The latest Amicus Curiae lecture, which finished out the Fall 2024 Semester, featured a discussion on foreign war and its relationship with the United States of America.

The series welcomed history professor Michael Neiberg from the United States Army War College. He also serves as the war studies chair there.

After obtaining his history degree from the University of Michigan, Neilberg attended Carnegie Mellon, earning both his master’s and doctorate in history. 

In addition, Neiberg has authored many books such as “The Path to War: How the First World War Created Modern America” and “Potsdam: The End of World War II and the Remaking of Europe.”

He spoke on America’s general discomfort with war, saying in order to fully understand war and isolated attacks, we must know the full context. 

“If we’re going to understand the historical event, we have to understand what came before it, and we have to understand what comes after it,” he said. “To tell ourselves only part of a story makes it really really difficult to derive meaning from it, especially a useful meaning in our day and age.”

Neiberg went on to talk about the Ukraine war, which began in February 2022 after Russia invaded the country of Ukraine. The war has been referred to as the largest military assault on the European state since World War II in the 1940s. 

He said over time, war response in America has changed. In fact, the current government’s way of handling it differs from other administrations in the past.

“This administration has not asked the American people, as Woodrow Wilson did, to act neutrally in thought and deed,” he said. “The Biden administration has not made any such demands on the American people. Even where I work– a place where we stay politically neutral all the time – there are plenty of Ukrainian flags flying in people’s offices.”

Americans are divided on support for the Ukraine war, and to this day, a lot of uncertainties exist as the war continues. That’s why, Neiberg argued, studying America’s outlook on foreign war is more important than ever.

“All of this means that the topic of Americans in relationship with war has never been more relevant,” he said, “and has never been more complex.”

The next Amicus Curiae lecture will take place on March 27, 2025, featuring a law professor from Duke University.

Sarah Davis can be contacted at [email protected].