Essays

essays

Russia, America and the roads not taken

After the Cold War, the United States squandered an opportunity to integrate Russia into Western economic and security partnerships. They continue to pay the price.

Vladislav Zubok February 20, 2024

essays

The Czechoslovak agent in the BBC who almost was

Terézia Javorská, a BBC World Service broadcaster, was recently exposed as a Communist spy by the British press. A careful examination of the archives of the Czechoslovak State Sec..

Daniela Richterova February 14, 2024

essays

The fall and rise of Marwan Barghouti

Long regarded as a future leader of Palestine, Marwan Barghouti has been imprisoned in Israel since 2002. What would his release mean for the future of the Middle East?

Angus Reilly February 13, 2024

essays

The many meanings of the age of upheaval

Upheaval is a feature, not a bug, of humankind’s recent assumptions about progress and identity. It is a deeply felt aspect of the present era, but it is not uniquely of its time.

Alastair Benn February 12, 2024

essays

Britain’s energy transition in the shadow of the 1970s

As Britain confronts the challenges and opportunities of the transition away from fossil fuels, the deep history of its relationship with North Sea oil provides both guidance and w..

Colm Murphy February 8, 2024

essays

Will AI revolutionise education?

Education has a history of being impervious to inventions that have transformed society in other ways. Artificial Intelligence and its plethora of new manifestations, such as LLMs ..

Daisy Christodoulou February 6, 2024

essays

Space architecture: a moonage daydream?

The burgeoning field of space architecture is more earthbound than its excitable advocates will admit.

Wessie du Toit January 31, 2024

essays

Europe’s eastward march

EU expansion since the end of the Cold War has alarmed Russia, but this should not be grounds for considering the process a mistake.

N. Piers Ludlow January 29, 2024

essays

Why Scotland lost its tongue

The disappearance of the Scots language from its native land is more than a linguistic conundrum. It is testament to Scotland's distinctive status within the British Isles and its ..

Luka Ivan Jukic January 24, 2024