Essays

essays

The Germans and their cars: history of a love affair

German car making is nearly as old as the nation itself and embedded in its heart, soul and mind. Replacing combustion engines with batteries is not a like-for-like swap. We are ab..

Katja Hoyer July 12, 2022

essays

Hostile neighbours and a parallel path: why Japan and Germany are rearming

Much like Germany, Japan is also undergoing a begrudging reconciliation with its military. But unlike its European counterpart, Japan has to worry about two increasingly hostile ne..

Christopher Harding July 7, 2022

essays

Putin bets the Russia house on the Donbas rustbelt

By 1991, the Donbas, the former core of the Russian Empire’s coal, iron and metallurgical industries, was in large part Europe’s biggest rust-belt. For Russia, the benefits of anne..

Dominic Lieven July 7, 2022

essays

Keeping it simple: how technology shapes the terror threat

Evolving technology consistently introduces new possibilities for both the attacker and defender. The more inventive terrorists became, the more defensive measures needed to be put..

Suzanne Raine July 5, 2022

essays

What is mistake theory and can it save the humanities?

While critical theory is not without its uses, it is time that we take a more constructive approach to social issues. 'Mistake theory' can offer a useful lens.

Claire Lehman June 29, 2022

essays

‘Everything is Ukraine’ — Ukraine’s long search for a homeland

Ukraine's complex history does not neatly fit into modern ideas of nationhood. But Putin's twisted attempts to use history to justify his invasion have generated a remarkable spiri..

Catherine Merridale June 24, 2022

essays

The Future of Europe: secular but not secularist, diverse but not divided

Over the past century, religion throughout Europe has been rapidly on the wane. The recent growth of Europe's Muslim population, however, has slowed this trend.

David Voas June 21, 2022

essays

Alternative international orders: a modern Holy Alliance for the twenty-first century

The Holy Alliance, a significant aspect of this post-1815 world, might offer a useful model to shape a legitimate and workable international order of the future.

Andrew Ehrhardt June 17, 2022

essays

The century of the gene

When the Human Genome Initiative published its first findings in 2002, the world was shocked. Genetic biologists, however, had long ago come to realise that DNA sequences are only ..

Evelyn Fox Keller June 13, 2022