History and Politics by Robert Brent Toplin ["The Past is Never Dead. It's not even past" - William Faulkner]

About

Present and Past features my Articles about American politics in the left column (op-eds) and my shorter takes in the right column (Breaking News and Commentaries). These analyses draw on history for insights on current affairs. To view some of my previous publications, click Publications near the top of the home page. –Robert Brent Toplin

I had three aims when preparing the site.

  1. To achieve what the title suggests. I looked to history for insights on current politics.
  2. I tried to create unique perspectives, connections between present and past that do not appear in mainstream journalism.
  3. The essays feature a “progressive” point-of-view, but my aim was to present informative and judicious analysis, not partisan rants.

These were the goals. They were not easy to achieve, but I enjoyed trying.

Each week I will update the site with new material.