Notebooks

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When chat shows were worth watching

The archive of 'The Dick Cavett Show' is a reminder that chat show interviews were once conducted with wit and intelligence.

Paul Lay June 24, 2026

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The geopolitics of fertiliser

Time and again the global supply of usable nitrogen has driven conflict, a pattern brought back into view by turmoil in the Middle East and the green transition.

Mara Balasa June 23, 2026

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The case for South Korea to join the G7

Seoul's economic dynamism, shrewd diplomacy and strong record of co-operation with NATO countries in trade and defence has positioned it as a natural addition to the Group of Seven..

Edward Howell June 22, 2026

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Schopenhauer’s devoted disciples

The German thinker's contribution to western philosophy made little impression at first, but would later influence the likes of Tolstoy, Proust and Wagner.

David Coates June 22, 2026

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The art of a bad deal

Economic incentives can bring Iran to the table; they should not buy an agreement that falls well short of America's own objectives.

Marc Polymeropoulos and Sam Worby June 18, 2026

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In search of Timbuktu

Once at the heart of great empires, the West African city has long loomed large in the imaginations of European explorers, both as a shining beacon of civilisation and a pitiful sy..

William Gourlay June 17, 2026

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Dumas’ philosophy of hope

Alexandre Dumas' 'The Count of Monte Cristo' remains the great novel of hope, as a recent revival shows.

Alastair Benn June 17, 2026

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Why reviving Stalin’s Arctic canal is a strategic prize for Russia

Russian strategists have called for expanding the Belomorkanal, the Soviet relic linking the Arctic and the Baltic, into a route that could bypass some of the world's major trading..

Brigita Van den Houta June 16, 2026

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Hockney’s art of looking

Seen through the Bradford-born artist's eyes, the world will always be endlessly beautiful.

Cath Pound June 16, 2026