Essays

Long-form writing from leading scholars and commentators on history, statecraft, warfare, philosophy and culture.

The NATO logo.
essays

The precarious future of NATO’s open door policy

Sooner rather than later, NATO leaders will have to address the issue of expansion directly, as they position the alliance to deal with Russia in the years ahead.

Thomas Graham July 3, 2025
Map of Russia, 1562.
essays

Where is Russia’s place in the world?

Russia is a Near Eastern country now subordinated to East Asia, but historically it has prospered most when tied closely to Europe.

Stephen Kotkin July 2, 2025
Donald Trump addresses reporters about US policy in the Middle East in 2019.
essays

The contours of Trump’s Middle East policy

President Trump’s recent confrontation with Iran is consistent with his longstanding approach to the Middle East – to strengthen America’s national security while seeking to reduce..

Shiraz Maher June 26, 2025
Digital espionage is on the rise.
essays

The espionage revolution

For centuries, scientific and technological advances have been exploited by intelligence officers. The digital revolution is no exception.

David Omand June 24, 2025
Art inspired by Patrick Henry's speech on the Rights of the Colonies.
essays

Conflicting ideas of liberty

The great scholar of intellectual history, Quentin Skinner, has set the terms for a debate that is only just beginning about what liberty looks like after liberalism.

David Wootton June 19, 2025
Collage of portraits of Theodore Roosevelt.
essays

Theodore Roosevelt’s lessons in global power

Theodore Roosevelt's rationale for his transformative and hard-nosed approach to American foreign policy is a warning from history to both isolationist opinion in the United States..

Charlie Laderman June 18, 2025
Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr No (1962).
essays

The anatomy of the spy novel

From the gung-ho glamour of Ian Fleming’s James Bond to the decline and disorder of Mick Herron’s Slow Horses, postwar British spy novels have captured the shifting myths and legen..

D. J. Taylor June 11, 2025
A painting of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the Old Friday Mosque in Isfahan, Iran.
essays

The price of Iran’s nuclear prestige

Iran's pursuit of prestige through nuclear capabilities has raised geopolitical tensions without delivering economic relief. Many now question the wisdom of the Islamic Republic’s ..

Ali Ansari June 10, 2025
Bruce Springsteen in 1985.
essays

Bruce Springsteen’s Spanish love affair

The Boss may have been born in the USA, but it’s Spain that worships Springsteen as rock royalty.

Duncan Wheeler June 5, 2025

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