Stephen Macekura
@smacekura.bsky.social
Historian of the United States and the twentieth century world. Professor at Indiana University. Most recent book: The Mismeasure of Progress (Chicago UP). Now working on consultants, contracting, and the U.S. state
Reposted by Stephen Macekura
Former @nsarchive.bsky.social FOIA coordinator Nate Jones discovered that the State Department deleted already declassfied records from one of its "FRUS" historical volumes. Today, the Archive published the censored documents.
The Censored History of Able Archer 83:
Archive Publishes “War Scare” Documents Deleted from State Department History (click below to read)
nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-boo...
Archive Publishes “War Scare” Documents Deleted from State Department History (click below to read)
nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-boo...
The Censored History of Able Archer 83
Washington, D.C., November 14, 2025 - The State Department quietly deleted important archival records from an official history detailing how a 1983 NATO war game could have led to a catastrophic nucle...
nsarchive.gwu.edu
November 14, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Former @nsarchive.bsky.social FOIA coordinator Nate Jones discovered that the State Department deleted already declassfied records from one of its "FRUS" historical volumes. Today, the Archive published the censored documents.
Reposted by Stephen Macekura
Happy 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...
November 10, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Happy 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...
Reposted by Stephen Macekura
Digital edition of IDS (IU Bloomington student paper, now in its 158th year) does continue to publish real news, including this shocking story: www.idsnews.com/article/2025...
Jewish Studies director replacement ‘unprecedented,’ students and faculty say
Dean Rick Van Kooten later held a nomination process one faculty member called “symbolic.”
www.idsnews.com
October 19, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Digital edition of IDS (IU Bloomington student paper, now in its 158th year) does continue to publish real news, including this shocking story: www.idsnews.com/article/2025...
Reposted by Stephen Macekura
Mike Glass and I argue for @phenomenalworld.bsky.social that we’ve tried the #abundance incentive-based approach to housing crises before. But lack of oversight + incentives produced fraud, profiteering, and inflated rents -- and the Trump family fortune.
www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/add...
www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/add...
Adding Value | Phenomenal World
Mortgage insurance has traditionally been the method the federal government has used to induce investment in owner-occupied housing. But for multifamily rentals, the history of mortgage-insurance prog...
www.phenomenalworld.org
September 12, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Mike Glass and I argue for @phenomenalworld.bsky.social that we’ve tried the #abundance incentive-based approach to housing crises before. But lack of oversight + incentives produced fraud, profiteering, and inflated rents -- and the Trump family fortune.
www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/add...
www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/add...
Reposted by Stephen Macekura
Part of a great special issue on "History of Economics in the Extended Field" ed. Joel Isaac & Philippe Fontaine.
Alongside articles by @abenanav.bsky.social, @smacekura.bsky.social, @simontorracinta.bsky.social, Eli Cook, Erik Baker, and Jonny Bunning
read.dukeupress.edu/hope/advance...
Alongside articles by @abenanav.bsky.social, @smacekura.bsky.social, @simontorracinta.bsky.social, Eli Cook, Erik Baker, and Jonny Bunning
read.dukeupress.edu/hope/advance...
Advance Publication | History of Political Economy | Duke University Press
read.dukeupress.edu
August 7, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Part of a great special issue on "History of Economics in the Extended Field" ed. Joel Isaac & Philippe Fontaine.
Alongside articles by @abenanav.bsky.social, @smacekura.bsky.social, @simontorracinta.bsky.social, Eli Cook, Erik Baker, and Jonny Bunning
read.dukeupress.edu/hope/advance...
Alongside articles by @abenanav.bsky.social, @smacekura.bsky.social, @simontorracinta.bsky.social, Eli Cook, Erik Baker, and Jonny Bunning
read.dukeupress.edu/hope/advance...
Reposted by Stephen Macekura
Serious, long piece via @apnews.com about the concerted attack on public education in Indiana, Ohio, Florida, Iowa, and elsewhere. Features many nice photos of the lovely Bloomington campus! apnews.com/article/harv...
Far beyond Harvard, conservative efforts to reshape higher education are gaining steam
Far beyond Harvard University and its standoff with the Trump administration, Republican officials in several states have been pushing for changes at public universities.
apnews.com
July 25, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Serious, long piece via @apnews.com about the concerted attack on public education in Indiana, Ohio, Florida, Iowa, and elsewhere. Features many nice photos of the lovely Bloomington campus! apnews.com/article/harv...
