Notebooks

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

Equality before death (1848), oil on canvas, William Bouguereau at the Musée d'Orsay. Credit: Godong

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Humanity’s undying quest for immortality

The desire to avoid death has grown into a vast industry. Yet the truth is, we have already created a form of immortality. It just isn't human.

Bryan Appleyard April 28, 2026

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What King James can teach Charles III about diplomacy

Against a backdrop of war in Europe and the Middle East, and fraying Anglo-American relations, Charles would do well to emulate the canny diplomacy of his predecessor.

Eloise Davies April 28, 2026

Pierre Patel's aerial view of Versailles and its gardens.

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The ideal garden of the Ancien Régime

Under Louis XIV, the jardin à la française, with its straight lines, geometric shapes and clear boundaries, made nature subordinate to man.

Muriel Zagha April 28, 2026

The Soviet Chernobyl catastrophe rescue team.

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Chernobyl and the price of nuclear hubris

Advocates of a nuclear ‘renaissance’ should remember the Soviet Union’s horrendous failures.

Paul Josephson April 22, 2026

The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London.

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Iran targets its diaspora

As the Islamic Republic faces crisis at home, it seeks to assert tighter control over an increasingly vocal Iranian diaspora in the West.

Kasra Aarabi and Saeid Golkar April 20, 2026

Pro-Palestine protestor in New York City. Credit: Sipa US

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Why Israel is losing America

By refusing to bring his wars to a close, Benjamin Netanyahu is placing the vital partnership between the United States and Israel in grave peril.

Marc Polymeropoulos April 16, 2026

Pasar Bedung market, Indonesia. Credit: blickwinkel

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The unravelling of Indonesia’s middleman economy

Indonesia built an economy rooted in mercantile trade, leaving it vulnerable in a world that increasingly cuts out the middleman. Yet it may be too late to become a nation of maker..

Rayhan Prabu April 15, 2026

Mariupol's city sign painted in the colours of the Russian flag.

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Russia’s war for demographic control

Russia is remaking the demographic structure of cities such as Mariupol, with implications that extend far beyond the current phase of the war.

Jade McGlynn April 14, 2026

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Hungary’s long rebellion against the West

Viktor Orbán's self-portrayal as the defender of European civilisation against the encroaching power of Brussels is built on a selective but powerful use of historical memory.

Elvira Viktória Tamus April 11, 2026