"Without the Byzantine Empire, there never would have been Western civilization. Western civilization is generally regarded as the child of Athens, Jerusalem, and Rome. That is, in the West, our philosophical and political thought is derived from that of the ancient Greeks; our Christian religion comes from the Jewish religion, and both of these came to us via the Roman Empire and the civilization and culture it created. Western society has other...

"The age of Atlantic revolutions-a six-decade period that packed in the American, French, and Haitian Revolutions, the independence of Spanish-speaking Latin America, and a host of lesser-known upheavals-transformed Europe and the Americas, and eventually the globe. Before 1765, most of Europe and the Americas were under the rule of monarchies and empires, and the institution of slavery existed in every jurisdiction. In the ensuing decades, empires...

"Nestled in the Golden Triangle of China, Burma, and Nepal, the Wa nation has existed and thrived for over five decades. Like mountain peoples from Chechnya to the Ozarks, the Wa like to do things their own way. A tribal authority called the United Wa State Army (or UWSA) controls their native terrain. The UWSA makes laws, defends the motherland, and builds roads and schools. It even issues driver's licenses. In every sense, it is a government. And...