Essays Archive

essays

Ernest Bevin and the spiritual dimension of British foreign policy

Ernest Bevin, Labour foreign secretary between 1945 and 1951, was a visionary who held that political values and moral principles were at the core of a nation’s foreign policy.

Andrew Ehrhardt October 24, 2024

John Zoffany's The Tribuna of the Uffizi.

essays

Why human creativity matters in the age of AI

A world of machine art would be an eerie one. Art connects us to one another. We cannot, and we should not, replace that connection with an uncanny simulacrum of it.

James Marriott October 22, 2024

Flowers laid in memory of Yevgeny Prigozhin at a spontaneous memorial near the PMC Wagner headquarters in St. Petersburg.

essays

The beatification of Prigozhin and the fight for the future of Russia

The posthumous struggle to define the legacy of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the thuggish mercenary entrepreneur apparently killed by the Kremlin last year, presents a problem for Russia’s o..

Mark Galeotti October 17, 2024

The American Titan Intercontinental Ballistic Missile in a silo.

essays

Nuclear war must become unthinkable — again

As tensions rise between China and the US over Taiwan, it is crucial that a mutual deterrence, similar to that of the 'first' Cold War, is established between the two superpowers.

Bill Emmott October 15, 2024

essays

Why do we get the wrong leaders?

The West lacks political leaders with judgement. How do we get more individuals with this elusive quality into positions of leadership?

James Vitali October 10, 2024

essays

The Slow Horses are Britain’s perfect spies

Mick Herron’s world works, both on page and on screen, not just because he is a great storyteller, or has a keen grasp of the mechanics of espionage, but because he simply gets an ..

Alastair Benn October 9, 2024

Israeli soldiers run as they carry stretchers towards a military helicopter during an exercise simulating the evacuation of wounded people in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon in February, 2024.

essays

The beginning of a reckoning: the Middle East after 7 October

Recent military escalations in the Middle East have been at least 20 years in the making.

Jay Mens October 8, 2024

A group of trainees listens to the military instructor in a training organised by the third separate assault brigade in Kyiv, Ukraine.

essays

Mobilising for the moment

In an era of rising global tensions, democracies must tackle the intricate task of revitalising military mobilisation by uniting people, industry, and ideas to create a powerful de..

Mick Ryan October 3, 2024

essays

To the far side of the Moon: the battle for lunar resources

The Moon and its surrounding space have become an arena for Earth's geopolitical rivalries, as nations compete for strategic advantages, scientific breakthroughs, and potential res..

Nayef Al-Rodhan October 1, 2024