Essays

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

William McKinley's victory in the 1896 election boosts the case for protective tariffs .
essays

A deep history of America’s tariff wars

The challenge to Trump’s tariff strategy is part of a much longer story. Controversy over trade policy has shaped American politics since the US Constitution was ratified in 1788.

Samuel Gregg March 2, 2026
Pieter Brueghel's 'The Land of Cockaigne'.
essays

The power of sloth

Recovering the lost meaning of sloth challenges modern assumptions about the good life.

Elise Morrison February 26, 2026
Ukrposhta special edition postage stamp released in 2024, showing Ukrainian military vehicles and drones.
essays

Ukraine’s new world of warfare

On the battlefields of Ukraine, technological change has transformed modern warfare beyond recognition. European NATO powers remain woefully unprepared for this existential challen..

Peter Caddick-Adams February 25, 2026
A puzzle depicting Franz Kafka.
essays

Kafka goes to China

The journey of Franz Kafka’s works from Europe to Mao-era China shaped generations of writers.

Jeffrey Wasserstrom February 20, 2026
A map of Greenland from 1666.
essays

The Greenland question

Donald Trump's aggressive bid for Greenland has amplified the island's long drive for self-rule, while illuminating the complex ties that bind Copenhagen, Washington and Nuuk.

Elizabeth Buchanan February 19, 2026
Postage stamp printed in Russia shows a mirrored map of the Arctic, with Russian flag on the North Pole.
essays

Russia’s Arctic game

President Putin sees Greenland as a testing ground for his vision of a world divided into spheres of influence, in which the United States and Russia set the rules of the game and ..

Sergey Radchenko February 18, 2026
Close-up image of the map of Europe on a 100 euro banknote.
essays

Europe: a great power in the making

Surrounded by an unreliable United States, a belligerent Russia, an assertive China, and a rising India, European statesmen face a timeless truth: to resist competitors, they must ..

Dimitar Bechev February 13, 2026
An artist's concept of a nuclear missile launch.
essays

New START, new nuclear threat

With the expiration of the arms agreement between Washington and Moscow, the world faces a new era of nuclear competition.

Owen Matthews February 11, 2026
Lord Halifax, British Ambassador to the United States, at the National Airport in Washington.
essays

The aristocratic ambassadors who won America over

Lord Lothian, followed by Lord Halifax, led the British Embassy in Washington during the early years of the Second World War. Securing US support for Britain, they set the standard..

Tim Bouverie February 10, 2026

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