Essays

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

Niccolo Machiavelli statue in Florence, Italy

essays

Why Machiavelli wrote The Prince

If we want to understand the ‘meaning’ of The Prince, we should start with Machiavelli himself.

Alexander Lee May 23, 2024

Riot police use a water cannon during an opposition protest against 'the Russian law' near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on May 1, 2024.

essays

Georgian nightmare

Georgia's flawed political culture and fragile democracy is at another tipping point.

Thomas de Waal May 21, 2024

Woman reading a newspaper in front of a big pile of newspapers.

essays

Testament to doomed media

The old media has failed to rise to the challenge of tech. But we'll miss it when it's gone.

Bryan Appleyard May 20, 2024

Members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stand next to a poster of Ayatollah Khamenei.

essays

The looming battle for succession in Iran

The question of who will succeed Ayatollah Khamenei, the 85-year-old supreme leader of Iran, and how the IRGC will shape the decision, looms large for the country and the wider Mid..

Afshon Ostovar May 16, 2024

essays

The rise of the great power carve up

The peace that followed European wars was once framed by a congress of belligerents, both winners and losers. Conflicts, in Europe and elsewhere, now tend be resolved by one or two..

Adam Zamoyski May 13, 2024

The Trabant car being manufactured at the East German Sachsenring car plant.

essays

How East Germany lost the battle for technology

East Germany’s struggle to catch up with the West in technological innovation prompted some remarkable successes but also expanded the oppression of its mass surveillance apparatus..

Katja Hoyer May 9, 2024