Essays

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

Row of children sit down with gas masks on. A warning from history.
essays

Wise warnings matter even more in this age of pandemics and big data

We need to focus on how we warn about threats and hazards. Data and forecasting can only get us so far - the critical factors are human instinct and courage.

Suzanne Raine July 15, 2021
Mongol legend Genghis Khan in combat
essays

Geopolitics and the Mongol Empire

Political and economic concerns were as critical as environmental and geographic factors in forging the unity of the Mongol Empire.

Morris Rossabi July 13, 2021
Officers of the Russian National Guard special operations forces practise retaking a hijacked vessel in Krasnoyarsk in Arctic Russia. Credit: Denis Kozhevnikov TASS via Getty Images.
essays

As the Arctic thaws, are we able to keep its peace?

A new struggle for resources, trade and military might has polarised the Arctic states. As the region thaws, strategic competition is heating up.

Kristina Spohr July 8, 2021
An 1838 lithograph of the sandstone Temple of Edfu
essays

In search of civilisation

The search for 'early civilisation' in ancient societies has obscured the diverse ways in which ancient societies survived and thrived.

David Wengrow July 6, 2021
Primary school students sing together to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Zaozhuang, Shandong Province, China, June 22, 2021. Credit: Costfoto/Barcroft Media via Getty Images
essays

China’s ruling creed at 100: the Party never stops

The Chinese Communist Party is a state within a state. It is also a ninety-million-strong faith community on a hundred-year moral mission.

Kerry Brown July 1, 2021
Pine Trees by the painter Hasegawa Tohaku (1539–1610). Credit: Getty Images.
essays

Artists of the floating world

Japanese art aspires to the principles of balance and natural rebirth which underpin the ancient Japanese philosophy of life.

Elisabet Yanagisawa Avén June 30, 2021
The Russian Soyuz MS-15 Spacecraft launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Credit: Bill Ingalis / NASA via Getty Images.
essays

Space and the new struggle for civilisational supremacy

The space race of the twenty-first century has more players, more money and ambitions for Mars. It's about more than just technological prowess. Space is becoming the new arena for..

John B. Sheldon June 25, 2021
Aisle of grocery store in Iowa.
essays

Where has ‘the good life’ gone?

In our globalised, postmodern age, an unprecedented level of choice and knowledge is transforming our understanding of morality.

Eva Hoffman June 21, 2021
Pope Francis gives a speech during a meeting with young people at Notre Dame College in Dhaka on December 2, 2017
essays

Humanism matters in the age of AI

Modern atheists cast humanism as an anti-religious movement. But its roots in theology must be recovered if we are to confront the ethical challenges of today.

Nick Spencer June 19, 2021

Download The Engelsberg
Ideas app

The world in your pocket. The app brings together – in one place – our essays, reviews, notebooks, and podcasts.

Download here

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play