One of the antidotes to Jared Diamond is Victor Davis Hanson, in particular his book Carnage and Culture.
The antidote for U.S. history instruction similar to Diamond’s (which would be Howard Zinn, for instance) would come from Larry Schweikart, AKA Free Republic’s own LS, in particular his Patriot’s History of the United States.
Thanks.
Funny you mention Carnage and Culture: I teach a course called “Technology and the Culture of War.” For years I used McNeill’s book, “The Pursuit of Power,” which wasn’t satisfying as it had no real theme. I saw Diamond’s book, which was horrible. Then I came across C&C and have used it ever since.