Notebooks Archive

A scene from Bizet's 'Carmen' illustrated in a 19th-century advertisement.

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The maverick genius of Georges Bizet

The longevity of Bizet's Carmen, despite its disastrous premiere, is a testament to the composer's genius and creativity. With every performance, we still recognise its immortal re..

Nicholas Opfermann March 17, 2025

Crowds wave the flag of the Syrian Revolution in Aleppo to celebrate the overthrown of the Assad regime.

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Syria’s sectarian trap

Syria’s social fabric is in shreds, and forces embodying some of the country's most extreme sectarian tendencies are ascendant on all sides.

Kyle Orton March 17, 2025

A sign welcomes visitors outside the Bic Factory in Montsévrain, France

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The pen that became a symbol of France

Since it was first released in 1970, the revolutionary Bic 4-Colour ballpoint pen has come to embody a powerful ‘myth’ of French modernity.

Muriel Zagha March 14, 2025

South Korean President Syngman Rhee and General Douglas MacArthur in 1948.

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What Zelensky can learn from Syngman Rhee

The parallels between the current conflict in Ukraine and the Korean War won’t validate President Trump's approach or please his supporters. They suggest that Kyiv still has one cr..

David P. Fields March 13, 2025

A 19th-century French caricature of the Congress of Vienna (1815).

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Bringing back the stately quadrille

President Trump has upended relations with America's European allies. It's a dramatic change of course reminiscent of the dizzying dance of 18th-century diplomacy.

William Erich Ellison March 12, 2025

A fresco depicting the First Council of Nicaea from the Sistine hall of the Vatican Library.

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Nicaea: the council that shaped the West

The fourth-century Council of Nicaea shaped the direction of Christian theology, kickstarted the contest between Church and State, and established the political model that lies at ..

Fergus Butler-Gallie March 12, 2025

Choir boys carrying palm leaves in procession during Palm Sunday in 1936.

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The tragic decline of Christian rituals

Christian rituals associated with Lent are neither foolish games nor futile gestures. Rather, such traditions show how a fractured society can heal, connecting its mortal existence..

Bijan Omrani March 10, 2025

Map of the secret Sykes-Picot agreement, showing the proposed division of the Middle East British and French areas.

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The perils of partition

Those who seek to carve up Syria should know that partitions never work. The divisions they create are at best arbitrary and must be enforced with violence, as the history of the M..

James Snell March 10, 2025

Tomb stones in the Srebrenica Massacre Memorial and Cemetery for the victims of the Bosnian Genocide.

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The Genocide Convention and its discontents

In 1948, the UN General Assembly ratified the Genocide Convention to punish and prevent one of humanity's worst crimes. Today, questions arise about whether this legal framework is..

Christopher Hale March 7, 2025