Soviet Union

Space Week: Shooting for the Moon

It was 1961 and the United States was in the uncomfortable position of playing catch-up with the Soviet Union.

by Gregory Grinnell, Laura Castañón and Hannah Moore July 15, 2019

A SpaceX Falcon heavy rocket lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., early Tuesday, June 25, 2019. The Falcon rocket has a payload military and scientific research satellites. AP Photo/John Raoux

Is this the Space Race 2.0?

Space exploration “has always been about international cooperation and the betterment of humanity,” says Mai’a Cross, a professor at Northeastern whose newest research focuses on the international collaboration that fostered the Space Race of the 1960s. But some politicians and military officials describe space missions as necessary in order to “prepare for war in space,” she says.

by Molly Callahan July 11, 2019

Colombian police escort a Venezuelan soldier who defected at the Simon Bolivar international bridge, where Venezuelans tried to deliver humanitarian aid despite objections from President Nicolas Maduro, in Cucuta, Colombia, Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

‘Venezuela is being pillaged like never before’

Organized crime is driving the international standoff surrounding the crisis in South America, says José Buscaglia, a scholar of Latin America who directs the Center for International Affairs and World Cultures at Northeastern.

by Ian Thomsen March 1, 2019

John Stephen Bailey, who died on New Year’s Eve in Athens, Greece, at age 89, was a former dean and public relations director at Northeastern. Photo from the Northeastern archives.

The secret life of Jack Bailey, former Northeastern dean and military intelligence commander

John Stephen Bailey, who died in Athens, Greece, at age 89, was a former dean and public relations director at Northeastern. He also commanded a secret military intelligence unit on the Boston campus during the Cold War.

by Ian Thomsen February 19, 2019

Nicholas Daniloff, far right, celebrates with his family and President Ronald Reagan after his release from being detained in Russia. (Photo by Cynthia Johnson/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images)

'I would assume that he’s going through hell'

Nicholas Daniloff, who directed Northeastern’s journalism program from 1992 to 1999, can relate to the plight of American businessman Paul Whelan, who was recently arrested on spying charges. In 1986, Daniloff was interrogated for two weeks before President Ronald Reagan pressured the Soviets for his release.

by Ian Thomsen January 8, 2019

From left to right: Authors Daniel Satinsky, Sheila Puffer, and Daniel McCarthy. Their new book casts light on immigrants from the former Soviet Union who made significant contributions to the U.S. technology sector. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

Russians aren’t the villains of this high-tech immigrant story

In American popular culture, Russians and former Soviets are often thought of as spies or hackers. But a new book written by three scholars of Russian studies from Northeastern presents an entirely different picture, one that casts light on immigrants from the former Soviet Union who made significant contributions to the United States’ technology sector.

by Greg St. Martin December 4, 2018