Reposted by Stephen Macekura
Our Forum "Visions of the Planet" is now published in Diplomatic History (49.3) - and you can find all articles in one place: academic.oup.com/dh/issue/49/3
Volume 49 Issue 3 | Diplomatic History | Oxford Academic
The official journal of Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. Examines issues relating to U.S. diplomacy, foreign relations, and security issues from the colonial period to the present...
academic.oup.com
June 19, 2025 at 7:57 AM
Our Forum "Visions of the Planet" is now published in Diplomatic History (49.3) - and you can find all articles in one place: academic.oup.com/dh/issue/49/3
Reposted by Stephen Macekura
Utterly disgraceful and an open assault on the historical profession. These are utterly professional, non-partisan advisors, overseeing and giving advice to the State department on the declassification of US government documents.
Unhappy to confirm that the entire Historical Advisory Committee at the State Department received termination notices this afternoon (myself included). The HAC, set up by Congress, oversees the office that produces the FRUS series. history.state.gov/about/hac/in... 1/
April 30, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Utterly disgraceful and an open assault on the historical profession. These are utterly professional, non-partisan advisors, overseeing and giving advice to the State department on the declassification of US government documents.
Reposted by Stephen Macekura
The office is a true jewel and the historians that produce FRUS are phenomenal. This is a resource everyone who studies foreign policy and national security should care about protecting, and anyone who believes in government transparency should care too. 3/3
history.state.gov/historicaldo...
history.state.gov/historicaldo...
Historical Documents - Office of the Historian
history.state.gov 3.0 shell
history.state.gov
April 30, 2025 at 9:29 PM
The office is a true jewel and the historians that produce FRUS are phenomenal. This is a resource everyone who studies foreign policy and national security should care about protecting, and anyone who believes in government transparency should care too. 3/3
history.state.gov/historicaldo...
history.state.gov/historicaldo...
Reposted by Stephen Macekura
It was a true honor to serve on the HAC which was chaired by @jimgoldgeier.bsky.social. I was an at-large member; several others were official representatives of scholarly orgs like @apsa.bsky.social, AHA, OAH, SHAFR, ASIL. 2/
April 30, 2025 at 9:29 PM
It was a true honor to serve on the HAC which was chaired by @jimgoldgeier.bsky.social. I was an at-large member; several others were official representatives of scholarly orgs like @apsa.bsky.social, AHA, OAH, SHAFR, ASIL. 2/
Reposted by Stephen Macekura
Unhappy to confirm that the entire Historical Advisory Committee at the State Department received termination notices this afternoon (myself included). The HAC, set up by Congress, oversees the office that produces the FRUS series. history.state.gov/about/hac/in... 1/
April 30, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Unhappy to confirm that the entire Historical Advisory Committee at the State Department received termination notices this afternoon (myself included). The HAC, set up by Congress, oversees the office that produces the FRUS series. history.state.gov/about/hac/in... 1/
Reposted by Stephen Macekura
The Kennan quote is from this excellent essay by @smacekura.bsky.social on the tensions between the emerging "planetary consciousness" of the 1970s and the Global South's demands for rapid economic development & a widespread commitment to absolute sovereignty rights. academic.oup.com/dh/advance-a...
April 14, 2025 at 1:59 PM
The Kennan quote is from this excellent essay by @smacekura.bsky.social on the tensions between the emerging "planetary consciousness" of the 1970s and the Global South's demands for rapid economic development & a widespread commitment to absolute sovereignty rights. academic.oup.com/dh/advance-a...
Reposted by Stephen Macekura
Our introduction, w/ @smueller.bsky.social, about the planetary age in environmental and international history is online! Check out the Forum articles by Perrin Selcer, Andrea Westermann, Liesbeth van de Grift &
@smacekura.bsky.social Let's begin the debate about the visions of the one planet 🌍
@smacekura.bsky.social Let's begin the debate about the visions of the one planet 🌍
Visions of the One Planet: The Planetary Age in International and Environmental History
“We know that you don’t have the power to stop a transaction, but for goodness’ sake, we are all on the same planet.”- Congressional Representative John Co
academic.oup.com
April 9, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Our introduction, w/ @smueller.bsky.social, about the planetary age in environmental and international history is online! Check out the Forum articles by Perrin Selcer, Andrea Westermann, Liesbeth van de Grift &
@smacekura.bsky.social Let's begin the debate about the visions of the one planet 🌍
@smacekura.bsky.social Let's begin the debate about the visions of the one planet 🌍
ICYMI, I wrote about for-profit contractors (like Musk himself) and the United States' byzantine contracting system: the real source of waste and fraud
"In 1946, the government employed about 2.5 million workers and ran a budget of $628 billion; in 2023, it had only half a million more workers, but its budget stood at $4.6 trillion. How does the government disburse this colossal budget? Through contracting." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
The Government Waste DOGE Should Be Cutting
The problem that really needs fixing is not the public employees but the private contractors—and Elon Musk is one of them.
