In war, we are, like the Duke of Wellington, still trying to guess what is on the other side of the hill, we just have more tools to help us do so.
The famed French chronicler of poverty and war saw hope in the prospect of the European ideal – over a century before the creation of the EU.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, some of its military conscripts from former republics ended up in NATO countries. Their personal stories are not only compelling accounts of recent history – they also offer valuable insights into the former superpower’s ‘five-million man’ martial might and even today’s Russian military.
The Islamic relationship between religion and state has a deep history – but the modern politics of nationalism has re-cast Islam in a new political mould
The Internet is now home to modern culture. But like paper, it is at risk of decay unless we archive and store it properly.
Military force will not be enough to fix the Gulf of Guinea’s piracy problem. The roots of the crime lie on-shore, deep in the politics of oil and statehood.
The idea of a united European polity has a contested history dating back three centuries.
President Moïse’s assassination is a new spin on a familiar story for Haiti. And yet, despite the fact that the country’s politics has been plagued by destabilising political assassinations, the liberating promise of its revolutionary past lives on.
The story of First Millennium Europe is one of remarkable economic change and demographic upheaval; a precocious analogue to the modern era of globalisation.
We need to focus on how we warn about threats and hazards. Data and forecasting can only get us so far – the critical factors are human instinct and courage.
Political and economic concerns were as critical as environmental and geographic factors in forging the unity of the Mongol Empire.
A new struggle for resources, trade and military might has polarised the Arctic states. As the region thaws, strategic competition is heating up.
The search for ‘early civilisation’ in ancient societies has obscured the diverse ways in which ancient societies survived and thrived.
The Chinese Communist Party is a state within a state. It is also a ninety-million-strong faith community on a hundred-year moral mission.
Japanese art aspires to the principles of balance and natural rebirth which underpin the ancient Japanese philosophy of life.
The space race of the twenty-first century has more players, more money and ambitions for Mars. It’s about more than just technological prowess. Space is becoming the new arena for a clash of civilisations.
In our globalised, postmodern age, an unprecedented level of choice and knowledge is transforming our understanding of morality.
Modern atheists cast humanism as an anti-religious movement. But its roots in theology must be recovered if we are to confront the ethical challenges of today.
Critics of European integration point to the weakness of common cultural and political ties on the continent. But European identity can emerge even in difficult conditions.
From obscure stakes in biotech companies to intellectual property theft, the Chinese state is engaged in corporate subterfuge. But what can the West do about it?
Rousseau’s concept of the ‘noble savage’ presented an enduring challenge to the Enlightenment moral order.
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