Notebooks

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

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A monarch’s message of unity

When Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf addressed his nation at Christmas, his message was not a political one. It was about keeping a country united and resilient in dangerous times.

Elisabeth Braw January 6, 2025

Still from A Room With a View (1985) starring Helena Bonham Carter and Julian Sands.

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The decline and fall of period drama

Merchant Ivory Productions allowed a generation to dream that another world had once existed, infinitely more beautiful, infinitely more civilised. Their body of work remains unriv..

Alexandra Wilson January 6, 2025

Still from the 1938 version of A Christmas Carol.

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Remembering the true spirit of Christmas

Memory, and the need for communal memories, is at the very heart of Christmas.

Fergus Butler-Gallie December 24, 2024

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

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Why Assad’s fall took the world by surprise

The fall of Assad’s regime in Syria caught the world off guard, adding to a pattern of surprises in US policy toward the country and offering critical lessons for the future of the..

Alexander Bick December 20, 2024

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What is sprezzatura?

Sprezzatura has many meanings, and yet defies definition. It's at once a certain nonchalance, virtue in harmony, a moral rhythm, an ineffable quality and yet instantly recognisable..

Jaspreet Singh Boparai December 20, 2024

A 2018 poster in the city of Rastan shows Bashar al-Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin as allies.

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Russia’s Cold War Redux strategy for the Middle East lies in ruins

Russia's recent engagement with Syria had marked continuities with the Soviet Union's Middle East strategy.

Ibrahim Al-Marashi December 18, 2024

Emmanuel Macron walks alone during a ceremony for late French politician and admiral, Philippe de Gaulle, the son of Charles de Gaulle

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The last days of the Fifth Republic

The Fifth Republic, forged by de Gaulle to stabilise France, teeters on the brink of collapse as its fundamental contradictions put French politics at an impasse.

Angus Brown December 13, 2024

The Shot at Dawn Memorial in Staffordshire commemorating those who were executed for desertion in the First World War.

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The pardon paradox

While the right to grant clemency originated in the divine authority of monarchs, it now resides with elected leaders whose use of it can conflict with principles of impartial just..

Adam Zamoyski December 13, 2024

Gamal Abdul Nasser of Egypt and Hafiz Al-Assad of Syria on a warehouse in Syria.

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The long struggle for Syria

Marked by failed coups, foreign intrigue, and stubborn tyranny, Syria’s modern history captures how political ambitions and a battle for global power have continually shaped the na..

James Barr December 12, 2024