Essays Archive

Basement of a bank full of banknotes at the time of the Mark devaluation during the economic crisis in the Weimar Republic.

essays

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.

essays

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

essays

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

essays

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

essays

God is back

Despite the predictions of some of the best minds of the past five hundred years, religion remains. In fact, from the rise of Islamic extremism to American evangelism, the twenty-f..

Adrian Wooldridge January 15, 2022

Shi'ite Houthi rebels drive a truck past an Ansar al-Sharia flag painted on the side of a hill in Almnash, the main stronghold of the local wing of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Rada, Yemen.

essays

The war for hearts and minds: the evolution of al-Qaeda’s media strategy

While the Islamic State's savvy media presence may have overshadowed that of al-Qaeda over the past decade, the efforts of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) operating in war..

Elisabeth Kendall January 11, 2022

The Arc de Triomphe in December 2018 during the gilets jaunes

essays

Modern France and the ghosts of the past

France, like all countries, is haunted by events and mistakes of times past. These ghosts will guide modern policy until they are overridden and laid to rest.

Peter Ricketts January 4, 2022