Notebooks

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

notebook

Mrs Dalloway’s war wounds

In her masterpiece, Mrs Dalloway, Virginia Woolf skewered the tendency to deny the truths that cause grief, a lesson that resonates in the post-Covid era.

Lizzie Hibbert May 22, 2025

notebook

The high price of Trump’s energy

America, perhaps more than most nations, values displays of energy in its presidents.

Jenny McCartney May 21, 2025

US General Dwight Eisenhower (1890-1969) inspecting troops.

notebook

Eisenhower’s vision of European security

In 1945, American leaders prevented Europe from being overrun by the Red Army. Their strategic thinking provides a vital perspective on the current debate about US military presenc..

Moritz S. Graefrath May 20, 2025

Ivan the Terrible displaying his treasures to the English ambassador Jerome Horsey.

notebook

A little history of diplomatic gifts

The Qatari's offer of an airliner to President Trump is a reminder that there has never been a moment in history when diplomatic gifts weren’t leveraged against political aims.

Maria Golia May 16, 2025

A major rally takes place in Aleppo in December on 'Victory Friday' to celebrate the fall of the Syrian regime of Bashar Al-Assad.

notebook

Trump’s Syrian deal like no other

The US President's appetite for deal-making has reached the Middle East. Is this really Syria's 'chance at greatness'?

James Snell May 15, 2025

notebook

The perils of Russian stability under Putin

Europe has spent too long fearing the consequences of Russian instability. It is time to fear the consequences of the stability of Putin's regime.

Stephen G. F. Hall May 13, 2025

German woodcut depicting Frederick III 'the Wise', Elector of Saxony and Martin Luther (c. 1550).

notebook

Martin Luther’s wise protector

Frederick III, 'the Wise', Elector of Saxony, did not set out to defend the Protestant Reformation, but by protecting Martin Luther he changed Christendom and the world.

Eliot Wilson May 13, 2025

A speech by Pope John Paul II in Krakow during his trip to Poland in 1979.

notebook

How the Vatican does geopolitics

The new Pope will need courage in handling a fractured church and multiple geopolitical crises. One of his greatest challenges could be defusing tensions in the Korean peninsula.

Edward Howell May 9, 2025

A scene from The Jetsons, an American television cartoon originally aired int he 1960s.

notebook

Why utopias still matter

The 21st century needs utopias. We have the ability to imagine more optimistic futures, where technology reduces suffering, and expands the sphere of human creativity and endeavour..

Jonathan Esty May 7, 2025