Follow us on social

google cta
Oliver Stone: on being 19 in war, and for a county addicted to it

Oliver Stone: on being 19 in war, and for a county addicted to it

The fabled director opens up on Vietnam, as well as the challenges of a free media and speech, today. (VIDEO)

Analysis | Video Section
google cta
google cta

In his memoir "Chasing the Light," director Oliver Stone talks about America's angst over Vietnam:

"We were so proud, and then, when we couldn't achieve victory, we had to lie like we all do when we deny what we know is true — that we lost, and lost big-time, and all those technology-loving Pentagon warriors were at last revealed as failures, and those determined little Vietnamese had licked us."

Then why did we not try to avoid the same fate time and again?

In early December, the Quincy Institute, in concert with the Center for War and Society (San Diego State University), hosted Stone at the iconic USS Midway Museum to commemorate, in part, the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Gregory Daddis, director of the Center for War and Society and professor of military studies, got a chance to ask Stone not only about his own service as an Army infantryman (which later inspired his 1987 film "Platoon"), but about his own frustrations with the cyclical nature of American war-making, right up to Russia-gate, and today's current conflicts.

Watch below:



YouTube/ Quincy Institute

google cta
Analysis | Video Section
Veterans urge Trump to reject war with Iran
Top image credit: Actium/Shutterstock

Veterans urge Trump to reject war with Iran

QiOSK

As the U.S. threatens war with Iran and regime change in Cuba, a group of veterans is urging President Trump to pursue diplomacy and reject a return to “forever wars.”

“We urge you to reject calls for regime change wars and instead prioritize sustained, serious diplomacy,” the veterans wrote in an open letter published Thursday. “Pursuing peace through strength requires wisdom, not perpetual conflict.”

keep readingShow less
Laura Fernandez
Top image credit: Costa Rica's President Rodrigo Chaves shakes hands with president-elect Laura Fernandez during a press conference at the presidential house, in San Jose, Costa Rica, February 4, 2026. REUTERS/Mayela Lopez

Right-wing populism has Costa Rica at a crossroads

Latin America

The small country of Costa Rica, home to just over five million people and roughly the size of West Virginia, has long prided itself on being a bastion of democratic norms in Latin American politics.

To its north lie Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras, nations that, over the past several decades, have experienced periods of near-social collapse and outright dictatorship. Nearby Colombia and Venezuela have wrestled with their own, well-documented crises. By contrast, Costa Rica has consistently ranked high among global democracy watchdogs, which have pointed to its strong institutional protections for voting rights, its high literacy rate, and its reputation for civic stability as hallmarks of a healthy and vibrant political system.

keep readingShow less
Lula Modi
Top image credit: New Delhi, Feb 21 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi with President of the Federative Republic of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, at Hyderabad House, in New Delhi on Saturday. (ANI Photo/Naveen Sharma via Reuters Connect

What Brazil's president did instead of joining Trump's 'Board of Peace'

Latin America

When Brazilians vote for president in October, multilateralism will likely be on the ballot. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has long stressed diversifying and deepening the diplomatic and trade relations of Latin America’s largest nation with the rest of the world.

His most likely opponent, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, will argue that Brazil belongs squarely in Washington’s camp.

keep readingShow less
google cta
Want more of our stories on Google?
Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

LATEST

QIOSK

Newsletter

Subscribe now to our weekly round-up and don't miss a beat with your favorite RS contributors and reporters, as well as staff analysis, opinion, and news promoting a positive, non-partisan vision of U.S. foreign policy.