Notebooks

Notebooks are snapshots from our writers, reflecting on current affairs and underappreciated aspects of culture and history.

The Christian Science Church, located in Springfield.

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Christian Science and the American Dream

Christian Science's remarkable history shows that, in America, orthodoxy of belief is less important than compatibility with the civic religion and ethnic, cultural, and economic a..

Elijah Granet September 1, 2025

Arab soldiers carrying the flag of the Independent Kingdom of Hejaz, during the Arab Revolt, in 1917.

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When Britain promised Arab independence

Britain's ambiguous support in 1915 for Arab national aspirations is a reminder that abstract promises, hastily made, can only generate discontent – a vital lesson for the current ..

James Barr August 28, 2025

A North Korean propaganda painting depicts North Korean dictator Kim Il Sung liberating his country during the Korean War

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The use and abuse of Korea’s past

Seventy-five years after the outbreak of the Korean War, competing accounts of the conflict continue to animate tensions between Seoul and Pyongyang.

Edward Howell August 27, 2025

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Turin, the strange heart of modern Italy

Despite being the first capital of a united Italy, Turin does not feel remotely Italian. Yet the longer one wanders its streets, the more the city's powerful role in forging the mo..

Alexandra Wilson August 26, 2025

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How Europe can make Putin pay

Instead of ensnaring Trump in Alaska, Putin may have trapped himself. Now, European leaders must act quickly to convince the US President that he can tip the battlefield in Ukraine..

Peter Rough August 26, 2025

A mass protest in Tallinn, Estonia, against the 1939 Nazi-Soviet Pact, on 23 August 1989. Credit: Associated Press

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Black Ribbon Day’s new urgency

Black Ribbon Day, which commemorates the millions of victims who suffered under Nazism and Stalinism, could serve as a poignant reminder of the dangers of totalitarianism.

Keith Lowe August 23, 2025

Nicolas Poussin's A Dance to the Music of Time. Circa 1635.

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A true history of the festival

The festival spirit is deeply rooted in Western culture. Modern people ignore its power at their peril.

Zachary Hardman August 22, 2025

Edgar Degas' The Orchestra at the Opera.

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The end of the cult of the wunderkind

Just a few years ago, extremely young conductors were all the rage. No longer.

Elisabeth Braw August 21, 2025

The opening of the Estates General at Versailles, 5 May 1789.

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Statism is crushing France’s soul

France’s over-reliance on the state is stifling political innovation and civic vitality. Devolving power will require a reinvention of revolutionary and republican traditions.

Marc Le Chevallier August 20, 2025