Today I’m reflecting on the undeniable fact that my career has been shaped by—perhaps even made possible by—the Iraq War (and the GWOT more broadly). I have benefited from unspeakable tragedy. American militarism. The perpetuation of American empire. Shock and awe. I accepted an offer for PhD study in American military history @UNChistory around this time in 2003. I was going to study war as I watched leaders justify a war of choice on TV.

Dr. Lee asks a serious question, so I'll attempt a serious answer -- or at least some thoughts, as someone who's worked in an interdisciplinary environment for a long time. But these are mostly disjointed observations; I'd have to think more about making a coherent argument.

https://twitter.com/CarrieALee1/status/1396107376634351620

1. I think there are two types of berating - some of it good-natured ribbing by historians who understand and appreciate the work that political scientists do, and some of it is really vitriolic. I find the second sort to be really distasteful.

Time to do some virtual conferencing! Wish I were in Norfolk. #SMH2021 @SMH_Historians Today's lineup
0830: Evolving Legal Boundaries with the U.S. Military w/ @nshibley, Stephanie Erwin, and John Wendt

1030: The 1990s: A Decade About Something - a roundtable w/ yours truly, Jeff Crean, and @DavidFitz84

Publication announcement! My historiography article on LGBTQ American history is out as a pre-print. I'm really proud of this one.
brill.com/view/journals/… Special thanks to @bermonkey1096 @GregoryDaddis @MargaretSankey1 @DrSarahMyers @JohnWorsencroft @GALLIFRAEAN and @DrTanyaRoth who helped me along the way with sanity-checks, sources, and encouragement.

The dissonance between #ReadTheReport and #BUTstandards is stunning, but not surprising. It is much easier to reconcile and talk about the report if Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault in the ranks are evidence of BAD people and BAD decisions And not fundamentally part of the same conversation about how women are treated within military organizations. If you don’t think women speaking up about how they EXPERIENCE something as simple as a haircut regulation,

The prevailing narrative of #DADT repeal seems to be that it was no big deal, a nothing burger, all hat and no cattle. Evidence of the professionalism of the force and a broad commitment to inclusion. The evidence: None of the dire predictions came true...and yet. This narrative, while tempting and self-congratulatory, oversimplifies the momentousness and significance of the repeal and, in many cases, erases the continued discrimination, intolerance, and harm suffered by LGBTQ service members even after the formal appeal.

The excellent Professor Fred Gellert, Prof of Science and Technology at @ArmyWarCollege for the @Strategy_Bridge Carlisle Strategy Session. The history of warfare and the history of technology are closely linked.

Ex: the history of armored warfare - tech changes warfare and warfare influences technological development

At a workshop sponsored by the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy on Historians and Public Engagement.
#historiansengage #SHAFR2019 #twitterstorians @GUDiplomacy @SHAFRhistorians

Last session for the day: @derekchollet in a conversation with @McFarlandKellyM KM: Could you talk a bit about working on books with senior policymakers and in the Obama administration - what role did history play in your day-to-day work?

@SHAFRhistorians @GUDiplomacy #historiansengage #twitterstorians

It's been interesting to process the outcry over this tweet, and especially the phrase "open-ended, affordable strategy for not losing." People are losing their minds. But this is, I think, the crux of the matter. A thread. 1/24

https://twitter.com/RichardHaass/status/1084821527470706688

Strategy, as I'm coming to understand and teach it, is about making a whole series of choices about your goals, priorities, resources, and risk-tolerance. Sometimes these choices will be less-than-optimal. 2/24