Notebooks

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From Pericles to Davos

The Athenian statesman Pericles’ Funeral Oration is an organic unity, its authority derived from the speaker’s strength of vision. This stands in complete contrast to today’s polit..

Armand D'Angour January 23, 2026

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Scotland’s north country

The habits of speech and mind that shaped the history of Scotland’s north country still echo in the present.

Alastair Benn January 23, 2026

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The price of Europe’s defence

Europe’s dependence on the US for its defence may be coming to an end. Rapid military spending, the replacement of US assets, and taking on the nuclear umbrella will require hard e..

David Roche January 22, 2026

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Hydrogen warfare

Unlocking new hydrogen fuel technologies could unleash a transformation in warfare as profound as any witnessed over the past five centuries, with far-reaching strategic implicatio..

Mara Balasa January 22, 2026

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Conrad’s American century

In his 1904 novel 'Nostromo', Joseph Conrad imagined a world shaped by distant financiers and imperial ambition, anticipating a century of American global power.

Morten Høi Jensen January 22, 2026

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The flaws in Mark Carney’s new world order

The Canadian prime minister is right to stress that middle powers must adapt to a new world order. Yet his rhetorical appeal to the heroism of anti-Communist dissidents, even as he..

George Magnus January 21, 2026

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Greenland shows the limits and opportunities of Danish statecraft

American interest in Greenland confronts Denmark with a choice it has faced before. With strategic imagination, it could engage the US to forge a mutually beneficial path for the i..

Joshua Treviño January 21, 2026

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The Kennedy Center without the arts

Donald Trump’s reordering of the Kennedy Center illustrates a broader truth: when political leaders imprint their signature on cultural institutions, artistry finds a way to escape..

Elisabeth Braw January 20, 2026

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The first great radio hoax

In January 1926, a satirical broadcast by Father Ronald Knox sparked panic across Britain. Listeners mistook his parody of an impending revolution for real riots in the capital – a..

Daniel Marc Janes January 20, 2026