Notebooks

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

notebook

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

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a meeting of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, June 11, 2025 in Tehran, Iran.

notebook

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

notebook

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

notebook

The West in the age of Westlessness

What does it mean to defend Western values in a less Western-dominated age?

Samir Puri July 15, 2025

Former Brazilian dictator, General Humberto Castelo Branco (left) with Airforce Minister Brigadier Francisco de Assis Correia de Mello (centre) in 1964.

notebook

How Brazil avoided disaster in Vietnam

In the mid-1960s, Brazil's leaders were on the verge of joining the United States' war in Vietnam. The power of public opinion forced them to back down.

Ryan A. Musto July 14, 2025

The Memorial Wall in the Central Intelligence Agency Headquarters, Langley, Virginia.

notebook

An attack on US intelligence

President Trump’s willingness to manipulate assessments of Iran's nuclear programme suggests that he prioritises his public narrative over the effectiveness of America's intelligen..

Matthew Hefler July 10, 2025

The Aurelian; a Natural History of English Moths and Butterflies, published by Henry Bohn, London, 1840.

notebook

The first butterfly collectors

The Society of Aurelians, the first entomological society established in Britain, brought butterflies out of their undeserved obscurity, lavishly illustrated their beauty, and even..

Nigel Andrew July 8, 2025

notebook

The new right’s hollow aesthetic

America's right-wing radical counter-elites have a problem with the preservation of culture.

Sumantra Maitra July 8, 2025

Flow map of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia.

notebook

The importance of strategic depth

As Napoleon discovered, during his catastrophic invasion of Russia, strategic depth is among the most critical factors in the winning of wars. It remains so today.

Nadia Schadlow July 7, 2025