoot. It Was Painful, and Now It’s a Public Health Hazard.

by Stephen T. Fomba |

Growing up in the village of Konjo in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone, I remember the walks. After waking up to the crowing of hens, I’d take long, cold …


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