Notebooks

notebook

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

notebook

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

notebook

Cyprus’ geopolitical future is at stake

Two decades after joining the EU, Cyprus remains a divided island, its strategic position in the eastern Mediterranean uncertain.

Hannah Lucinda Smith March 10, 2026

notebook

The culture of safetyism

A preoccupation with safety has transformed the West. What does it mean when fear becomes a society’s guiding principle?

Pierre Valentin March 10, 2026

notebook

The house of Khamenei lives on

Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new Supreme Leader, is a devoted son of the Islamic Republic whose rule may take the regime in an even more extreme direction.

Saeid Golkar and Jason M. Brodsky March 10, 2026

notebook

The Special Relationship in a world of hard power

The alliance between Britain and the United States worked best when the former had leverage of its own.

Ioannes Chountis de Fabbri March 9, 2026

notebook

Indulgences, LLMs, and the crisis of the university

Just as indulgences once acted as a proxy for salvation, so exams now serve as proxies for learning.

Daisy Christodoulou March 9, 2026

notebook

Sophia Duleep Singh – The rebel princess who took on the crown

Sophia, the daughter of the deposed Maharajah Duleep Singh, used her royal status to champion women’s rights.

Cath Pound March 8, 2026

notebook

Iran and the perils of fighting the last war

As the Iran war intensifies across the Middle East, leaders cannot afford to draw the wrong lessons from past crises.

Rob Macaire March 6, 2026