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Centennial of Versailles treaty signing strikes a modern nerve

Many of the questions asked in Versailles 100 years ago appear to be resurfacing today in a U.S. hostile to multilateralism.

The treaty signing on June 28, 1919 in the Palace of Versailles' Hall of Mirrors.
The treaty signing on June 28, 1919 in the Palace of Versailles' Hall of Mirrors. (AN/Public Domain)

A century ago, a treaty signing on the outskirts of Paris helped end World War I but raised questions about the reliability of American leadership. Experts at a U.S.-led conference in Paris marking the centennial said many of those same questions remain today.

The first of a pair of academic-sponsored centennial conferences kicked off on Friday exploring the significance of the Paris Peace Conference at the Palace of Versailles in 1919. Leaders, diplomats, academics and policy-makers insisted there were some troubling, modern parallels.

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