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Reviews

Significant works reviewed by Engelsberg Ideas writers.

South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem, receives a pledge of loyalty from the army that would later kill him.
Review

Diplomacy, betrayal and the road to Vietnam

In 1963, two American diplomats navigated the shifting tides of American foreign policy against the backdrop of the rapidly intensifying Vietnam War.

Luke A. Nichter October 8, 2024
A woman cleans the window of a bank next to graffiti of Plato and Aristotle in Greece during the Eurozone Crisis.
Review

The price of fairness

The concept of a just price has long bridged the worlds of ethics and economics, evolving from Aristotle’s principles of fair exchange to the modern complexities of market-driven p..

Nicholas Morton October 2, 2024
The Allied bombing of Hamburg.
Review

Archives among the ashes

Enough archival material has survived from the Middle Ages to demonstrate how much has not, much of it because of the tragic destruction of libraries and collections through histor..

George Woudhuysen September 25, 2024
Barrack Obama in the Oval Office.
Review

Power and prudence in American statecraft

American foreign policy hinges on the rare virtue of prudence in its presidents, and their ability to balance national interests with the unforgiving realities of global power.

Brian Smith September 24, 2024
They skyline of the West End of Glasgow.
Review

Glasgow’s theatre of enchantment and heartbreak

Even after a long hiatus, the unapologetically highbrow musicality of The Bathers transforms Glasgow's sandstone tenements into the perfect backdrop of romance and timeless memorie..

Jonathan Patrick September 20, 2024
Visitors to the ancient Buddhist monastery in the Ellora Caves, Maharashtra, India.
Review

Ancient India’s global reach

From trade routes to temples, ancient India’s ideas and inventions left an indelible mark on civilisations from China to the Roman Empire.

Nicholas Morton September 18, 2024
A Medieval fresco showing the damned being dragged to Hell.
Review

Christianity’s carnal contradictions

Centuries of conflicting teachings have shaped Christianity's complex relationship with sex, balancing faith, fear, and control over human sexuality.

Katherine Harvey September 17, 2024
Advertising for Mahler Symphony No.2 at Bold Tendencies.
Review

Resurrecting Mahler

The Viennese composer Gustav Mahler's masterpiece, Symphony No.2, melds song, majestic orchestral forces and moments of plangent intimacy and emotion. It received its latest perfor..

Benjamin Poore September 16, 2024
European anchovy.
Review

A little history of the anchovy

The anchovy’s ancient and varied story is ultimately about how food powerfully underpins our sense of identity, security and comfort.

Mathew Lyons September 13, 2024

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