Notebooks

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

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What China wants from Europe

China's activities in Europe are driven more by opportunism than any grand plot to divide the continent. In geopolitical terms, Beijing treats European countries as extensions of A..

John Delury October 31, 2025

Handscroll painting of the 'Night Parade of One Hundred Demons', a Japanese folk belief.

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Japan’s time of spirits

Tsukumogami are beings that arise when ordinary objects gain a spirit of their own. Their moral message? Treat your possessions well.

Christopher Harding October 30, 2025

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Britain’s elite needs a history lesson

At a time of crisis at home and conflict abroad, it is vital that the UK's political and media class have an historically informed understanding of their country and its institutio..

Alastair Benn October 29, 2025

Krishna Abducts Mitravinda, Folio from a Bhagavata Purana. Nepal, 1775-1800.

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Nepal’s ancient wonders

The Himalayan country's national archives, filled with priceless ancient manuscripts from across South Asia, have survived earthquakes and revolutions, but may yet fall prey to neg..

Arjuna Keshvani-Ham October 29, 2025

The border wall between Israel and the West Bank.

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The Palestinian question is still unanswered

The challenges in the next phases of Trump’s plan go right to the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Marc Polymeropoulos October 28, 2025

Vladimir Putin tries on thermal imaging goggles as he inspects Russian weapons and equipment.

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How Russia sees the next war

Moscow's planning for future military conflict is poorly understood in the West.

Florence Gaub and Andrew Monaghan October 28, 2025

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Will Wolfsburg become the next Detroit?

Wolfsburg, born as a utopian vision of German modernity, is a case study in how that model is running out of road.

Katja Hoyer October 28, 2025

A German tank surrenders to British troops during the Battle of El Alamein, 1942.

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Keith Douglas, an Englishman at war

The sublime talents of the wartime poet and writer Keith Douglas captured both the harrowing nature of conflict and the spirit of an England that once was, but is no more.

Bryan Appleyard October 28, 2025

The Tribute to Victory celebration at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, 1945.

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Los Angeles, 1945: victory at a cost

A Tribute to Victory, an event staged to celebrate America's victory in the Second World War, remains a curious historical footnote – a celebration whose grand finale captured the ..

Iain MacGregor October 27, 2025