Essays

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

Charles Dickens

When Dickens made his masterpiece

Oliver Twist shows us the young genius in the very act of mastering his craft, turning himself, by sheer willpower, into one of the world's greatest writers.

Simon Callow July 13, 2020

A man claiming to be an Al-Qaeda member addresses a crowd gathered in Yemen's southern province of Abyan on December 22, 2009. Men claiming to be Al-Qaeda members have vowed to avenge those killed in a Yemeni air strike on one of the group's training camps in southern Yemen, Al-Jazeera television reported. In a short video aired by the pan-Arab satellite channel, a bearded man holding a microphone and flanked by two armed men addressed a crowd gathered in the Abyan province to mourn those killed in the December 17 air raid. AFP PHOTO/STR == BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE == (Photo credit should read -/AFP via Getty Images)

Making sense of the Yemen War

If a peace deal is not reached, all the key ingredients are present for Yemen to become a failed state.

Elisabeth Kendall July 7, 2020

Ma Yuan's The Yellow River Breaches its Course, from a series of paintings of water

Learning from Asian philosophies of rebirth

Asian literature, with its technologically-adept Chinese emperors, Animist Spirit-negotiators, and Yogic sages, shows us how to live well in troubled times.

Jessica Frazier July 6, 2020

BEIJING, CHINA - JUNE 28: Dancers perform during a gala show to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in the Great Hall of the People on June 28, 2011 in Beijing, China. This year's celebrations will mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the CPC.

China: The great uncoupling

Beijing wants to foster a world where Chinese standards replace those of the post-1945 US-led system.

Jonathan Fenby July 3, 2020

Thomas Cole / Public Domain

Survival lessons from Ancient Rome

The Romans have so much to teach us about what it means to live in a society in crisis.

Gillian Clark July 1, 2020

Map of the world.

2020: Putting our pandemic in perspective

No event in human history has affected the entire world so quickly and comprehensively.

Lincoln Paine June 30, 2020

A deserted inner-city highway in Wuhan, China

This crisis has the capacity to be apocalyptic

Covid-19 heralds the end of our interconnected world. We'll need wise leaders to navigate what comes next.

Peter Frankopan June 29, 2020

Thomas Edward (of Arabia) Lawrence riding a camel

Lawrence of Arabia on war: How the past haunts the present

The Lawrence legend continues to win new devotees while his pragmatic contribution to warfare is neglected.

Rob Johnson June 29, 2020

Engraving of the Sack of Rome by the Visigoths led by Alaric I in 410, during the reign of Emperor Honorius.

Decline in three dimensions

Late Antiquity was not just a story of Decline and Fall - Roman elites thrived in a changing world.

Neil McLynn June 27, 2020

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