Notebooks

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

SIMONIDES (c556-c468 B.C.). /nGreek poet. Woodcut, German, 15th century.

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The lost art of memory

Frances A. Yates' history of the art of memory reveals the costs of literacy.

Paul Lay September 2, 2026

A banner with a call for contract service in the Russian army.

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Russia is mobilising again

Some in Moscow believe the country has entered into a new Thirty Years War with the western powers.

Andrew Monaghan September 1, 2026

Turkish troops take part in the Romanian National Day military parade in December 2018.

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The coming Turkish-Israeli struggle for supremacy

The rising antagonism between Israel and Turkey could lead to a catastrophic conflict, and transform the balance of power across Eurasia.

Sumantra Maitra August 28, 2026

An engraving showing Napoleon I and Alexander I meeting on a raft on the Niemen River at Tilsit on 25 June 1807.

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The price of Trump’s transactional diplomacy

Diplomatic deals based on the pursuit of short-term interests tend to be short-lived.

Ziyi Wang August 27, 2026

A Second World War political poster featuring Charles de Gaulle.

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De Gaulle’s rise, fall and rise again

'De Gaulle: Résistance', the first instalment of Antonin Baudry's biopic of the Free French leader, is thrilling, historically convincing and, at times, rather moving.

Paul Lay August 26, 2026

The Hoover Dam in Nevada lit up with the United States flag.

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The US needs a total defence strategy

In order to protect critical national infrastructure from hybrid attacks, the United States should emulate the whole-of-society approach pioneered by Sweden, Finland and the Baltic..

Alexander Noyes and Jason C. Moyer August 24, 2026