Essays

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

Lucretius’ life-saving poem

De rerum natura, an epic work of intellectual and poetic bravura, was an huge influence on Virgil and Horace. Though we know little about him, Lucretius’ worldview is one in which ..

David Butterfield September 18, 2023

Puffin paperback editions of the Narnia tales by author CS Lewis

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Finding Turkey in Narnia

Re-reading CS Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia after a gap of thirty years reveals the author’s interest in the culture and history of the Turkic peoples.

Hannah Lucinda Smith September 11, 2023

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Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy revisited

In the titanic struggle between capitalism and socialism, there can only be one winner.

Niall Ferguson September 8, 2023

A portrait of Catherine the Great (1729-1796) by Alexey Antropov.

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The invention of Catherine the Great

Catherine II’s inoculation against smallpox was an extraordinary act of political self-creation.

Lucy Ward September 6, 2023

U.S. President John F. Kennedy, right, confers with his brother Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy at the White House in Washington, D.C., on October 1, 1962 during the buildup of military tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union that became Cuban missile crisis later that month.

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The terrible dilemmas of leadership in a thermonuclear world

Nuclear weapons are likely to be around for a long time to come – and the predicaments they create for world leaders are unlikely to be easily solved.

Francis J. Gavin September 1, 2023

Lee Kuan Yew takes breakfast on a state visit to London, 1968.

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The old man: the political genius who made Singapore

A hundred years on from his birth, Lee Kuan Yew’s city-state is more prosperous and stable than ever.

Christopher Hale August 29, 2023

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Imperial Miasma Theory

A genre of books has emerged that claims Britain’s imperial past can explain everything about Britain’s present travails. As its latest offering confirms, it ends up explaining not..

Samuel Rubinstein August 24, 2023

The Tomb of Cyrus, Iran. Photograph taken in 1898.

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The enduring secret to Cyrus the Great’s success

Few ancient monarchs have enjoyed such a consistent positive reputation as Cyrus the Great. Perhaps it’s time to become reacquainted.

Ali Ansari August 22, 2023

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Three victories and a defeat

There is a spectre haunting American foreign affairs: the spectre of the successive victories of the Second World War, the Cold War, and globalisation. A period of renewal is neede..

Michael Auslin August 15, 2023