Daily Archives: December 16, 2025

White Paper: Infantas as Brides in European Royal Diplomacy—and Whether the Alliances Held

Executive summary From the late medieval period through the 18th century, the daughters of Iberian monarchs—infantas of Spain (and similarly in Portugal)—were among Europe’s most valuable diplomatic assets. Their marriages were not primarily “romantic unions,” but instruments designed to (1) … Continue reading

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White Paper: From Gatekeepers to Signals: The Canceling of Ebro in the Morning and the Changing Relationship Between Radio and Online Music Journalism

Executive Summary The canceling of Ebro in the Morning—a flagship hip-hop radio show associated with Apple Music and Beats 1—marks more than the end of a particular program. It reflects a structural transformation in the relationship between traditional radio authority … Continue reading

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White paper: How Czech Beads and Belgian Rifles Reached Chadron, Nebraska—and from there the Plains tribes—in the 19th century

Executive summary In the 19th century, “trade goods” moved on a long, predictable conveyor belt: European manufacture → Atlantic shipping to U.S. ports → U.S. wholesale hubs → interior transport by river/road/rail → frontier posts and agency towns → Indigenous … Continue reading

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White Paper: The History and Approach of African Martial Arts: A Comparative, Cultural, and Functional Survey

Executive Summary African martial arts represent one of the world’s oldest and most diverse bodies of combat knowledge. Rather than forming a single codified “martial arts tradition” in the modern East Asian sense, African systems developed organically across ecological zones, … Continue reading

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