Essays Archive

Vintage poster of a man inspecting the inner workings of a statue's brain.

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

A still from A Space Odyssey directed by Stanley Kubrick.

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

EU enlargement commemorative stamp produced by Ireland.

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

A policeman stands in front of Chinese and American flags during a visit by George W. Bush to China, 2002.

essays

A Cold War with Chinese characteristics

After the 1990s, as the European Cold War ended, the Asian Cold War was transformed by China's manipulation of the forces of globalisation.

Rana Mitter January 23, 2024

essays

Grey zones and dark tourism in Europe’s hinterlands

Europe’s hinterlands are littered with grey zones: patches of territory torn between rival states and their conflicting understandings of the past and future. They are fascinating ..

Hannah Lucinda Smith January 16, 2024

Newly-recruited Houthi militiamen march in a during a parade in Amran province, 20 December 2023.

essays

The Houthis’ forgotten war goes global

The Houthis emerged in Yemen as an Islamist movement in the late 1980s. Following the war in Gaza, their significance has grown as they disrupt trade through the Red Sea, with dang..

Elisabeth Kendall January 11, 2024

A scene from the wall of Tutankhamun's tomb.

essays

The deep history and dangers of just wars

Just War doctrines emerged in the ancient world from around 3000 BC and ever since they have been used to absolve extreme violence in conflict.

Rory Cox January 9, 2024

A poster for an 1895 exhibition on Slavism in Prague.

essays

The long fall of the Slavic nation

The 19th century witnessed an attempt to create a shared sense of identity among Slavs, founded upon a common language. Despite its failure, its legacy resonated across European hi..

Luka Ivan Jukic January 2, 2024