Essays

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

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.

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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.

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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.

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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

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz receives Li Qiang, Premier of China.

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China-US rivalry risks dividing the EU

The EU was forged in the bipolar conditions of the Cold War, expanded under American unipolarity and could plausibly disintegrate as the world returns to a state of bipolarity, thi..

Timothy Less June 20, 2023

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The deep historical roots of Russia’s scorched earth policy

The Russians are pursuing a scorched earth policy in Ukraine as they did in the War of 1812 and after Operation Barbarossa.

Paul Josephson June 14, 2023

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The People’s Republic of SF

Life in China increasingly resembles life on another planet – by Beijing’s deliberate design. If the twenty-first century really is the ‘Chinese Century’, as currently forecast, th..

Steven Tucker June 7, 2023

Japanese attack on the US Naval base at Pearl Harbour, 1941.

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Know your enemy

Japan's attempt to win global power in the Second World War is a warning from history for western policymakers.

Michael Sheridan June 1, 2023