Notebooks

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Jung’s map of the soul

Born 150 years ago, Carl Jung drew on mythology and personal experience to create a visionary body of work, resonant in a disenchanted age.

Garima Garg July 25, 2025

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The UK and Sweden, two tales of Afghan withdrawal

Britain was not alone in mishandling its withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Johan Wennström July 24, 2025

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The Syrian state is unravelling

If the Syrian government cannot impose order on disparate sectarian militias, the country could lapse into a destructive new civil war.

James Snell July 22, 2025

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The Druze, no friends but the mountains

Syria’s Druze have often been caught between their commitment to national independence and a wariness of Sunni domination.

Jack Dickens July 21, 2025

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A paean to the Paris Métro

Unveiled 125 years ago, the Métropolitan marked Paris’s leap into modernity, with Guimard’s once-controversial station entrances now enduring emblems of the city’s spirit.

Agnès Poirier July 18, 2025

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A window into Hitler’s soul

Reading Mein Kampf, 100 years on from its first appearance, can help us better understand a historical moment which still so profoundly structures our world, as it fades into the d..

Samuel Rubinstein July 18, 2025

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The art of least resistance

Russian musicians' responses to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine raise a vital question: when should artists be expected to denounce the actions of their governments?

Elisabeth Braw July 17, 2025

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Iran’s forever crisis is far from over

As a result of Israeli and American attacks, the Islamic Republic’s problems have only intensified. Its next steps could prove definitive for both the country and its ruling establ..

Afshon Ostovar July 17, 2025

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Pierre Boulez created the music of the future

The composer-conductor Pierre Boulez felt that the established musical forms of the West had been exhausted. His aim was to build them up again from scratch.

Benjamin Poore July 15, 2025