"A Juilliard-trained musician and professor of history explores the fascinating entanglement of classical music with American foreign relations. Dangerous Melodies vividly evokes a time when classical music stood at the center of American life, occupying a prominent place in the nation's culture and politics. The work of renowned conductors, instrumentalists, and singers-and the activities of orchestras and opera companies-were intertwined with momentous...

"During the past decade America has crossed the fine line that separates national security from national insecurity. Major misadventures like the invasion of Iraq, the embrace of torture, the expansion of domestic surveillance programs, the failure to intervene earlier in Syria, the constant shifting of "red lines" in that country or Iran, the bumbling and lack of follow-through in Libya, and the failure to stand up to abuses by "allies" in Afghanistan,...

"Catastrophic Diplomacy offers a sweeping history of US foreign disaster assistance, highlighting its centrality to twentieth-century US foreign relations. Spanning over seventy years, from the dawn of the twentieth century to the mid-1970s, it examines how the US government, US military, and their partners in the American voluntary sector responded to major catastrophes around the world. Focusing on US responses to sudden disasters caused by earthquakes,...