Essays Archive

The Colosseum, Rome by J M W Turner, 1820.

essays

The many worlds of Peter Brown

Arguably the greatest living historian, Peter Brown’s breathtaking achievements are marked by an embrace of chronological depth and geographical breadth.

Peter Sarris August 1, 2023

essays

The Bonn Summit and the road to globalisation

There is a direct line between the global vision of Jimmy Carter and Jim Callaghan and that of their successors and rivals, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.

Angus Reilly July 31, 2023

essays

Rewriting Spanish history, one song at a time

The popular appeal of Malinche, a musical that glorifies Hernán Cortés’ conquest of Mexico, is less a consequence of ideology than of nostalgia.

Duncan Wheeler July 25, 2023

essays

The new space race: Africa’s cosmic ambitions

Many African countries have embraced the high-tech space sector with gusto. As a result, innovation and inspiration is on the rise. Allowing organisations the chance to innovate – ..

Lukasz Bednarski July 24, 2023

Trench warfare in Russia during the First World War

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Russian fortifications present an old problem for Ukraine

Russian defensive capabilities are rooted in an old but effective twentieth century military strategy.

David J Betz July 20, 2023

The aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman.

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An oceanic order for the 21st century

A global alignment of key maritime powers could help restore balance to an unstable world.

Andrew Ehrhardt July 19, 2023

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and French President Emmanuel Macron review a Chinese guard of honour during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

essays

The special role that never was

French policy in China in the twenty-first century draws on a contradictory heritage. It does not lack intelligence and skill. Yet Macron is just the latest president to seek a spe..

Michael Sheridan July 14, 2023

Muslims offering namaaz in Mumbra, Mumbai.

essays

Islam, India and the question of class

The trials and tribulations of Muslims in Narendra Modi’s India offer instructive, if dispiriting, lessons for religious minorities everywhere.

Pratinav Anil July 6, 2023

An angry crowd carrying a portrait of Czar Nicholas II to a bonfire in Petrograd following the February Revolution.

essays

Days that shake the world

John Reed’s eyewitness account of the Russian Revolution of November 1917 illustrates the enduring themes of political change – and reminds us how contingent it can be.

Suzanne Raine July 5, 2023