Christopher Bell

John Maurer

A great power arms race in naval weaponry and platforms, rising challengers seeking to overturn the existing international order in Asia, an economic slump that put immense pressure on politicians in democracies to trim defense budgets, and diplomatic efforts by statesmen to find ways to promote mutual security and avoid rivalries that could lead to war—all these features mark the current-day strategic environment. These features also marked in the era between the two world wars. To prevent the naval rivalries that augured international conflict, statesmen and naval leaders sought to negotiate arms control agreement. Their efforts to avert a great power naval arms race were crowned with achievement at the London Conference of 1930. What was accomplished at London, of course, did not prove lasting; nor did it lead to additional meaningful arms control and prevent future wars. Instead, London proved a dead end in the evolution of interwar international relations. The London Treaty marked the high point of interwar arms control. When measured against the magnitude of the international catastrophe that would unfold over the next decade, this achievement in arms control now appears practically meaningless at best and dangerous at worst. Critics of interwar arms control argue that, by weakening of American and British naval power, as well as stirring up extremist nationalism in Japanese internal politics, the London agreement represents a case study in political folly that contributed to the awful events leading to the war. The London Conference of 1930 thus represents a watershed, a turning point in the history of the interwar period. In this volume, leading naval historians tackle the question of how to assess the role played by naval arms control in the history of the interwar period. In addressing this important question, the authors uncover new evidence about the role of intelligence and behind-the-scenes political deal making that adds much to our knowledge of the international and naval history of this important era. This volume’s authors provide the first complete account of the strategic calculations and negotiations that shaped the outcome at the London Conference. No one interested in twentieth-century naval history, international relations and the rivalries of rising and declining great powers, and the origins of the Second World War can afford to miss this important new history.

The London Naval Conference in 1930

At the Crossroads Between Peace and War

"In this oral history, residents chronicle the history of East Harlem over the course of the twentieth century and beyond. They recount the early days, the post-World War II public housing, departure of Eastern European inhabitants, growth of Latino and African American populations, spirited 1960s, urban blight of the 1980s, and more recent resurgence and gentrification"--Provided by publisher.

Oral Histories of Community and Diversity

East Harlem Remembered

Oliver Bundoc

A little imagination goes a long way in this hilarious debut children's book by Christopher E. Bell. When the Bobby siblings hear a knock at the door, it could be anyone (or anything) on the other side! Perfect for kids with wild imaginations, with clever, innovative illustrations by Oliver Bundoc. A fun bit of silliness for the beginning reader, a toddler at bedtime, or anyone who enjoys letting a simple idea spiral out of control for a little while. Your kids will be asking to read this story again and again.

Do Not Open the Door!

Associate Professor of Religious Studies Christopher Bell

"This book is about two immortals whose friendship has spanned nearly five hundred years across the Tibetan plateau and beyond. The first immortal is the Dalai Lama, the emanation of a bodhisattva, an enlightened being who voluntarily takes rebirth in the world to benefit sentient beings. The second immortal is a wrathful god named Pehar, who has possessed the Nechung Oracle since the sixteenth century. This book is the first to examine the relationship between these two monolithic figures that began in the seventeenth century during the reign of the Fifth Dalai Lama (1617-1682). This study is also the first extensive examination of the famed Nechung Oracle and his institution. In the seventeenth century, the protector deity Pehar and his oracle at Nechung Monastery were state-sanctioned by the nascent Tibetan government, becoming the head of an expansive pantheon of worldly deities assigned to protect the newly unified country. While the Fifth Dalai Lama and his government endorsed Pehar as part of his larger unification project, the governments of later Dalai Lamas continued to expand the deity's influence, and by extension their own, by ritually establishing Pehar at monasteries and temples around Lhasa and across Tibet. Pehar's cult at Nechung Monastery came to embody the Dalai Lama's administrative control in a mutually beneficial relationship of protection and prestige, the effects of which continue to reverberate within Tibet and among the Tibetan exile community today"--

The Dalai Lama and the Nechung Oracle

East Harlem Revisited presents a fresh look at this historic neighborhood through rare photographic images. Photographs taken from tenement rooftops, at family gatherings, and of sports and events celebrate a bygone era and the neighborhood's diversity. A neighborhood of many ethnicities and languages, at one time a section of East Harlem made up the largest Little Italy in the country. The landmarks that have been preserved throughout the years detail the importance and impact of architectural development on East Harlem's history. Photographs of the neighborhood's tenements and public housing depict East Harlem's changing landscape, while images of famous residents celebrate the many talented individuals who have called East Harlem home.

Christopher Bell

Books

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