Notebooks

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The age of Me is over. The age of Them has begun

It is half a century since Tom Wolfe coined the phrase the 'Me Decade'. Yet Me, We and You no longer capture a world increasingly shaped by 'Them', the systems and machines that no..

Bryan Appleyard March 30, 2026

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America’s fatal chokepoint

US grand strategy was once guided by a sound understanding of the importance of chokepoints, a vital aspect of geopolitics that the Trump administration has neglected at its own pe..

Phil Tinline March 28, 2026

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Iran and America’s long war

The roots of the current conflict between the United States and Iran go back to the origins of the Islamic Republic and the seismic shockwaves it unleashed across the Middle East.

Ibrahim Al-Marashi and Tanya Goudsouzian March 27, 2026

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Turkey and Syria’s Iran crisis

In the war between the US and Iran, the leaders of both Turkey and Syria face the challenge of maintaining close relations with President Trump, concerns about overt alignment with..

Hannah Lucinda Smith March 25, 2026

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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