Essays

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

Intershop in Friedrichstrasse in East Berlin.

How the GDR fell in love with the West

Citizens of the GDR were exposed to an idealised version of western freedoms made up of luxury shopping, blue jeans and cowboy flicks.

Katja Hoyer January 16, 2023

A man looks at a building covered in posters of Chinese President Xi Jinping in Shanghai.

essays

What does Xi Jinping really think?

The Chinese leader’s doctrine is a study in banality. But it serves as an instrument of power for a ruler who can upend the lives of a billion souls.

Michael Sheridan January 10, 2023

Parisians gather around the Arc de Triomphe as Allied forces liberate the city. Credit: RBM Vintage Images / Alamy Stock Photo.

essays

The liberation of France made the modern world

Following the liberation of France in '44, Paris became a laboratory of ideas, a beehive of utopian projects and initiatives.

Agnès Poirier January 9, 2023

A Ukrainian flag is seen outside the window of a demolished room in an apartment building in Borodyanka, Ukraine, April 21, 2022. Credit: UPI / Alamy Stock Photo.

essays

Fighting for freedom against the odds

Throughout history, partisan forces fighting for liberty have garnered admiration and external support. What lessons can the West draw from the past to guide its support for Ukrain..

Rob Johnson January 5, 2023

The soul leaving the body, 1808. Credit: Chroma Collection / Alamy Stock Photo.

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Explaining out-of-body experiences

Once dismissed as a product of the imagination, out-of-body experiences can now be explained through cutting-edge neurological and psychological research. These findings pose momen..

Susan Blackmore January 3, 2023

Lloyd's coffee house in the City of London.

essays

In defence of shareholder democracy

The limited liability company remains the best vehicle for capitalistic endeavour.

Merryn Somerset Webb December 29, 2022

China established the Lop Nur Nuclear Test Base on 16 October 1959 with Soviet assistance in selection of the site, with its headquarters at Malan, about 125 km (78 mi) northwest of Qinggir. The first Chinese nuclear bomb test, codenamed '596', was tested at Lop Nur in 1964.

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How China learned to love the bomb

The Chinese Communist Party sees growing political value in its nuclear status: any prospect of nuclear reduction, let alone disarmament, has become bleaker than ever before.

Nicola Leveringhaus December 28, 2022