www.theatlantic.com
February 13, 2025 at 3:13 PM
ICYMI, I wrote about for-profit contractors (like Musk himself) and the United States' byzantine contracting system: the real source of waste and fraud
Reposted by Stephen Macekura
"In 1946, the government employed about 2.5 million workers and ran a budget of $628 billion; in 2023, it had only half a million more workers, but its budget stood at $4.6 trillion. How does the government disburse this colossal budget? Through contracting." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
The Government Waste DOGE Should Be Cutting
The problem that really needs fixing is not the public employees but the private contractors—and Elon Musk is one of them.
www.theatlantic.com
February 12, 2025 at 8:55 PM
"In 1946, the government employed about 2.5 million workers and ran a budget of $628 billion; in 2023, it had only half a million more workers, but its budget stood at $4.6 trillion. How does the government disburse this colossal budget? Through contracting." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Reposted by Stephen Macekura
@smacekura.bsky.social's great chapter on US foreign policy contracting informs his piece @theatlantic.com: Clinton's "reinventing government" program cut 400k direct federal hires "as it expanded the shadow government of contractor workers by nearly 300,000." 🗃️
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
February 12, 2025 at 6:31 PM
@smacekura.bsky.social's great chapter on US foreign policy contracting informs his piece @theatlantic.com: Clinton's "reinventing government" program cut 400k direct federal hires "as it expanded the shadow government of contractor workers by nearly 300,000." 🗃️
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
I wrote about another problem with DOGE: real fraud lies more with for-profit contractors than government agencies. We need a more robust civil service, not more privatization of public affairs: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
DOGE Won’t Deliver Government Efficiency
The problem of waste that really needs fixing is not the public employees but the private contractors—and Elon Musk is one of them.
www.theatlantic.com
February 12, 2025 at 4:50 PM
I wrote about another problem with DOGE: real fraud lies more with for-profit contractors than government agencies. We need a more robust civil service, not more privatization of public affairs: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Reposted by Stephen Macekura
@lilygeismer.bsky.social and I are thrilled that our new project, Mastery and Drift: Professional Class Liberals since the 1960s, is published today. When we began this work a few years ago, we had no idea how sadly relevant exploring the evolution . . . (1/10)
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Mastery and Drift
A revelatory look at modern liberalism’s historical evolution and enduring impact on contemporary politics and society. Since the 1960s, American liberalism and the Democratic Party have been rema...
press.uchicago.edu
February 11, 2025 at 11:46 AM
@lilygeismer.bsky.social and I are thrilled that our new project, Mastery and Drift: Professional Class Liberals since the 1960s, is published today. When we began this work a few years ago, we had no idea how sadly relevant exploring the evolution . . . (1/10)
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Reposted by Stephen Macekura
Liberalism's crisis has been long in the making. Read what some smart historians and I have to say about it. You can get a 30% discount with code UCPNEW if you avoid the big bad site and order directly from UChicago Press.
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Mastery and Drift
A revelatory look at modern liberalism’s historical evolution and enduring impact on contemporary politics and society. Since the 1960s, American liberalism and the Democratic Party have been rema...
press.uchicago.edu
November 15, 2024 at 7:40 PM
Liberalism's crisis has been long in the making. Read what some smart historians and I have to say about it. You can get a 30% discount with code UCPNEW if you avoid the big bad site and order directly from UChicago Press.
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Reposted by Stephen Macekura
It's alive! My book now has a webpage on the University of California Press @ucpress.bsky.social website: www.ucpress.edu/books/in-the... Will be available open access in April 2025!
In the Global Vanguard by James Lin - Paper
Scholarship is a powerful tool for changing how people think, plan, and govern. By giving voice to bright minds and bold ideas, we seek to foster understanding and drive progressive change.
www.ucpress.edu
November 13, 2024 at 9:39 PM
It's alive! My book now has a webpage on the University of California Press @ucpress.bsky.social website: www.ucpress.edu/books/in-the... Will be available open access in April 2025!