Notebooks

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

United States and Israeli fighter jets fly together during Exercise Desert Falcon in Israel, January 16, 2022.

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Why the US remains a major Middle Eastern power

Despite talk of US decline, the war in the Middle East shows that American power has not dwindled as much as some have claimed. It may yet prove crucial in resolving the region's c..

Ronan Mainprize March 24, 2026

The Creation of Adam, composed with a robot hand.

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What Kant and Spinoza can teach us about AI

Two of Demis Hassabis’s favourite philosophers, Spinoza and Kant, help illuminate the conundrum: can AI turn chaotic data into intelligible, structured reality?

Lisa Klaassen March 18, 2026

A 1993 production of Tom Stoppard's Arcadia.

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Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia and the power of the humanities

In the late playwright’s masterpiece, the humanities remain indispensable to any vision of human flourishing.

Russ Roberts March 17, 2026

Iranian Revolutionary Guards march during an annual military parade in Tehran, Iran, in September 2013.

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The IRGC’s way of war

Iran's Revolutionary Guards have a flexible command structure designed for fighting unconventional wars against superior forces, a survival strategy that goes back to the origins o..

Ashkan Hashemipour March 16, 2026

Nepal's new Prime Minister Balendra Shah waves the national flag in Jhapa, Nepal. Credit: ZUMA Press.

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Nepal’s youth rebellion meets geopolitics

Nepal’s youth-driven uprising has reset the foreign policy landscape in Kathmandu, exposing the limits of China’s communist alliances and India’s long-standing influence over the N..

Ankit Tiwari March 16, 2026

Protesters hold posters during a demonstration against a Turkish military operation against Kurdish People's Defense Units (YPG) forces in Syria's Afrin, outside the Kurdistan Parliament in Erbil, northern Iraq, on January 21, 2018.

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Why Trump’s Kurdish gambit failed

American calls for an armed uprising among Iran's Kurds were undermined by disenchantment over the fickleness of Washington's previous support for Kurdish causes.

William Gourlay March 12, 2026

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The West’s military malaise

The West’s response to new methods of warfare in Ukraine and the Middle East has been sluggish, revealing an adaptation process that is slow, risk-averse and underfunded.

Mick Ryan March 11, 2026