Essays

essays

The story of the Jesuits — how the Society of Jesus charted the world

As Jesuit missionaries spread further across the globe, the order's founder wanted to ensure that its members remained connected. The result of this was an unparalleled network of ..

M.Antoni J. Ucerler, S.J. December 20, 2021

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How US policy failure post-9/11 undermined international order

The US once enjoyed the esteemed position of being the 'city on the hill', a beacon of hope and an example to the rest of the world. Post-9/11, however, the superpower's conduct in..

Emma Sky December 13, 2021

essays

The Eurasian Century, Part I: What Mackinder Knew

Sir Halford Mackinder believed that major showdowns in international affairs of the 20th century would revolve over control of the Eurasian continent and its maritime approaches. H..

Hal Brands December 6, 2021

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The Eurasian Century, Part II: The Great Black Tornado

Germany’s drive for dominance unleashed the great black tornado of the First World War. Only a global coalition, including the US, could hold Eurasia in balance.

Hal Brands December 6, 2021

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The Eurasian Century, Part III: The Totalitarian Challenge

The Second World War showed that the difficulties of blunting Eurasian challenges early could be severe—but that the price of rolling them back later could be far worse

Hal Brands December 6, 2021

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The Eurasian Century, Part IV: Cold War

An authoritarian, expansionist Soviet Union represented the heartland threat Mackinder had long foreseen. But ironically, his insights birthed a strategy for containing that threat..

Hal Brands December 6, 2021

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The Eurasian Century, Part V: Beijing’s Gambit

In many ways, Xi Jinping’s China is a state like no other. But its ambitions for global supremacy are but a new twist on a familiar problem – and are eliciting a familiar response ..

Hal Brands December 6, 2021

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Reassessing Christian history

While Christianity may strive to sing in a single voice, no one modern denomination ought to claim a monopoly on the truth. The religion's history is in fact far more eclectic.

Diarmaid Macculloch November 29, 2021

essays

Why 16 billion cortical neurons are not enough

Humanity has come quite some way in the past 200,000 years but are we really anything more than primates with a few million more neurons than our closest relatives?

Suzana Herculano-Houzel November 22, 2021