Notebooks

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

Opposition fighters hold up their guns as they pose for photos under a billboard depicting Syrian President Bashar Asad in Aleppo, Syria.

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The Syrian war never really ended

The war in Syria has entered an all-bets-are-off phase of a kind unseen since 2012. But for as long as Assad remains in office, there will be no peace or stability in the wartorn c..

Kyle Orton December 2, 2024

A painting from the Basque museum of the history.

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Who are the Basques?

The Basques live the ancient day-to-day, a way of life carefully preserved and nurtured over millennia.

Aurélien Guéroult November 28, 2024

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Nordic cinema’s new masculinity

Scandinavian film directors specialise in honest yet compassionate studies of male identity.

James Mcloughlin November 27, 2024

Five floors below ground, in the city of Kharkiv, artists of the Opera House continue to prepare for their performances.

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Kharkiv’s culture unbowed

Kharkiv National Theatre of Opera and Ballet continues to stage performances underground, as Russian missiles pummel the city. The resilience of the performers deserves a happy end..

Jade McGlynn November 27, 2024

The bombardment of Acre during the Oriental Crisis of 1840.

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The 1840 Oriental Crisis, a triumph of diplomacy

In 1840, a climactic clash in the Levant was resolved in a way that presents important lessons to contemporary policymakers facing a similar situation.

William Erich Ellison November 25, 2024

Yongsan Railway Station in Seoul showing a news broadcast of a test launch of new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) 'Hwasong-19' at an undisclosed place in North Korea.

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Navigating the new nuclear age

Nuclear deterrence is neither a magic bullet nor an obsolete relic. It is a complex and dynamic tool that demands continuous adaptation, clear-eyed assessment, and a nuanced unders..

Reja Younis November 22, 2024

A woman kisses the flag of Somaliland after voting in the 2024 presidential election.

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Somaliland’s race for recognition

Somaliland’s landmark election showcases its democratic resilience and ambition for recognition, even as it navigates regional tensions and international indifference.

Matt Kenyon November 22, 2024

In December 2022, Donald Trump announced the launch of his own NFT trading card collection.

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Donald Trump’s cryptopia

The crypto movement alone didn’t win it for Trump, but it was a central node, a technological anchor point in a fuzzy constellation of anti-establishment ideas and philosophies, al..

Jamie Bartlett November 21, 2024

President Donald Trump in the Situation Room discussing Iranian attacks on US troops in Iran.

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Trump and Iran face off across a new Middle East

Four years after his first term, Donald Trump returns to a Middle East reshaped by war, where the United States and Iran face a pivotal choice between escalating conflict or pursui..

Afshon Ostovar November 14, 2024