Category Archives: History

Yugonostalgia

Posted on 2015-10-06 by Andreas Moser

When enough years have passed since the end of a dictatorship, some people will become nostalgic. They will talk up the positive aspects of the dictatorship, forgetting about the labor camps, the political prisoners, the censorship. They will promote their … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Montenegro, Photography, Politics, Travel | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

“Why We Lost” by Daniel Bolger

Posted on 2015-10-04 by Andreas Moser

Maybe a book that promises “a general’s inside account of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and how it all went wrong” had to disappoint, but I didn’t expect it to disappoint so much. Lieutenant General Bolger sounds contrite in the introduction: … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Books, History, Military, Politics, USA | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Berlin Wall in Lithuania

Posted on 2015-10-04 by Andreas Moser

Visitors who come to Berlin often wonder: “What happened to the Berlin Wall?” I found a chunk of it in Lithuania, at Europos Parkas, an outdoor art museum. To address any suspicions about larceny: it was a gift by the Federal … Continue reading →

Posted in Germany, History, Lithuania, Photography, Travel | Tagged , | 2 Comments

How Romania got its flag

Posted on 2015-09-27 by Andreas Moser

Romanians are really crazy about their flag. The blue-yellow-red banner hangs from every lamppost, in front of every building, in bakeries, doctor’s practices and in liquor stores. Because that is not enough, there is even a public holiday to celebrate … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Hungary, Romania | Tagged | 13 Comments

Belgrade and the signs of war

Posted on 2015-09-27 by Andreas Moser

I have this talent to find traces of war wherever I go, but in Belgrade the task is made really easy. First of all, the city’s fortress in Kalemegdan Park houses a military museum. In addition to the permanent display of military hardware, … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Military, Photography, Serbia, Travel, World War II | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Film Review: “The Man from UNCLE”

Posted on 2015-09-24 by Andreas Moser

In a summer full of yet more stupid vampire, dragon, animation, monster and trying-to-be-funny movies, you have to be thankful for any spy movie that makes waiting for the next James Bond film a bit easier. Even if it’s not a … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, Cold War | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The Ghetto of Venice

Posted on 2015-09-21 by Andreas Moser

Venice has the dubious distinction of being home to the world’s original ghetto, the area where in 1516 all the city’s Jews were ordered to move to. This came on top of other economic and social restraints, although the oppression was still … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Holocaust, Italy, Photography, Religion, Travel | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Britain, it’s time for a revolution!

Posted on 2015-09-17 by Andreas Moser

What kind of a country is that which celebrates having had the same un-elected head of state for 63 years?

Posted in History, Politics, UK | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Ronald Reagan on Iran

Posted on 2015-09-16 by Andreas Moser

Tonight, the three dozen or so Republican contenders for the presidential nomination will come together for their second televised debate. All of them will lambast the Iran deal, will say that the end of the world is near and will fail … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Iran, Israel, Military, Politics, USA | Tagged | 7 Comments

Benjamin Franklin on Immigration

Posted on 2015-09-15 by Andreas Moser

Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States of America, wrote this about German immigrants in 1753: Those who come hither are generally of the most ignorant Stupid Sort of their own Nation… and as few of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Germany, History, Immigration Law, Language, Politics, USA | Tagged , , | 9 Comments