U.S. History: 20th-century U.S. political and diplomatic history, U.S.-Afghan relations, digital history, the security state, the American Right, anti-imperialism, and noninterventionism.
Brandan is a Ph.D. candidate in history and a graduate research assistant with the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media. He is interested in 20th-century U.S. history, particularly Cold War political culture, foreign policy, and international relations.
Before attending GMU, Brandan was employed as an imagery and geospatial analyst with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. He previously served with the United States Army and Virginia Army National Guard.
In addition to his academic work, Brandan has written opinion pieces on the intersection of U.S. foreign policy and domestic politics from a historical perspective. His work has been published by outlets such as Responsible Statecraft, The Libertarian Institute, antiwar.com, and others.
Brandan's current research concerns rightwing opposition to U.S. foreign policy and the national security state in the postwar era. His efforts are particularly focused on how conservative opposition to U.S. government foreign policy survived political irrelevance during the Cold War, and how that opposition resurfaced during the 1990s.
“Brokering a Buffer State: Afghan Neutrality and American Diplomacy, 1973–1979” International History Review, Feb 20, 2018
“‘The Mortar Between the Bricks’: Willis Conover and Global Jazz” Jazz Perspectives Dec 13, 2017
Rothbard Graduate Seminar, Ludwig von Mises Institute for Austrian Economics (2022)
George Mason University’s College of Humanities and Social Science’s Dean’s Challenge Award (2020)
George Mason University’s History and Art History Department’s Louise and Rudolf Fishel Graduate Fellowship (2020)
M.A. History - George Mason University (2016)
B.A. History - University of Denver (2009)
“A Fortress America for the Cold War: The Isolationist Right After 1945,” Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, Panel Presentation (2023)
“The Other Right: Republican Opposition to U.S. Foreign Policy, 1935-1968,” Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, Lightning Presentation (2022)
Speaking Appearances:
"Old Right, New Right? What History Suggests about the Future of GOP Foreign Policy," with Victoria Coates and Justin Logan, the Cato Institute, https://www.cato.org/events/old-right-new-right-what-history-suggests-about-future-gop-foreign-policy (2024)
Opinion Pieces:
"Beyond the Noise: NATO Debates, Past and Present | Responsible Statecraft," Responsible Statecraft, https://responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-nato/ (2024)
"Feeling manipulated? How Uncle Sam perfected the information state," Responsible Statecraft, https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2023/02/10/feeling-manipulated-how-uncle-sam-perfected-the-information-state/ (2023)
"Brown Scare, Red Scare, Fake Scare, Who’s Scared?" The Libertarian Institute, https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/brown-scare-red-scare-fake-scare-whos-scared/ (2022)
"Power Elite Analysis: Lessons from the ‘Conspiracist’ Right and New Left Academics," The Libertarian Institute, https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/power-elite-analysis-lessons-from-the-conspiracist-right-and-new-left-academics/ (2022)
"Deja vu: Republicans fracturing over Ukraine, just like Korea," Responsible Statecraft, https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2022/09/06/deja-vu-republicans-fracturing-over-ukraine-just-like-korea/ (2022)
“Why Can’t We Be Friends? The History of and Prospects for Left and Right Antiwar Collaboration,” freethepeople.org, https://freethepeople.org/why-cant-we-be-friends-the-history-of-and-prospects-for-left-and-right-antiwar-collaboration/ (2022)
“No ‘Putin apologia’ and certainly not new: the Old American Right on war,” Responsible Statecraft, https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2022/03/22/no-putin-apologia-and-certainly-not-new-the-old-american-right-on-war/ (2022)
"A Brief History of the "Isolationist" Strawman," History News Network, Aug 29, 2021, https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/181097 (2021)
Podcast Appearances:
"War Propaganda and the Information State," Kibbe on Liberty, https://youtu.be/2InfKpWd7iw?si=WFoHetf7Ke_oMEXV
"America's Third "Brown Scare?" The History of the Anti-War Right with Brandan Buck," Radio Rothbard, https://youtu.be/785j_o8rihA
"The Old Right and the Antiwar Movement w/ Brandan P. Buck," Parallax Views with J.G. Michael, https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/e/bpbuck/