Climate may have defeated Mongol invaders

Climate fluctuation not only may have paved the way for Genghis Khan’s conquests of Asia in the 13th century, sudden climatic change may also have halted the Mongol invasion of Europe, according to new research. Two scholars − one skilled in historical documents and another in interpreting tree rings to deliver weather reports through history − say that cold and heavy snowfalls …

The Geopolitics of American Global Decline By Alfred W. McCoy

A glance at what passes for insider “wisdom” in Washington these days reveals a worldview of stunning insularity. Take Harvard political scientist Joseph Nye, Jr., known for his concept of “soft power,” as an example. Offering a simple list of ways in which he believes U.S. military, economic, and cultural power remains singular and superior, he recently argued that there was no …

Are you a descendant of Genghis Khan? Millions of modern men descendants of 11 Asian dynastic leaders

Geneticists from the University of Leicester have discovered that millions of modern Asian men are descended from 11 powerful dynastic leaders who lived up to 4,000 years ago — including Mongolian warlord Genghis Khan. The study, which is funded by the Wellcome Trust and published in the journal European Journal of Human Genetics, examined the male-specific Y chromosome, which is passed …