Ash Carter
Ash Carter is an American historian, author, and artist who has published six books throughout his career. He is most well known for his historical examinations of the relationship between the United States and Europe during World War I, and how the war impacted the region and its citizens.
His first book, Unsung Allies: Combatants of World War I, details the untold stories of the French, Italian, and British soldiers who fought alongside Americans in the war on the west front. It explores their unique perspectives and offers a fresh look at the impact of the war beyond the traditional American narrative. His next work, The Yanks Are Coming: A Military History of the United States in World War I, chronicles the development of U.S. military strategy and the nation’s accomplishments during the conflict.
In Ourselves and the Enemy: American Intelligence and the European Fight against Fascism, Carter examines the intelligence efforts of the U.S. and its allies in the decades leading up to and during World War II. He discusses how intelligence operations shaped the war’s outcome and the American intelligence community’s eventual success. It provides an interesting look at both the technical and human factors that made these operations successful.
In World War We: A History of World War II from the British Point of View, Carter turns his attention to the British perspective on the conflict. It explores how the British public viewed the war in the media, in entertainment, and in politics, and the way they saw it impacting their nation and the world. Through it, he captures the human side of the war effort, describing the daily life of those in war-torn Britain.
Carter’s two most recent works, Contending Voices: Europe and the First World War and Europe’s Wars: A Thousand Years of European History in Conflict, focus on the long history of conflict in Europe and its implications around the world. Europe’s Wars examines the intersection of war, political power, and culture over the course of the last thousand years, while Contending Voices focuses on the role of the European states in World War I.
Throughout his works, Carter has sought to restore a sense of historical context to key periods of time, exploring both their political, military, and cultural significance. His books have been praised for their insightful analysis of complex events and for providing readers with a deeper understanding of the causes and consequences of war.
Carter has also contributed articles to The New York Times and The Nation, exploring topics such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the changing nature of war in the 21st century. In recent years, he has become a contributor at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, writing and lecturing on the role of the United States in international affairs.
As an artist, Carter’s work has been exhibited in galleries throughout the Northeast and Midwest United States. It typically focuses on themes of history and how it plays out in the modern world.
Ash Carter’s writing and art have illuminated a range of topics within the historical and cultural landscape with intelligence and clarity. His works offer fresh perspectives on the complexities of history and the effects of war on society and are sure to inspire readers of all ages.