Essays

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

Painting of Spinoza.
essays

The salvation of Spinoza

Spinoza’s idea of Jesus was caricatured by the Marquis de Sade in his libertine novel Juliette. But the Jewish philosopher's insights into the nature of Christ's love deserve more ..

David Lloyd Dusenbury March 28, 2024
Recep Tayyip Erdogan leaves a meeting at No. 10 Downing Street, 2019.
essays

Erdogan prepares to leave the stage

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent revelation that he is planning his exit from office raises the difficult questions of succession that all ageing leaders must eventu..

Hannah Lucinda Smith March 26, 2024
Caricature of a Victorian classroom.
essays

AI’s attention deficit

The deployment of Large language models (LLMs) in education rubs up against a fundamental human problem: attention and its scarcity.

Daisy Christodoulou March 26, 2024
Poster advertising travel to Canada.
essays

A deep history of Canadian populism

Canada's western provinces, the heartland of modern Canadian conservatism, has long been fertile ground for populism.

David Cowan March 20, 2024
The dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita.
essays

The British Empire’s Indian odyssey

British engagement with Indian thought had a profound impact on European literature and philosophy.

Christopher Harding March 19, 2024
A Jewish settler in Hebron.
essays

The bitter legacy of Israel’s West Bank settlement

Since 1967, the West Bank has been both a security problem and an emotional touchstone for religious Jews, while its settlement continues to poison relations between Israel and the..

Ahron Bregman March 14, 2024
During the trial on January 31, 1980 at the Regional Court in Cologne, French Jews and German Nazi victims demonstrate for a conviction of the accused Kurt Lischka, the former Gestapo chief of Paris. Beate Klarsfeld demonstrates with them
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How Beate Klarsfeld grappled with Europe’s demons

For nearly sixty years, Beate Klarsfeld has been a fearless pursuer of Nazis who evaded justice after the Second World War.

Jennifer Orth-Veillon March 12, 2024
NATO soldiers in a simulation exercise, 1986.
essays

Europe needs a grand strategy

Europe is at a strategic crossroads. Whatever path it decides to take will depend upon hard choices it has been reluctant to make.

Marina E. Henke March 5, 2024
Polish postcard celebrating the founders of three Slavic nations: Lechia (Poland), Czechia (Bohemia; modern Czech Republic), and Ruthenia.
essays

Why Putin is haunted by the spectre of Polish power

Just as the Russian Empire claimed to be fighting Polish influence, Vladimir Putin has cast his soldiers as the liberators of Ukraine from domination by Poland. It is a distorted h..

Luka Ivan Jukic March 4, 2024

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