Essays

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

A painting of the Dutch envoy Adriaan Pauw entering Münster around 1646 for the peace negotiations, painted by Gerard ter Borch. Credit: Wikipedia Commons/Stadtmuseum Münster
essays

The Revolt of the European Masses: the disintegration of accountability in supra-national politics

With forces such as identity politics and supra-national bodies gaining traction across Europe, the concept of the nation state has never been more important.

Janne Haaland Matláry February 14, 2022
The Rostov Kremlin
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Russia in 2020: alternative scenarios of the near future

In 2008, four paths were available to Russia but in 2022, one prevails.

Andrei Melville & Ivan Timofeev February 8, 2022
A fragment of the gospel of Thomas, discovered in Egypt in 1945.
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The Gospel of Thomas: casting a new light on Early Christianity

While there may have been striking similarities between the Gospel of Thomas and those of the four Evangelists, closer examination reveals a subtle yet crucially different perspect..

Elaine Pagels February 4, 2022
The Meteor of 1860 by Frederic Edwin Church (Credit: Wikipedia Commons)
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Fire in the sky — a history of meteoritics

The study of meteorites challenged the boundaries of the known universe, obliging nineteenth-century thinkers to revise their view of the solar system, and twentieth-century scienc..

Maria Golia February 3, 2022
Illustration of the Siege of Sevastopol, 1854-55.
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Putin’s Game: How did so many in the West get Russia so wrong?

Despite high ideals, dealing with Putin requires some flexibility and an acknowledgement of the nineteenth-century origins of his twenty-first-century threats.

Gregory Feifer February 1, 2022
Basement of a bank full of banknotes at the time of the Mark devaluation during the economic crisis in the Weimar Republic.
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Jacques Rueff’s quest for monetary order

After examining the economic chaos of the early twentieth century, monetary theorist Jacques Rueff argued that without monetary order, civilisational growth is impossible.

Samuel Gregg January 28, 2022
A political cartoon showing the Russian bear blowing soap bubbles labeled 'Promises' through a meerschaum pipe with a Chinese face, using liquid from a bowl labeled 'Manchurian soft soap'. The 1903 cartoon is one of many examples of the figure of the bear embodying Western preconceptions of Russia.
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Geopolitics — the key to understanding Russia foreign policy

From Tsar Alexander II to Putin, Russia's leading ideology and relationship to Europe has swung between extremes. One constant, however, has remained throughout history: an overrid..

Gabriel Gorodetsky January 19, 2022
Worker balances on a gas pipeline connecting with the Nord Stream Pipeline between Russia and Western Europe
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The carrot and the stick — geo-economics and Russian revisionism

Traditional geopolitical solutions (accommodation or military containment) are unlikely to work with Putin's Russia. Instead the West should pursue a unified geo-economic strategy.

Mikael Wigell January 18, 2022
second world war crimean plan russia
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Seeing the big picture — how Russia’s past guides its grand strategy

If Western states see a new era of great power competition taking shape, this is a conclusion Moscow reached some time ago. The Russian leadership has already been preparing for su..

Andrew Monaghan January 17, 2022

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